Introducing FASERIP Tactics
Posted by nedleeds
With CMF being the go to place for all things FASERIP (and Marvel!) I wanted to start here to introduce a miniatures game that draws from the spirit of the MSH rules set. The game is called FASERIP Tactics, it's a turn based tactical miniatures game using 28mm (Heroclix sized) miniatures and 1 inch squared maps (Heroclix sized).
First some information about the project. Myself and a small group of miniature players have been designing and developing for about 2 months. Our goal was to have a beta rules and a first set ready by Gencon. Our second goal was to run a small event at Gencon to further refine, develop and play test the rules. As part of the inaugural event we are running a small ~12 person tournament, and I'll be donating some well loved silver age Marvel books as prizes. [www.gencon.com] Second, our design goals. The first goal was to create a game that embraced MSH and tried to stay true to the core mechanics. The second goal was to make sure each figure on a team had depth and flavor. The third goal was to make the game reasonable to learn for a casual fan but provide a great deal of depth and customization for a more competitive experience. Lastly logistics. Our goal was to have a complete set ready at least a month before Gencon (sooner if possible). Another goal was to have all the figures and plots available via a web page for easy look up (and alteration in cases where it's needed). We are very close on this goal and should be releasing a beta rule set and the first set (Marvel takes Manhattan) to a group of beta testers soon. I see CMF as a key driver for feedback and communication, as such I've made a donation to the site to show my thanks for the all the hard work put into it and to ensure it's around for a while. I encourage all users to do the same. ... okay what would an announcement be without a spoiler ... (we are in beta and these will look better and cleaner) 
 Next up we have the bounding Beast! Hank McCoy is a great example of a character who possesses great brawn and brains. The figure design reflects his mobility, but also allows him to counter an opposing special. The X-Men sometimes rely on Beast on the frontline but often he is frantically working to develop a cure, or a solution for a seemingly insurmountable problem. Finally Beast has pushed his physical abilities to the limits when his teammates needed it, at the cost of his genius intellect!
Nedleeds, I like your ingenuity and your character sheet design is impressive, keep up the good work!
 I appreciate the donation to the site, all donations go directly to the site 100% to keep it running for ALL.... The Cutter  .gif)
The_Skycutter Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Nedleeds, I like your ingenuity and your > character sheet design is impressive, keep up the > good work! > > I appreciate the donation to the site, all > donations go directly to the site 100% to > keep it running for ALL.... > > > > > The Cutter No problem. Gencon is August 4th. We want our release to be a month out and we are getting very close. Today I want to talk about how you win an Issue of FASERIP Tactics! First off what the heck is an Issue? An issue is a whole game of FASERIP Tactics. One of our design goals is summed up in 3 words, "Flavor! Flavor! Flavor!". Let's look at a brief gameplay overview  The nuts and bolts of a game of FASERIP Tactics is an issue with many pages, with each player acting out a panel. If you've played activation based miniature games this concept should be familiar. Within a panel each player activates one or two Figures, a Figure has a lots of options. This is in line with our second goal, to give each Figure more depth than something like Heroclix.  Another design goal was to ensure that there were ways to win an Issue that didn't involve just knocked out your opponents Figures. We wanted the crafty, brilliant characters of the Marvel Universe to have a role along with the bruisers and slashers. The currency of victory in FASERIP Tactics are Victory Points. You can score Victory Points by reducing your opponents Figures to 0 Health, but you can also score Victory Points by Advancing Plots. Let's take a look at Plots.  So a plot has a physical representation on the map. In the setup rules we describe how and where the tokens representing your Plots are placed. Let's take a look at some plots!  Here we have the X-Men affiliated plot, "Danger Room". We see that in order to advance this plot we need to make a Fighting FEAT. If we do and we do it with an X-Man we not only gain a Victory Point but our training and hard work pays off on the form of a +1CS for an allied Mutant. This plot, and the previous previews tip our hand a little bit. So we might as well spoil it. The initial teams for our first set Marvel Takes Manhattan are
The X-Men are busy training in the Danger Room, what are the Brotherhood up to?  It's a Mutant Massacre! This plot gives the Brotherhood a leg up on opposing Mutants, bending them with fear and terror. Lastly let's close on a figure preview. What Mutant strikes fear into his prey like none other? Sabretooth.  Our design concept for Mr. Creed was to make him the Brotherhoods front line beater. He has great closing speed, good damage, and the option to deal Blunt or Edged damage. Once he closes he can tie an opposing Figure up and still deal Edged damage. If he clears an area, and your opponent can't finish him off he can lick his wounds and heal up!
So we want to assemble a team of heroes! How can we do this and have a balanced game? Surely a team of Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and Professor X would mop the floor with lowly street criminals.
We achieve this balance (or we try to  ) with the concept of Renown.  The Minion level of Renown is for the nameless ranks. It gives us design space to create fodder Figures, and open up the concept of a swarm team. Not to say there couldn't be a unique Figure with a Renown of Minion (Bob!) but there are none currently plan. There are 6 levels of Renown, the last 2 have no Figures planned yet but we've left the door open for figures of that power level.  Bold figures constitute minor players or unpowered heroes. They are important but operate locally. Some fill valuable roles for their Team Affiliation, like transportation, advancing plots, blocking areas of the map, tying up opposing Figures.  Heroic Figures are the core characters of the Marvel Universe.  Figures with Legendary Renown are the centerpieces of a given team. So we have these various levels of Renown ... how do we put a team together?  We've established a few play level to accommodate different comic book styles. Each play level grows in scale, providing a different play experience. Of course these are just suggestions, we will encourage players to give anything a try. The Renown system at least gives a framework for pairing off two roughly equal teams.  The game levels hint at Cosmic level Figures. We have no plans to make on in the first set, but eventually would like to introduce the likes of the Surfer, and Thor. Those characters are better developed once we have our feet wet and have established a stable set of rules. Well ... can't leave without a preview. Here's a look at one of the 5 Figures of Legendary Renown we are including in Marvel Takes Manhattan.  Designing a playable Hulk is tough. We wanted to capture the comic book feel of Banner, running from pursuers ... his rage building. Then finally when pushed too far, the Hulk is unleashed and he becomes an unstoppable monster! But we needed squishy Dr. Banner to not just get sniped by the Punisher from across the map. Rest assured if his rage reaches his peak he is an absolute bear to deal with. One strategy is simply to ignore him and go for Plot Advancement. If you can end the Issue before the Green Goliath reaches his apex you might just survive!
I have to say, this all looks pretty cool.
 
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Happy holiday American FASERIP fans! We are one month away from Gencon and our kick off event is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
FASERIP Tactics Kick Off Event! The beta rules are nearly complete and will be hosted at a dedicated blog. We are adding some additional examples and hopefully some pictures and custom icons. Our initial set of 42 (!) Figures is complete. Here is a look at the first set, Marvel Takes Manhattan! Our first team is Marvel Knights. They represent the core heroes that at some point have defended the good people of New York City. They range from the street smart duo of Cloak & Dagger to the good Doctor residing at 177 Bleecker St who protects our dimension from the horrors of the dark! Spider-Man <> Friendly Neighborhood, Heroic Daredevil <> Blind Justice, Heroic Luke Cage <> Power Man, Heroic Iron Fist <> Danny Rand, Heroic Black Panther <> King of Wakanda, Heroic Dagger <> Shining Light, Bold Cloak <> Heart of Darkness, Bold Doctor Strange <> Sorcerer Supreme, Legendary Marvel Knights have a core of mobile figures with good fighting skills. The pickings at Bold level, are Cloak and Dagger a transporter and . Through our testing we learned that we made a pretty good Spider-Man, but ... we decided if your tactical Marvel miniatures game had a bad Spider-Man it probably sucks anyway  The challenge became balancing out the other Heroic level figures. Take the Daredevil posted above. Through play test it became apparent he was just a bad Spider-Man. In the abstract any seasoned comic reader understands Spider-Man is more powerful than Daredevil, the design challenge is to make Daredevil a reasonable choice in some situations. Or to give Daredevil some great synergy or matchup. So we changed Daredevil into his final iteration.  So our revised Daredevil acts like Daredevil! He lays an absolute beating on lower Renown enemies, knocking out Minions in one shot. He's nearly impossible to shoot with his Radar Sense constantly alerting him to danger. Dodge for other Figures is an Attack action. Daredevil can bound across the map, constantly dodging, closing with Swingline and Stunning back line shooters or utility Figures. The next team is Sinister Syndicate. They represent the pool of wackos harassing Spider-Man and other heroes of New York over the years. The Syndicate are the only team without a Legendary renown Figure. They have a number of manipulators, a few jack of all trades, a dedicated blaster in Electro and good over all mobility. Doctor Octopus <> Man of Science, Heroic Kingpin <> Crimelord, Heroic Rhino <> Hard Charger, Heroic Hobgoblin <> Roderick Kingsley, Heroic Electro <> High Voltage, Heroic Kraven <> Manhunter, Heroic Vulture <> Adrian Toomes, Bold Mysterio <> Master of Illusion, Bold Nobody rules the streets like the Kingpin of Crime!  The Kingpin is a master at manipulating heroes and villains alike. He can hold his own in combat, but works best when he sets the stage and the terms of the conflict. He breaks the rules of team building, allowing for the addition of a lackey.  Next up we have the heroes the world hates and fears, the astonishing X-Men! The children of the atom are a formidable group. They have good mobility, an elite bruiser in Colossus, two shooters in Storm and Cyclops, finally for Epic play they have the legendary Professor X! Beast <> Gentleman and Scholar, Heroic Cyclops <> Fearless Leader, Heroic Storm <> Nature's Fury, Heroic Wolverine <> Logan, Heroic Colossus <> Loyal Comrade, Heroic Professor X <> Charles Xavier, Legendary Iceman <> Frosty Friend, Bold Angel <> Warren Worthington III, Bold Cyclops combines an elite shooter with tactical experience as the field leader of the X-Men. He has an effective range of 14, and can operate in close quarters with his Danger Room Training Special. Additionally X-Men Allies who can hear Cyclops barking out orders can benefit from his leadership and use him as a Karma battery.  What would the X-Men be without their heart, their rock Colossus. Colossus pushes the boundaries for a Heroic bruiser. He's got great armor and his damage output is fantastic. He is slow, and lacks Karma but position him well and get him in close combat and very few Heroic figures can stand up to the flurry of organic steel.  Our last team serves as a foil for the X-Men, they are the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has a varied lineup, only really lacking a good Heroic level shooter. Fortunately their Legendary leader and founder Magneto is a howitzer. Sabretooth <> Bloodlust, Heroic Quicksilver <> Hot Temper, Heroic Scarlet Witch <> Wanda Maximoff, Heroic Mystique <> Super Spy, Heroic Magneto <> Magnus, Legendary Mastermind <> Dreamweaver, Bold Pyro <> Firestarter, Bold Blob <> Large and in Charge, Bold  Magneto is a founder of the Brotherhood but inside the team there is the bones of Freedom Force led by Mystique.  A true manipulator, Mystique allows you a better chance at winning Initiative. She is a master at advancing plots, and can still move or attack after doing so. If you allow Mystique to get behind your front line you are going to be in a world of hurt! Finally we have a number of unaffiliated Figures. They may or may not have allegiances that can be brought out during team building. These Figures are mostly enigmatic, they are anti-heroes. They range from the Black Cat all the way to the world breaker The Hulk. Punisher <> Frank Castle, Bold Black Cat <> Better Lucky Than Good, Bold Elektra <> Assassin, Heroic Ghost Rider <> Johnny Blaze, Heroic Morbius <> The Living Vampire, Heroic Hulk <> Gamma Born, Legendary Sub-Mariner <> Namor, Legendary Atlantean <> Minion, Minion Thug <> Minion, Minion Police <> Minion, Minion One Figure who has straddled the line of evil, and good, and has been a fixture in New York is the Punisher.  Punisher pushes the boundries of the Bold Renown level. He's a great sniper, and an hold his own up close. Pair him with a soldier he respects and he'll fall in line (but maybe not in this set ).Finally a character who defines enigmatic we have the Avenging Son! The Sub-Mariner ... he has fought the Nazis, teamed up with Doom, invaded our shores, been an Avenger, saved our planet from Skrulls and redefined the X-Men.  Sub-Mariner is an absolute house. During testing, the combination of a decent Charge attack and Flight is a brutal combination. His shifting loyalties have been reflected in his specials. If he stands with Atlantis he brings along fodder and activations otherwise he gains the affiliations of his teammates. He is also a member of the Illuminati, a trait we hope to leverage for higher powered game levels.
Finished a few more play test sessions. Stats are close to locked in for Gencon, some minor corrections have been made. Give it a try and post questions!
     The X-men won the match by advancing plots and leaving the Hulk alone
Flying Tiger Comics Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > What happened to this? It fired. We had a great time at Gencon! Please join the Facebook group for more updates. Facebook Group   
Great!
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