The Mekton Technical System ABUSE Catalogue v0.1.0 Maintained by Albert Liu (sogetsu2@yahoo.com) ============================================== Contents: ========= Introduction:...................................................1-1 Special Thanks:.................................................1-2 Scope of this document:.........................................1-3 Common Abbreviations:...........................................1-4 Core Rules(MZ/MZ+):.............................................2-1 Rule Ambiguity:.............................................2-2 General:....................................................2-3 Weapons:....................................................2-4 Additive Systems:...........................................2-5 Special Systems:............................................2-6 Cost Multipliers:...........................................2-7 Transformations:............................................2-8 Final Touches:..............................................2-9 Scaling:...................................................2-10 Dataweaver's Custom Forms:......................................3-1 Tsuneo's "Tokyo City" Rules:....................................4-1 Introduction: ============= Welcome to the Mekton Technical System Abuse Catalogue. This idea got cooked up during the construction process of mecha for the Virtual Mekton online campaign setting. Naturally, in a friendly rivalry to outdo each other, some gaping loopholes in the the rules became apparent. This list attempts to point out some of the more excessive rules loopholes in the Mekton Technical System. It is by no means a complete list, and updates will be posted as new material is available. Please feel free to email me if your favorite loop- hole isn't present. -- Albert Liu Special Thanks to: ================== Little Locus (angel@sei.es) Tsuneo Tateno (tsuneo@gol.com) Dataweaver (??) The Virtual-Mekton mailing list (virtual-mekton@egroups.com) The Mekton Zeta mailing list (mektonz@mecha.com) and any others I forgot to mention.... Scope of this Document: ======================= This document hopes to identify the major exploits possible in the core ruleset as well as a few well known unofficial extensions. Each entry will have a description of the exploit, a rank of its severity, and an entry describing how to counteract or minimize the effects of the exploit. As always, the best way to deal with outrageous rules manipulation is firm referee control. This document assumes basic familiarity with all MZ and MZ+ systems. Each Entry will have the following form: ------------------------------------------------------------ Name: (a short name for the exploit) Contributor: (if available) Munchkin Meter: (A meter ranking how abusive an exploit is The more abusive, the more stars) Description: (A more informative description of the exploit.) Remedy: (Possible solutions to avoid this exploit) ------------------------------------------------------------ Common Abbreviations: ===================== MZ: Mekton Zeta SL: Superlight MZ+: Mekton Zeta Plus LW: Lightweight MTS: Mekton Technical System STR: Striker WA: Weapon Accuracy MS: Medium Striker MA: Movement Allowance HS: Heavy Striker MZML: Mekton Zeta Mailing List MW: Mediumweight VM: Virtual Mekton LH: Light Heavy K: Kills MH: Medium Heavy CP: Construction Points AH: Armored Heavy SP: Stopping Power SH: Super Heavy DC: Damage Coefficient MgH: Mega Heavy AF: Attack Factor TIU: Turns in Use WU: Warm Up AP: Armor Piercing BV: Burst Value AMS: Anti-Missile System E-Pool: Energy Pool MV: Maneuver Value IA: Internal Automation OOS: Out of Scale SEW: Special Effects Weapon Core Rules: =========== This set of rules consists of the Mekton Zeta rulebook and the Mekton Zeta Plus sourcebook. As of 6-8-00, both books are officially out of print, although copies can be found online or by digging around local hobby shops. Atomic Rocket Games has received the rights to MZ and MZ+, and are working on republishing both books. Rule Ambiguities: ================= This section covers inadequacies in the wording of MZ/MZ+ rules. The Munchkin Meter will reflect rulings most favorable to the exploit. Since this section depends on referee judgement, no remedy section will be included. Name: Entangled? Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: MZ and MZ+ call entangling weapons "grappling attacks." However, there is no further clarification. A loose interpretation would include no motion and no dodge rolls. A 10K projectile weapon firing entangling rounds would result in a difficulty roll of 30. In addition, there is no time limit on this effect. Name: Dismembering! Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: MZ describes Dismember attacks as "ignore armor completely." This leads to debate over what exactly is "armor", especially in the case of Reactive shields. Potentially, dismember attacks could ignore shields. (VM Mailing List mecha "Black Wind" is a good example) Name: Special Effect Weapons Munchkin Meter: ********** Description: MZ+ allows ANY weapons effect to be created by adding a x1.33 modifier to the weapon. Theoretically, this could be used to create insta-death rays ("Roll vs. 30 or die") General: ======== This covers general construction abuses in MTS Name: (Nearly) Weightless Mecha Munchkin Meter: *********- Description: Using large amounts of weight efficiency, the design drops its MV, raises its ground MA, and decreases the cost of flight MA, all at the same time. Also, the points spent on weight efficiency are not subject to cost multipliers. (Tsuneo's mecha "Zephyr(Nightmare)" is a good example) Remedy: In-game, weapons with high knockback will incapacitate light mecha, as will physical attacks based on tonnage (e.g. Drop and Ram) Name: Super Space Efficiency Munchkin Meter: ***------- Description: Using large amounts of space efficiency, the design attempts to fit high-CP/low-Kill (e.g. Reactive Shields) into small frames. Remedy: Not as bad as weight efficiency, since the CP spent here count towards multipliers. In extreme cases, limit the amount of CP usable for space efficiency. Name: Lucky You Munchkin Meter: ********-- Description: Player saves up all of his luck for one roll, generally offensive, and hopes he gets a Mega-critical. This is easily achieved, especially with high luck characters. Remedy: Set a cap on max. luck per roll. Weapons: ======== This covers all abuses created by weapons construction. Name: One Shot Wonder: Munchkin Meter: **--------- Description: Large beam weapons can achieve a substantial savings in cost by specifying the 1 shot and clip-fed options. Remedy: Not too severe. However, try using a 1K mega-beam to destroy the clips or disarming/destroying the weapon. Name: Poor Man's Reactive Shield Munchkin Meter: *******--- Description: Coupling an AF of 2 with a -2 WA Beam Shield results in Reactive Shield like protection for 1.8cp/K instead of 3cp/K normally required by reactive shields. This gets even better if the design has room for 2 shields, which can then alternate between uses and add the TIU and Rechargeable modifiers for even more savings. Remedy: NONE Name: How Shocking! Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: High Kill Shock weapons can be used to totally incapacitate a mecha due to losing actions. (Tsuneo's mecha "Redstorm" is a good example) Remedy: Use energy shields (reactive, beam) or gamma armor. Name: Smoking is bad. Munchkin Meter: ***------- Description: Use of smoke missiles as a sort of poor man's cloaking device. Remedy: ASP, Magnetic Resonance Lens. Name: Smarter than thou Munchkin Meter: ********-- Description: Use of Smart missiles with 20+ skill almost guarantees a hit, and even makes AMS largely ineffective. Remedy: Missile ECM, use AMS on first round, when AMS rolls against pilot instead of missile. Name: Missile-Away Munchkin Meter: ****------ Description: Projectile weapons have the cheapest AMS possible. This is because their AMS multiplier is 0.5 instead of the 1.0 used by all other weapon types. Also, their effectiveness is not based on their damage ratings. Remedy: None, really. Name: Energy Pools Munchkin Meter: ******---- Description: Design uses an E-Pool with high available power and a large portfolio. It pays for one slightly larger weapon in exchange for many free smaller weapons. This is especially dangerous with multiple reactive shields. (Little Locus' mecha "Cora" is a good example) Remedy: Try to target the weapon itself. Additive Systens: ================= This includes Sensors, ECM, and Remotes. Name: Jamming Cloak Munchkin Meter: ****------ Description: Design uses a high-power Sensor ECM suite and active cloaking to reduce chance of discovery. (Tsuneo's mecha "Tobikage" is a good example) Remedy: Bigger Sensors, ECCM, Paintball Blast Radius ammo Name: Remote Control Munchkin Meter:***------- Description: using small, light remotes to provide MV based defense. Common uses are: AMS, Reflectors, and Beam Shields. Remedy: Sensor ECM, destroy the remotes. Special Systems: ================ This covers Boosterpacks, Flight, and Command Armor Name: Gimme a Boost Munchkin Meter: ***------- Description: Since boosterpacks add their full MA each turn, mecha can use boosterpacks to attain previously unreachable speeds. This could also be used on remotes to create kinetic energy weapons. Remedy: Invoke the High Speed attack penalty. Cost Multipliers: ================= This covers all non-transformation cost multipliers. Transformations will be covered in the next section. Name: Powering Up Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: In tournament style games, a significant savings can be achieved by using a Power Cell or Combustion power plant. Since these engines have no actual game effect. Remedy: Force the use of Fusion engines. Name: Autopilot Munchkin Meter: ********-- Description: Design buys IA system that rolls 20+ for a small set of skills (Piloting or Mecha Gunnery usually). Makes hitting and avoiding fire almost guaranteed. Remedy: Restrict IA Name: Supercloak Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: Design buys every single possible Cloaking multiplier. This makes detecting and getting a shot off very annoying. (VM Mailing List mecha "Fast Taker" is a good example) Remedy: Paintball, Flares, Logic Processors Name: Turbocharged Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: Design buys two turbochargers. Using one turbocharger incurs no penalties, and in a tight situation, can double turbo output. Remedy: None Transformations: ================ This covers all stock MZ/MZ+ transformations Name: Efficient Transformation Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: Use of Efficient transformations allows the benefits of two different forms for an additional 0.1 multiplier. (IE. Switching to Fighter Mode for 2x movement and back to Humanoid to avoid the 4MA stall speed and -2 MV) Remedy: None Final Touches: ============== This covers Stupid Mekton Tricks, mostly. Name: Dimensional Storage (Hammerspace) Munchkin Meter: ***------- Description: Dimensional Storage allows equipment to be stored without spending an action. This can be used to link up several Large rechargeable beam swords without spending the time to put them away to recharge. Remedy: NONE Name: Rabid Kangaroo Syndrome (Ninja Leaping) Munchkin Meter: *******--- Description: Design uses a huge amount of ninja leaping. Since ninja leap is achieveable once per action, a +10 ninja leap results in an effective MA of +20 (or more, if using Let's Active) (ex. GMA of 7, normal leap = 2 hexes. +10 ninja leap. move 4 hexes for free [walking 1/2 MA is free], spend 2 actions for +24 MA. Total MA = 28) Remedy: NONE Name: Special Effect Weapons See General section. Name: Big Gun Syndrome Munchkin Meter: ********** Description: Design buys a 20K weapon, either 1/5x scale or 1x scale. The design then buys the Transformation: Gun with "same shots, self-mobile" On the 1x scale version, or "same shots, weapon" for the 1/5x scale version. This is a very cheap way to get a 20K gun for the 1/5x scale version, or a 200K (!) weapon for the 1x scale version. On top of that, weapon accuracy is increased. (Tsuneo's "Zephyr(Nightmare)" is a good example) Remedy: Do not apply scaled up damage on Gun transforms. Scaling: ======== This covers Scaling in MZ+. Overall, this is one of the weakest parts of the MTS system, with many abuses possible, especially on the boundaries of scales. Name: Tiny Reflectors Munchkin Meter: *****----- Description: Design buys a 1/5 or 1/10 scale reflector system. According to MTS, reflector quality does not scale. Remedy: None Name: Super EMWs Munchkin Meter: *********- Description: Design buys a low kill 10x scale EMW. The EMW's "hot knife through butter" effect scales to ignore 40K of armor instead of 4K. (VM Mailing List mecha "Black Ghost" is a good example) Remedy: Disallow OOS EMWs Name: Nuke War Munchkin Meter: ********** Description: Design buys a low kill 10x scale blast radius missile. The missile's blast radius damage scales to 10x, instead of a maximum of 5K for 1x scale missiles. This allows indirect fire to negate AMS. (Tsuneo's mecha "Zephyr(Nightmare)" is a good example) Remedy: Disallow OOS Missiles Dataweaver's Custom Forms: ========================== This is a well designed set of modifiers that make the stock MZ/MZ+ transformations obsolete. However, this is a highly creative system, and easily abused. The system can be found at: http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/dataweaver/play/forms.txt Name: Hyper-Beast mode Munchkin Meter: *********- Description: Design uses a custom mode as native form. It then proceeds to take every disadvantage that is not used by the design, and then uses the negative multiplier to offset the cost of desired systems. These systems are usually Movement related (ie. insane ground MA, 2x flight MA for free) or increased melee damage. (VM Mailing List mecha "Black Wind" is a good example) Remedy: Disallow disadvantages that have no effect Tsuneo's "Tokyo City" Rules: ============================ This is a set of house rules by Tsuneo Tateno written for the VM campaign setting. In it, he addresses many of the more blatant rules weaknesses mentioned in the Core rules. However, he also introduces a few more loopholes. These rules can be found at: http://www2.gol.com/users/tsuneo/MZML/VM-Tokyo1-3.txt Name: Discount Infinite BV Munchkin Meter: ****------ Description: "Tokyo City" rules allow the hyper modifer to be used on any weapon without spending x1.33 for SEW. When applied to beam weapons this allows a discount from the normal infinite BV cost of 10x. This modification also allows all Projectile weapons to access an infinite BV. As a side effect, all bursts will hit in the same place. Remedy: Restrict Hyper to melee weapons. Name: Disruptor Missile Munchkin Meter: ******---- Description: Missiles with the disruptor property allow rapid depletion of reactive shields. This is contrary to the design intentions of the MZ+ writers, who wanted reactive shields to act as a counter to large amounts of small attacks. Remedy: AMS, Missile ECM Name: Saddle Up Munchkin Meter: ****------ Description: Saddle cockpits give 2x REP points in the VM setting. A design with a strong Reactive/Beam shield could quickly gain REP with minimal risk to the pilot. Remedy: NONE Name: Poor Man's Reactive Shield, Take 2 Munchkin Meter: *******--- Description: Beam Shields are not subject to the reactive shield forced Ablative rule. Thus, It is quite possible to construct a 20K Rechargeable Beam Shield with -2 WA and a high AF. Remedy: NONE =================================================================== The Mekton Technical System ABUSE Catalogue v0.1.0 END