VER 8 & 9 Change Log

Core Rules Updates

VER 9.2 Core Rules Changes

  • Noted that using Focus in engagement range ignores rapid fire penalties
  • Make it Count adjusted to allow you to melee attack again [M-1 instead of M-2] or to shoot with the same weapon again
  • Modified Vigilant Leader to prevent castling
  • Updated Shields and Terrain Cover bonus.  Fixed numbers on Destroy Terrain.
  • Gritty Battles – Provided info on combat stats after a Shield break
  • Stellar Warfare – Updated M-Particles and All Ahead Full

VER 9.1 Core Rules Changes

  • Updated terminology on various abilities where “Ignore Elevation” was replaced with “Fly”
  • To continue making the rules size neutral, removed height requirements for tall terrain and instead allow players to designate what terrain pieces require Fly/Full Throttle to get on top of.
  • Terminology change.  Flawless Evasion and Expert Evade changed to Flawless Ace Evade and Ace Evade.  Clarified that Improvise still allows you to use Ace Evade afterwards.
  • Clarified that abilities like Giga Drill Breaker, Thunder Flash, etc. must be declared before the attack is made.
  • Updated Target Lock such that when a target is within Sensors range, any 1s OR 2s become Critical Hits.
  • Added a bonus & penalty for very large units in melee
  • Added the ability for Skilled & Ace Pilots / Kaiju to attack a 2nd time in melee
  • Put a limit on “Full Power” where choosing the same upgrade (i.e. DMG+200) costs an additional Power.
  • High Ground now bypasses closest target rules for grunts
  • Stun / Electric / Freezing / Push/Pull weapons now work based off of Armor Saves instead of automatically disabling or moving a target.
  • Clarified bonuses apply only to a single target when making a multi-target attack
  • Gritty Battles – Change 10 Armor Saves to 5 Armor Saves
  • SRW Module – Added Redline and High Impact Melee rules.  Adjusted Knockback to 2d10 inches.
  • Upgraded Renowned Pilot, Fighting Spirit, Lone Wolf, Marksman, Berserker and their derivative traits.
  • Updated Gunnery Expert, Marksman and Deadeye to give bonus shots instead of bonus hits to take advantage of the new Target Lock

VER 9

June 2023 – https://mechastellar.com/2023/06/02/mechastellar-ver9-released/

  • 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 choosing a weapon and firing solely with actions.
  • The Power stat now provides a bonus to your attacks.  For Kaiju / Super Heavies it is named Havoc and provides an alternate bonus. 
  • 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 & Destroy Terrain
  • Cut down on mental math for Indirect Fire
  • Added Throw Terrain under Shooting Attack
  • Added Target Lock which gives +1 ARM PEN in Sensors range. 
  • Reverted “Pilot Tier” nomenclature to “Pilot Level” to prevent confusion with unit tiers based on Performance (i.e. Performance 5+ is a Tier 2 unit which is worth more VP)
  • 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 replacement for Flawless Evasion for small size games.  Updated cost to be [M-X]
  • Expanded Pilot Skills section – 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. Updated Close Combat Mastery.
  • Updated the Decimator Commander Trait
  • Updated Stun DMG to also affect the new Power / Havoc stat.
  • Clarified Battle Damage regarding stacking of effects.
  • Gritty MS – Shield Breaks are now optional.
  • Updated the SRW Module
  • Updated Destroy Terrain. Added Dangerous Terrain

VER 8

April 2023 – https://mechastellar.com/2023/04/07/mechastellar-ver-8-8r3-april-2023-update/

  • Core Rules – Reorganized some sections, added clarifications and fixed formatting errors
  • Updated Size Bonus removing the Melee Bonus and increasing the HP Bonus
  • Fixed an error on TL Missile Pods. Upgraded Micromissiles & Needle Missiles.

March 2023 – https://mechastellar.com/2023/03/28/mechastellar-march-2023-roster-update-g-gundam/

  • Updated “Gundam Fight” Rules
  • Reducing Mental Math – Updated Melee Weapons to be +Hit instead of Bonus dice
  • Sniper Weapons & “Take the Shot” Skill updated

February 23 – https://mechastellar.com/2023/03/01/mechastellar-feb23-update-ver-8-8-released/

  • To address a frequently asked question added a note about pre-measuring in the movement section.
  • Tweaked language on Battle Damage to help out players who often scoop up their dice after failing their Armor Save and before consulting the Battle Damage table.
  • Didn’t catch this in the last update but Cover was meant to change to engagement range (3″ for small minis) instead of the previous 2″
  • Based on feedback updated the Focus option to shoot in melee to be restricted to Skilled and Ace pilots.
  • To reduce the Mental Math burden updated the Focus action to provide +1 Shot/+1 Hit instead of an Accuracy bonus
  • Added in Finishing Blow to the Melee Clash to add more strategy when dividing up ATK & DEF dice
  • Updated Glory to be a flat bonus for units with Melee stat of 10d10 or greater
  • Added a way to move an additional 5″ to the SRW module to deal with opponents very far away.

January 23 – https://mechastellar.com/2023/01/31/mechastellar-jan-2023-update-ver-8-7-released/

  • Updated Mecha Unit Profiles to improve readability
  • Put a cap on bonuses for Shooting Accuracy, Evade and Melee at +3.  Melee Attack can now go to a 2+.
  • Capped Momentum gain for destroying a unit at 1 per turn, since previously this heavily favored units with AOE weapons or units with multiple actions and could easily make a match lopsided against horde units.  This change also allows lets us lower the Momentum cost for AOE weapons.
  • Updated to Alternate Deployment to 16″ instead of Sensors range based on some feedback that Guntanks were preventing people from deploying on small game boards
  • Updated engagement range to 3″ and 6″
  • Added a note under engagement that you can maneuver while in melee as long as you remain within engagement range to better allow units to make use of Knockback rules in Super Robot Scramble.
  • Based on player feedback rebalanced and rewrote the Trample rules under Full Throttle / Kaiju Charge.
  • Added new Commander Trait: Decimator to allow for players who want to run a very powerful model to deal with horde armies.
  • Added in Glory to the Melee Clash as an option for units with very high Melee Dice pools. 
  • Glory allows Kaiju / Super Robots (Titans) to regain HP after Melee and allows for agile Mobile Suits to disengage and move after melee.
  • Based on feedback from how our experienced players rolled in Melee we reordered the Melee Clash section to make the process more streamlined where you start filling the ATK & DEF pool by using your weapon stats (i.e. ATK+2d10 and DEF+1d10) then add your Melee stat. 
  • Removed the reroll ability from Fortune Favors the Bold to avoid making Heat weapons redundant.
  • Rewrote rotation during the Melee clash to add some more strategy for horde armies dealing with one or two powerful units.

Armor Saves

  • Backport 3 Armor Saves per weapon to core rules and removed from the SRW module. 
  • Unified Armor Saves to be 1000 DMG on a failed save which still kills the average grunt in Gundam but allows for more cinematic recreations such as the Gundam losing its arm and head from a failed save against the Zeong.
  • With Armor Saves being potentially 3x as dangerous in the base game we reevaluated the Shots and Damage for Beam weapon profiles and reduced several to bring the lethality down.
  • Lastly, using Momentum to pass a failed save has been reduced to [M-1] to account for more potential Armor Saves.

Pilot Traits and Skills

  • Moved Pilot Traits to Core Combat Rules from Wargame rules doc such that both Pilot & Captain traits are in the same document.
  • Changed Fighting Spirit and Unfaltering Courage bonuses to be OR vice AND
  • Updated the Immortal / Invincible Traits which were proving to be very unbalanced in Round 1 for Ace Pilots, even more so for Combining Robots like GoLion and Combattler V who may cycle through pilot traits.
  • Upgraded the following pilot traits Immortal / Daredevil,  Untouchable, Elusive, Lone Wolf, Hunting for a Rival, Mechanics Expert, Defiant / Hot Blooded, Berserker / Killer Instinct, Genuis Pilot.
  • Mecha Traits with a cost modifier which mirror Pilot traits have been truncated to only use a single ability from the main pilot trait they are emulating.  i.e. a Trait that emulates Berserker (Exam, Berserk Eva, SEED, etc.) will only use one bonus from the Berserker pilot trait rather than both.  This has no effect on many units since many Level I Traits were previously single ability until the above upgrade.  Units affected:  Kikaiju, Blue Destiny Units, Strike & Aegis.
  • Updated Pilot Traits to remove the “X Skill costs 1 Less” ability and instead provide a similar effect without having to rely on the pilot skills optional module.  Traits affected: Deadeye, Furious Fusillade, Merciless Melee, Close Combat Master, Legendary Pilot / Infamous Ace.
  • Updated “All-Out Attack” pilot skill to give bonus actions instead of a separate mechanic for firing multiple weapons on a single action.  This gives more flexibility for Titan units who may use some actions for bonus Power instead of firing more weapons.
  • Removed the “Fire pointblank into Melee” effect from the “Take the Shot” skill and instead moved it to an option for the Focus action.  Removed Point Blank from Tactical Advantage since it’s very easy to activate now, instead it gives PEN+1
  • Renamed Return Shot to Ranged Counterattack.  Based on player feedback we revised it to be more similar to SRW gameplay so it no longer requires you to completely evade/block all shots in order to work.
  • Replace Moment of Clarity with the Bullseye Pilot Skill. 
  • Revised the Expert Evasion Ace Skill in the SRW Module to instead be +3 Evade bonus

Commands & Events

  • Based on Player Feedback Strategic Commands no longer require Momentum and instead use a separate pool of points called Influence.  Using a high Momentum command often left a lot of player’s with buyers remorse later that turn when they lacked Momentum to protect their units.  The Influence Pool and Strategic Commands remain an optional module.  Updated several Commands, moved Moment of Clarity to the Events section. 
  • Also added the Pyrrhic Victory and Bonds that Transcend Time & Space events.
  • Split off Events from Strategic Commands into their own section.  Events have 0 Momentum cost and are usuable once per game and remain as an optional module.  Updated several Events.

Stellar Warfare

  • Based on player feedback changed the +5 Move in exchange for a penalty to instead be a flat +5 movement for Skilled and Ace Pilots.
  • Revised opposing direction rules for Space Combat to instead be [M-1] instead of an exercise in mental math.  For the perpetually Momentum starved players out there worry not for Skilled and Ace Pilots get to ignore that effect.
  • Removed the Reroll 1 Evade die vs Stellar Warships for MS & Titans.
  • Added Low Gravity battle option for using some stellar rules on a standard ground battle
  • Updated the Captain Skills section to instead be Captain’s Orders.  These three options require no Momentum and can be issued by a Skilled or Battle-Hardened Captain at the start of each round with the Design Goal of making Warships a valuable force multiplier for Stellar Warfare. 
  • Fixed Discerning Captain since as written it would not allow the Musai Captain to help out any Mobile Suits in Round 1, which is something we wanted to model with LT Dren and Char.  Backported the change to Tactician as well.
  • Improved several Captain’s Traits.
  • Updated Minvosky Particle Scattering to be Reroll any Evade dice, Prevent Critical Hits & Battle Damage vice Shooting Accuracy-2.  Updated range from 2x Sensors to instead 10+Sensors which is an improvement for most OYW suits and lines up with the new 16″ range which is important for several iconic weapons.

December 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/12/09/mechastellar-december-roster-update/

  • Added SRW Module for Small Scale High Power battles
  • Adjusted Starting Momentum to be 3/5/7/9.  Also adjusted Resourceful Commander trait.
  • Updated Full Throttle to let Super Robots (Titans) spend up to 5 Power for up to +5 Movement

November 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/11/10/mechastellar-november-roster-update/

  • Cost reduction for Skilled and Ace Pilots
  • Army Momentum brackets back to 500/1000/15000/2000+
  • Improved Universal Skill – Make it Count

October 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/10/31/mechastellar-october-roster-update-version-8-5-released/

  • Adjustments to Indirect Fire and Obscuring Cover
  • The extra movement in Stellar Warfare now carries a tradeoff of disabling Rapid Fire

September 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/09/30/ms-september-update-mechastellar-ver-8-4-released/

  • Updated rules for Stellar Warfare
  • Focus action can now give +3 Power for Titans
  • Disengage costs an additional [M-1] if you want to attack afterwards
  • Close Combat [CC] weapons also push your target outside of engagement range
  • Improved HP for Titans and units where Reinforce > Frame
  • Rebalanced movement focusing on shortening the gap between the extreme ends of movement
  • Rebalanced Evade, most units received +1 Evade
  • Updated costs. Most units had their costs increased by +10
  • Adjusted combat roles
  • Long range weapons (i.e. sniper rifles and artillery) now have a shots penalty in rapid fire range
  • Adjusted range for Indirect Fire. Added an accuracy penalty.
  • Clarified the terrain and cover section for obscuring terrain like forests and jungle which can block Line of Sight (LOS)
  • Lowered Power draw cost for Beam Cannons and Artillery weapons on Titans

August 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/08/31/mechastellar-ver-8-3-released-stellar-warship-update/

  • Released rules for Stellar Warfare and Stellar Warships
  • Added two new Stellar Warships – Zeon’s Musai class cruiser and the Federation’s Salamis class cruiser.
  • All-Out Attack Pilot Skill switched from +10 Power for Titans to be double their power rating instead.
  • Persevere Pilot Skill changed to M-1, when below 50% reduces damage by an additional 100.  This broadens the use of the Skill so it’s useful outside of DMG 300 and below attacks.
  • Added note to the Cover section to instantiate that when drawing LOS units obscured receive a cover bonus
  • Added note to AOE weapons that they can only destroy at most 2 pieces of cover to fix a loophole in the Rampage / Defend the City game type.
  • Updated Battle Damage so Main Camera is 2-3 on the d10 roll.  Added -1 ACC to Main Camera damage.
  • Updated several Commands & Events (Self Destruct, Last Shooting, Narrow Escape, Missile Screen)

July 22 – https://mechastellar.com/2022/07/31/mechastellar-ver-8-2-released/

  • Added two Universal Skills for Skilled and Ace Pilots only.  Removed the Skill cost effect of Pilot Level.
  • Added “Target a unit in a Melee Engagement” to the “Take the Shot” skill.  Removed this effect from the Sniper role.
  • Update Giant Slayer, All-Out Attack & Tear through the Ranks.  Rebalanced [M] costs on all Pilot Skills.
  • Added Remote Weapons to Advanced Rules section
  • Gunner’s Gambit removed.
  • Updated cost brackets for Momentum (600 per M:3 vice 500 per M:3).  Momentum is capped at 10.
  • Clarification to Titan Power Usage – Power can be allocated at any time but power stays assigned until the units next turn
  • Updated failed Armor Save for Titans to instead be +1000 DMG
  • Unified and combined Battle Damage charts for MS & Titans.
  • Rebalanced Giant Slayer Skill to be a scaling PEN bonus instead of DMG; Mayhem Skill to be an Overwatch Attack; Vulcans Skill to be once per unit per round
  • Added Gritty MS Battles optional module for small games (Double HP, Shield Breaks, more Battle Damage)
  • Added Infantry / Guerilla Ambush Event
  • Added a page at the end to walk through Mecha Profile Sheets
  • Various Typo and formatting fixes
  • Split Core Rules into Core Combat Rules and Versus / Coop Rules

Versus / Coop Rules Updates

VER 9

June 2023

  • Added several options to Unit Upgrades
  • Minor wording tweaks for secondary objectives
  • Minor wording tweaks to Defend the City
  • Minor tweaks to ranges replacing most 6″ with 8″ and most 12″ with 16″

VER 8

July 22

  • Updated Close combat expert and Merciless Melee to give Melee 4+ and Crit 9+.  Removed that benefit from the Melee role.
  • Updated Gunnery Expert, Furious Fusillade and Deadeye to instead give +8″ Range or +1 Accuracy.
  • Updated Fighting Spirit to give a bonus when HP<50% or M=0.  Bonus M+1 on Melee Attack.
  • Added Army building page
  • Added Unit Upgrades for Points Matching
  • Added section on battlefield size
  • Added full page for Simple Battle.  Revised Confrontation, Secure the Objective, Defend the City.
  • Mechanics Expert and Fearsome now allow for a +100 DMG option in lieu of +1 PEN.  Practiced Professional gives +1 HIT.
  • Added Tactician Pilot Trait that allows you to give an ally a Focus action. Updated some MS Profiles with the new trait.