Getting Practical

Last time, I wrote about my goal to create a quick and fun tactical game based on Mass Effect. This time, I’d like to start digging into the nitty-gritty of the game’s actual mechanics and play style, its nuts and bolts. For now, I’m going to make some quick and easy decisions just to get started.

The Board

I’m going to go with hexes for now. Might change to squares down the line, but I want as little confusion as possible regarding line of sight and hexes seem to work better. Hexes will also make movement more meaningful and even a bit more hectic. Some spaces on the board will provide cover, some might even have fixed defense artillery or some other on-board bonus.

Hitpoints

This is a pretty simple adaptation from the game – hitpoints for the armor/shields & separate hitpoints for the physical body. This separation will allow for the use of armor-bypassing attacks, as well as special abilities that only affect armor. Obviously, if a character runs out of physical hitpoints, they die.

Characters

This is the most important aspect of the game, so I’ll need a way to clearly communicate a given character’s hitpoints, movement, and special abilities. For now, I’m going to make cards for the characters. This will hopefully give me some flexibility regarding later decisions like life counters, upgrades, and maybe even separate cards for armor, weapons, and upgrades.

Weapons

The weapons will be inspired by the in-game weapons, leaning toward the simpler weapon system of Mass Effect 1, i. e. Pistols, Assault Rifles, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles. Each character will be able to use probably two of these four weapons and they’ll have short/long range rolls. Usually short range will be more effective (use more action dice for greater chance of scoring hits) except for Sniper Rifles, which are more difficult to use effectively at close range (in the game, at least).

Turns

During each turn, the player will make one action. Actions will include: Move, Attack, Regenerate, Use Ability, and Switch Weapons. Because each turn is limited to only one action, players must more carefully consider how they will use that turn in light of the big picture. Is it worth it to spend a turn switching from your pistol to your shotgun now that you’re in close range? Should you move out of cover because you’re out of enemy range, or does she have an ability that allows her to move and attack at the same time? By keeping hitpoints relatively low as a balance, I think I’ll be able to keep the playtime to around 15-30 minutes.

For now, I think that’s a good list of things to tinker with. Next time, I’ll more closely examine the anatomy of a turn, take a closer look at some options for action dice, and even guide you (and myself) through a series of turns in a sample game. See you then!