A comparison of figures with front to back being 1/400, 1/300, 1/200, 1/170, 1/144 scale for Gundam 00 Raiser and Guncannon
While the MechaStellar wargame is often played using small scale figures such as the 1/400 Gundam range or various Super Robot Wars gashapon (capsule toys) you can also play it using your favorite large figures and model kits. While our other post focused on small scale minis that are 1.5 to 4 inches in height this post will look at all the larger figures including Gunpla, Robot Spirits (Robot Damashii), Mobile Suit in Action (MSIA) and G-Frame.
We’ll examine the pros and cons of each Gundam mini collection and at the end we’ll have a number of comparison shots showing the different ranges side by side.
The primary purpose of this guide is to let you see the size of various Gundam models. That way if you decide to start collecting and want to mix and match you know which ranges work well together and which figures you want to battle it out on the tabletop.
When playing MechaStellar as a SRW style game with mecha from different franchises we advise you to pick either a Versus movie scale (all figures are roughly the same height) or an approximate scale where some very large robots (i.e. 100+ meter robots like Daitarn 3 or Ideon) are represented by larger figures while everything else is around the same height. You can read more about the recommended size and scale here.
Here are three rules updates and a balance update we are working on for the next few months.
Core Rules – Engagement Range
We get asked about this one a lot, especially for people who use Gunpla. Right now the only rules difference between using different sized models is the smaller ones have a 3″ engagement range and the larger ones have a 5″ engagement range.
The reason for that is 3″ works great for the 1/400 scale measuring center-line to center line while a 5″ engagement range looks a bit silly with how far it is. For all other figures and model kits the 5″ range looks more realistic, and depending on how you model your kit or the figure you are using their outstretched sword is often around 5″ in range.
To keep things simple we’re going to keep the 3″ engagement range only for the 1/400 range (or any other Mecha figure 2″ and smaller) while all other figures will switch to the 5″ engagement range. We tried it out with the 1/300 and 1/200 Gundam figures and generally everyone was happier with the result.
Core Rules – Target Lock
Just some general feedback we’ve gotten is that Target Lock is helpful for beam weapons and somewhat useful for artillery and bazookas but doesn’t do much for machine guns and similar PEN 0 weapons. We’re still evaluating two solutions to this, one of which will favor Sniper units but we want to make sure it doesn’t become too unbalancing or wind up heavily favoring artillery units instead.
Wargame Rules – Objective Secured
10th edition 40k has “Sticky Objectives” which lets you keep control of an objective after you take it over which is very handy for armies with low model counts. We’re considering doing something similar, that way if you want to run a force of say Amuro, Kai and Hayato vs a large Zeon force you won’t be struggling to keep and hold objectives.
We have a fun battle report test we’ll post on this one in the future.
Balance – Melee Weapons
We’ve gotten a lot of feedback about GaoGaiGar as well as Getter Dragon regarding High Crit melee weapons, so the Goldion Hammer and Getter Tomahawk. They are unfortunately still dominating melee combats. We’re going to adjust those two weapons to have a different damage value, similar to how the short range / thrown weapons work now where the high crit weapons like Tomahawk Boomerang or Wrecking Ball have a lower damage compared to Rocket Punch.
We may end up doing an overhaul on all melee weapons, for instance a Beam Saber may end up being DMG 400 instead of 500 but that warrants further analysis.
As always thanks to everyone who submit their battle report data to the google form. If you haven’t used it yet, it’s a pretty quick form and you can skip any of the section regarding Secondary Objectives and optional rules if you don’t use them. It also does not require an email address.
For this month’s update we have long awaited Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! This is a fondly remembered mecha show that became a phenomenon when it first released in 2007 being picked up by a large swath of the anime blogging community and soaring in popularity on various image message boards and forums being enjoyed by mecha fans and general viewers alike, it was later picked up for US Broadcast in 2008.
For this month’s roster update we have a long awaited update to the Stellar Warship roster for Mobile Suit Gundam. In addition to standard ship of the line units like the Magellan class battleship or the Chivvay heavy cruiser we’ve also expanded the roster to include heavy hitters like the Gwazine and the infamous White Base.
For this month’s update we are adding additional units from The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar. This includes the massive King J-Der, upgraded forms of the original characters released last month, along with Gekiryujin and lastly the rock and roll robot Mic Saunders the 13th. We are also adding in our first Stellar Warships from a Super Robot series with the Amaterasu, the Izanagi and Susanoh.
King J-Der is the rival to our protagonist GaoGaiGar, he is an enemy of the 31 Machine Primevals and thus frequently finds himself fighting on the same side as GaoGaiGar. Gekiryujin is the younger counterpart to Chouryujin, who grows the most after watching the altruistic nature of Choryujin (formed by the two brothers HoRyu & EnRyu). Lastly, Mic Saunders the 13th is often the comic relief but also the more unique robot of the series, using different discs and harmonics to accomplish a wide variety of effects. You can also include his 12 brothers to form a brigade on the tabletop.
Today we’re releasing MechaStellar VER9, thank you for all the feedback on the draft rules, profile and layout updates. Below you will find a summary of updates for VER9 as well as a roster rebalance to go along with the new layout. The VER9 Design Goal post covers several of these updates in detail.
Here’s an updated draft for the VER9 Wargame rules taking into account feedback from players on the unit upgrades section. I’ve also tweaked a few items on VP scoring, and adjusted most ranges that were previously 6″ and 12″ to be 8″ and 16″ instead.
Here’s a preview for the VER9 layout for G Gundam and Wing, both of which received a rebalance to comply with the VER9 design standards including the Power stat as well as a higher EQ Slot maximum for certain units.
Additionally the Gundam Fight rules were updated with a new version for High Mobility which now lets you interrupt your opponent and attempt to move on the battlefield to stay out of range of shooting or melee. You can see the full pdf below.
Super Titans type split into Super Titan (Super Robot) and Kaiju / Super Heavy (Jaeger, Megadeus)
Power is no longer a requirement for Super Titans and Kaiju, they now operate the same as a MS does.
The Power stat now provides a bonus to your attacks. It is named Havoc for Kaiju / Super Heavies.
Not every unit will have a Power or Havoc stat, typically it is used for very powerful units, or ones who specialize in throwing their opponents and destroying terrain.
Updated Crash Through rules under Full Throttle
Added Throw Terrain under Shooting Attack
Added Target Lock +1 ARM PEN in Sensors range.
Reverted “Pilot Tier” nomenclature to “Pilot Level” to prevent confusion with unit tiers based on Performance
Adjusted the Improvise skill and moved it to Universal skills. Added the Seize the Day Universal Skill.
Moved Expert Evasion to the core rules as an optional replacement. Updated cost to be [M-X]
Expanded Pilot Skills – Removed the cost reduction for Indomitable, Heavy Arms & Assault Types.
Pilot Traits: Added Zeal (Driven II) and Solo Operative (Lone Wolf II). Combined Legendary & Genius Pilot. Combined Noble with Fighting Spirit.
MechaStellar 