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I’ve been getting into building Lego Mechs lately, and when I was looking up different builds, I came across Mecha Frame Zero, a tabletop game. I checked it out, and...it seemed unnecessarily complicated. I thought to myself that I could crate a set of rules for a simple, fast-paced Lego mech game that’s much easier to pick up and play.

So I’m going to use this thread as a developmental area for Warcore, which will be a free set of rules. I’ve written the absolute bare-bones basics so far. I need to create the Faction Rules. There will be five when I’m done, but it will be very easy to expand. @Dave, maybe if this pans out, Halforums could serve as a hub and host for the rules, and give the forums a little something extra to offer folks. Just a thought. Think about it.

Here’s the first few pages for basic play - no lore of Factions yet.

Welcome to Warcore!

Warcore is a versatile, highly customizable tabletop game of clashing squads of advanced mechs. Warcore does not any dedicated miniatures to represent the various units in the game, but requires players to construct their own from various building kits. Blocks, model kits, or miniatures from other games are completely welcome on a Warcore battlefield. Use your imagination, and have fun!

Players will assemble their squads, but must keep track of the types of units, weaponry, and war-gear used. This information should be made available to all players to ensure fair and honest play.

The universe of Warcore is a hostile one. Various factions are constantly at war over territory, resources, or to simply wipe each other out. This has resulted in a galactic war of attrition that threatens to destroy them all.

Please consult the Faction Guides for specific rules, Armories, and Unit Values.

There are three types of units in a squad. These are:

Light Mechs: Light Mechs are fast-attack units that can carry Light and Medium Weapons and Equipment. While payloads may vary, all Light Mechs use the following rules:

Light Mechs may move up to 12” per turn. They may fire Light Weapons while moving, but must remain stationary during any turn they fire a Medium Weapon.

Light Mechs have 2 Structure Points.

Light Mechs have 4 Armory Points.

Heavy Mechs: Heavy Mechs are slower, stronger units that can carry Light, Medium, and Heavy Weapons and Equipment. While payloads may vary, all Heavy Mechs use the following rules:

Heavy Mechs may move up to 8” per turn. They may fire Light and Medium Weapons while moving, but must remain stationary to fire Heavy Weapons.

Heavy Mechs have 4 Structure Points.

Heavy Mechs have 8 Armory Points.

Super-Heavy Mechs: Super-Heavy Mechs are plodding engines of destruction that can carry all Weapons and Equipment. While payloads may vary, all Super-Heavy Mechs use the following rules.

Super-Heavy Mechs may move up to 5” per turn. They may fire Light, Medium, and Heavy Weapons while moving, but must remain stationary to fire Armageddon-Class Weapons.

Super Heavy Mechs have 6 Structure Points.

Super-Heavy Mechs have 14 Armory Points.

A squad may only include one Super-Heavy Mechs.

Use the Faction Rules to assemble a squad. Each player has 20 Mech Points to spend assembling his or her squad. The Faction Rules list Mech Points Values.

Rules of Play

Each player must assemble their squad before the game, and have a written of typed unit report that includes all units and their weapons and equipment. This information must remain public and available to all players. Players will need multiple six-sided dice to play.

Try to reflect the Weapons and Equipment on your units. This will help all players keep track of individual units and reduce player confusion.

There are four types of missions in Warcore. Choose one type of mission to play.

Territorial Dispute: Each player must place three Resources on the board within their starting zone. These may be communications arrays, supply depots, bunkers, etc...

Players will have ten turns to capture as many enemy Resources as possible. To capture a Resource, a unit must be within 1” of a Resource. If an enemy is also within 1” of the Resource, it cannot be captured until the enemy moves or is destroyed.

After ten rounds, the player with the most Resources under his or her control is declared the winner.

Escort Mission: This mission must be played between two players. If more players are involved, they must divide into equal teams.

One player/team is the Escort Force. The other player/team is the Aggressor Force.

Place a starting point on the edge of the table on the Escort Force Starting Zone. Choose an Arrival Point on the edge of the table on the Aggressor Force Starting Zone. These points should be a minimum 20” apart from one another.

Place a Non-Combatant Unit on the Starting Point. This may be a vehicle or mech. The Non-Combatant Unit May move 4” per turn. It has 12 Structure Points.

The Escort Force must get the Non-Combatant Unit to the Arrival Point in order to win. The Aggressor Force must destroy the Non-Combatant Unit to win.

Capture: Place a Target in the middle of the board. This may be a building, weapons cache, etc. All players must attempt to seize the Target and maintain control for three consecutive rounds.

A player may claim the Target if he or she moves a unit within 3” of the Target. That player maintains control as long as he or she has the most units within the 3” range until the end of the turn.

A player must maintain control of the Target for three consecutive rounds to win. If two players have he same number of units within 3” of the Target, neither player has control.

If all other players are eliminated, the surviving player wins by default.

Let the World Burn: All players compete in a free-for all. The last remaining player is declared the winner. This mission may be modified to a team format, in which case the last remaining team is declared the winner.

Setting Up the Board

The play area should be a minimum of 24”x 24”, but may be larger. Each player will select one corner of the board to be their Starting Zone. Players must deploy their squad within an 8” radius of the corner.

If more than four players are playing, designate an area around the edge of the board for each player.

Choose the mission type.

All players deploy their units simultaneously. Place all units in each squad on the board. Depending on the mission, place any Resources, Targets, and Non-Combatant Units on the board.

Playing the Game

There are several phases to each turn. These are:

Start of Turn: The Active Player moves his or her units.

Attack Phase: The Active Player will declare attacks, and make all attack rolls. Resolve successful attacks using the Armory Rules from the Faction Rules.

End of Turn: The Active Player may activate any End-of-Turn Abilities.

Roll dice to determine turn order. When a player takes his or her turn, that player becomes the Active Player.

Start of Turn: The Active Player May move his or her units around the board. All units in a squad must adhere to the Unit Movement Rules.

Light Mechs may move up to 12”.
Heavy Mechs may move up to 8”.
Super-Heavy Mechs may move up to 6”.

Attack Phase: Each unit the Active Player Controls may fire on opposing units or Targets. Choose all targets and fire weapons according to the Armory entry in the Faction Rules. These entries dictate attack accuracy. For example:

Standard Rifle - Acc 4-6 Def 5-6 Shots 1 / Damage 1 Abilities: None

Shots indicates how often a weapon can fire. The Stardard Rifle may fire a single shot each turn. Acc indicates accuracy. Rolling a 4, 5, or 6 on six-sided die results in a successful hit. The Defending Player must roll a 5 or 6 to successfully deflect or dodge the shot. If the Defending Player does not roll a 5 or 6, the targeted unit will take 1 Structure Point of Damage.

Close Combat Weapons cannot be used unless the defending unit is within 2” of the attacker.

Units that do not have a Close Combat Weapon equipped use the following profile for Close Combat attacks: Acc 6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Abilities: None
When the Active Player has resolved all attacks, move on to the End of Turn phase.

Cover: Units partially obscured by foliage or structures are considered to be in cover. Shooting attacks targeting a unit in cover suffer an Acc penalty of 1. For example, an Acc of 4-6 becomes Acc 5-6.

Cover does not affect Close-Combat attacks.

Units that are destroyed are turned on their side. They are considered cover.

End of Turn: Some Equipment will have special abilities that can be activated after the Attack Phase. The Active Player must declare he or she is using these abilities at this time. Then, the turn passes to the next player.

After each player has taken a turn, the round is complete. Depending on the mission, keep track of the number of rounds played.

You can do whatever you want, Mr. Creative. I'll read the wall of text more a little later.

I wanna see pictures of Lego mechs!

Change-log Updates:

Added Mech Points Limit
Added rules for Cover
Updated Close-Combat rules
Improved Acc on The Reliable to 4-6

Played a couple test games. Games aren’t too long, which is nice.

So how much will this differ from tabletops already with battle-mechs like Battle-Tech, etc? (No, I'm not familiar with the other games' rulesets.)

The main idea is to design a customizable squad, with games lasting roughly 30 minutes to an hour. I want to make it accessible to pretty much anybody, including kids. It should still be deep enough adults will enjoy it. I just want to have a very streamlined set of rules that makes it a “pick-up-and-play” game. Plus, you get to build your squad out of Legos, which means you don’t have to buy new models if you want to change things up - just swap some blocks.

As for how the rules differ, I’ve never played Battle-Tech, Hero-Clix, etc... I’ve never played them, and don’t know those rules. I’m just going with what I think is accessible and fair.

Got the rough draft of the first set of Faction Rules:


Humanity has long been splintered into competing factions fighting for control of the home world of Earth. These clashes brought human society to the brink of complete collapse after many natural resources became exhausted.

Everything changed overnight when a Ragnul raiding force descended through the Earth’s atmosphere and laid siege to the European continent. Casualties were high, but the human forces were able to turn the tide of the war and drive the Ragnul off of Earth.

The disparate governments that remained called an emergency summit to unite what was left of humanity under one banner. For them, it was no longer about regional dominance. The very future of the human race was at stake.

They determined that in order to rebuild their planet and species, expansion and colonization would be key. Humanity would need to locate and secure other planets rich in resources to guarantee long term survival.

Within a few generations, the Earth military had acquired nearly a dozen suitable worlds. Most had been uninhabited, but a few had required violent pacification. The distances between the worlds of the Earth Empire was great, and, over time, the colonized worlds began to establish their own identities, and started to resent the rule of Earth. Small rebellions became revolutions, and humanity had returned to the infighting that left them so vulnerable to the Ragnul.

Playing as the Forces of Humanity

Forces of Humanity units generally play specialized roles, and are quite strong in large numbers. They benefit from strategic play and a well-balanced squad. Their weaponry is varied and potent when used properly. Forces of Humanity squads have rely heavily on ranged weapons, but can build Mechs capable of Close-Combat.

Forces of Humanity Special Rules:

Salvage: Once per game, a Forces of Humanity unit may take a weapon from a destroyed unit. The unit using the Salvage rule must be within 1” of the destroyed unit, and must remove a weapon to add the new one. The salvaged weapon cannot cause a mech to exceed its total Armory Points.

Noble Sacrifice: Once per game, at the beginning of a round, a unit may declare it is making a Noble Sacrifice. Choose an opponent. Until the end of the round, all units controlled by that opponent must target the mech using Noble Sacrifice if they are within range. If the unit using Noble Sacrifice is destroyed during the round, that opponents units may attack as normal.

Mech Hangar

Light Mechs - 2 Mech Points

Heavy Mechs - 5 Mech Points

Super Heavy Mechs - 8 Mech Points

Armory

Light Weapons

The Reliable: This is a standard issue Mech rifle found throughout the various human armies.

Armory Points 2 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 12” / Abilities: None

Stinger: This is a one use missile rack mounted on the top of Mechs. The missiles are designed with a simple guidance system to improve accuracy.

Armory Points 2 / Acc 3-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 12” / Abilities: Single Use - This Weapons may only be fired once per game.

Shredder Grenades: These are close range weapons that, while unstable, are highly effective.

Armory Points 1 / Acc 4-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 6” / Abilities: Unstable - When you fire this weapon, roll a six-sided die. Only a 1 or 6, the unit using Shredder Grenades is automatically hit by the weapon and must make a Defense roll at the end of the Attack.

Beam Laser: This energy weapon is devastating, but requires a cool-down period before it can be fired again.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 2 / Range 12” / Abilities: Reload - This Weapons may not be fired this round if it was fired the previous round.

Melee Blades: This is a common Close-Combat weapon.

Armory Points 2 / Acc 4-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: None

Light Maul: This is a hammer that hits hard enough to knock most opponents around.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: Knock-Back - When this weapon deals damage, roll a six-sided die. On a roll of 1 or 2, move the Defending Unit 4” away from the Attacking Unit.

Heavy Weapons

Slugspitter: The Slugspitter fires solid projectiles that can pierce enemy armor with relative ease.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 18” / Abilities: None

Horizon Rifle: This sniper rifle fires devastating penetrating rounds that rip through armor.

Armory Points 4 / Acc 3-6 / Def 6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 24” / Abilities: Reload - This Weapon may not be fired this round if it was fired the previous round.

Scattershot Cannon: The rotating barrel of this weapon produces a high rate of fire, but the recoil greatly reduces accuracy.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 4 / Damage 1 / Range 12” / Abilities: Recoil - Equipment that increases accuracy has no effect on Weapons with Recoil.

Blast Cannon: The Blast Cannon has a short range, but provides potent firepower.

Armory Points 4 / Acc 3-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 2 / Damage 1 / Range 6” / Abilities: None

Heavy Blade: This is a larger, stronger version of the Melee Blades.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: Dual-Wield - A mech armed with two weapons with Dual Wield may attack with each during the Attack Phase.

Mechanical Fists: These large, claw-like hands can help a mech crush enemy armor.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Close-Combat” / Abilities: Knock-Back - When this weapon deals damage, roll a six-sided die. On a roll of 1 or 2, move the Defending Unit 4” away from the Attacking Unit.

Super-Heavy Weapons

Dirge Cannon: This rapid-fire cannon launches high-velocity rounds that are extremely effective against armor.

Armory Points 8 / Acc 4-6 / Def 6 / Shots 3 / Damage 1 / Range 12” / Abilities: None

Apocalypse Gun: This is the single most powerful mech-mounted weapon at the Forces of Humanity’s disposal. It reduces enemy units to smoking craters.

Armory Points 10 / Acc 4-6 / Def 6 / Shots 1 / Damage 3 / Range 24” / Abilities: Reload - This Weapon may not be fired this round if it was fired the previous round.

Pulverizer: These various Super-Heavy Close-Combat Weapons pack enough power to break enemy units in half. They are often simply too large to dodge effectively.

Armory Points 8 / Acc 3-6 / Def 6 / Shots 1 / Damage 2 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: None

Equipment

Laser Scope - A unit equipped with a laser scope selects one ranged weapon to gain a permanent Acc bonus of 1. For example, an Acc of 5-6 becomes Acc 4-6.

Armory Points 1

Jammer Pack - All other units, including friendly units, within 6” of a unit equipped with a Jammer Pack suffer an Acc penalty of 1 with all Weapons. For example, an Acc of 5-6 becomes Acc 6.

Armory Points 2

Proximity Mines - A unit equipped with proximity mines carries a pack of 3 mines. During movement, a unit may place a proximity mine behind at any point along its movement path. Place an item on the board to represent the proximity mine. Units that come within 3” of the proximity mine will trigger it, causing an automatic hit. That unit must make a Defense roll of 4-6 or suffer 1 Structure Point of damage.

Only one unit in a squad may be equipped with proximity mines.

Armory Points 2

Ballistics Shield - A unit equipped with a Ballistics Shield receives a bonus of one to Defense rolls against Shooting Attacks. For example, a Def 5-6 becomes Def 4-6. This bonus does not affect Close-Combat attacks.

Armory Points 2

New Faction!

The Ragnul

The Ragnul are a species born for combat and conquest. Their homeworld of Arigas is defined by the Ragnul’s warrior culture. Ragnul armies have done battle for hundreds of generations to hone their strength and cull the weak. Now, the Ragnul raid other worlds for resources to rebuild their shattered world. Ragnul armies descend upon unprepared planets, quickly overwhelm the native defenders, and use the territory they seize as a staging ground to ship their spoils back to Arigas.

The Ragnul culture is broken down into two categories - Raiders and Guardians. The Raiders are responsible for seeking out worlds to pillage and securing resources. The Guardians, which tend to be older, veteran warriors, are responsible for defending Arigas and the shipping lanes that bring vital materials to the Ragnul homeworld. This organization of their military has allowed the Ragnul to become a significant threat to numerous other planetary systems.

Ragnul youth are trained from a very early age to become fearsome warriors, and most Ragnul are proficient with multiple close-combat weapons. They find glory in melee combat, and the finest warriors are added to the Driak, an index of the greatest Ragnul heroes. The stories in the Driak serve to inspire the Ragnul to greater acts of violence.

They consider hand-to-hand combat to be the ultimate form of battle, and despise ranged weaponry. However, after encountering other races that turned back their vicious assaults, the Ragnul have begun to see the practical uses of such weapons.

Playing as The Ragnul

A Ragnul force will be capable of quickly closing the gap between themselves and their enemies, bringing devastating Close-Combat weaponry with them. The Ragnul, being obsessed with finding glory in battle, are more willing to take risks to defeat their foes. They carry few ranged weapons, preferring to slice and bludgeon their targets.

Ragnul Special Rules

Overheating Engines: All Ragnul mechs can be pushed to higher levels of performance, but they carry a risk of generating dangerous levels of heat. Ragnul Mechs may move up to an additional 6” each turn, but must roll a six-sided die when they do. On a roll of 4-6, the Ragnul mech takes 1 Structure Point of damage.

I Shall Write My Name in the Driak: Once per game, a Ragnul mech make a single devastating attack by colliding with an opponent’s mech. The Ragnul mech must target a mech within a 6” range. Move the Ragnul mech next to the opponent’s mech and roll a six-sided die. On a roll of 3-6, both Mechs take 2 Structure Points of damage.

Mech Hangar

Light Mech - 3 Mech Points

Heavy Mech - 5 Mech Points

Super-Heavy Mech - 9 Points

Armory

Light Weapons

Garis Blade: This is a common Close-Combat weapon carried by many Ragnul mechs. It is a consistent and effective weapon.

Armory Points 2 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: None

Energy Mace: This solid, electrified club has the ability to interfere with an enemy mech’s computing systems.

Armory Points 3 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: Short Circuit - An enemy unit damaged by this weapon may not use any Equipment abilities during its next turn.

Gezhark Lance - Originally created by the legendary Ragnul hero Gezhark, this long spear allows the user to deliver Close-Combat attacks from a distance and counter enemy Close-Combat Attacks.

Armory Points / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close-Combat / Abilities: Counter - If an enemy mech initiates a Close-Combat Attack against a unit equipped with this weapon, this mech may also make an attack. Structure Point damage is assigned simultaneously.

Blade Launcher - This is one of the few ranged weapons used by the Ragnul, and is designed to put pressure on the enemy while closing the distance.

Armory Points 2 / Acc 5-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range 12” / Abilities: None

Heavy Weapons

Headhunter Axe - This massive blade is capable of cleaving enemy Mechs in half.

Armory Points 4 / Acc 4-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 2 / Range Close Combat / Abilities: Double-Edged - When this weapon deals damage to an enemy Mech, roll a six-sided die. On a roll of 1-3, this weapon deals one Structure Point of damage to the user. On a roll of 4-6, it deals 1 Structure Point of damage to the enemy Mech.

Honor Blade - This long sword is used by the Ragnul Guardians. It is a sign of elite status and warriors wielding it are afforded reverence by their peers.

Armory Points 5 / Acc 3-6 / Def 5-6 / Shots 2 / Damage 1 / Range Close Combat / Abilities: Parry - A unit equipped with this weapon receives a bonus of one to Defense rolls against Close Combat Attacks.

Shrapnel Launcher - This cannon launches a violent burst of shredded metal at the foe, tearing armor and jamming Mech joints.

Armory Points 4 / Acc 3-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 2 / Range 6” / Abilities: Impede - A unit damaged by this weapon has its movement range reduced by half during its next turn.

Super-Heavy Weapons

Final Breath - This enormous blade requires a strong mech frame to swing, and is dense enough it can obliterate opponents with ease.

Armory Points 8 / Acc 4-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 1 / Range Close Combat / Abilities: Wide Swing - This Weapons may be used to make an attack against each enemy unit in Close Combat range. Make a separate roll for each enemy in range.

Howl of Driak - The pinnacle of Ragnul ranged weaponry is a devastating energy weapon. It is suspected the Ragnul stole the plans from a conquered world. It is unwieldy, but

Armory Points 10 / Acc 5-6 / Def 4-6 / Shots 1 / Damage 4 / Range 12” / Abilities: Reload - This Weapon may not be fired this round if it was fired the previous round.

Equipment

Flash Grenades - Once per game, a unit equipped with Flash Grenades may target a unit within Close Combat range. That unit suffers a penalty of 1 to their Acc until the user’s next turn.

Armory Points - 2

Emblem of Driak - This ornate carving of the visage of Driak serves as inspiration to the warrior carrying it into battle. Once per game, a unit equipped with the Emblem of Driak may make an additional attack with a Close Combat weapon. Limit one per squad.

Armory Points - 1

Reinforced Blade - Choose one Close Combat Weapon equipped by a Light or Heavy Mech. That weapons Acc receives a bonus of 1. One per squad.

Armory Points - 1