Hello Steam Warriors,
A quick preview from our final chapter detailing Storyguide Characters and Rigs that you can use in your game of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars. Today, ...
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James Bell
2 days ago
FINAL WEEK COUNTDOWN
Hello Steam Warriors,
There are moments it feels like we just started this campaign, but in truth we've been running since late January and we're now officially in our FINAL...
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James Bell
4 days ago
Let's Build Some War Rigs! [Backer Manuscript Preview Download Part 4]
Hello Steam Warriors,
Even as I'm typing this, it looks like we're either just about to unlock our Stretch Goal target or will later today. We've been dancing back and forth...
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James Bell
5 days ago
Sneak Peek: Building Your Rig
Hello Steam Warriors,
After spending the past two days digging out from a massive snow storm, I'd love nothing more than to be able to assemble a big steam rig to get the jo...
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Matthew Dawkins
6 days ago
Less than $300 away!
We're under $300 from our kaiju-centred stretch goal, so if you want to see some giant monsters duking it out with war rigs in our new Trinity Continuum game, be sure to share the campaign with your friends!
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James Bell
9 days ago
Sneak Peek: Rig Stations
Hello Steam Warriors,
I'm currently taking a break from operating my own war rig - or, at least pretending my snowblower is a giant mechanized marvel. While I warm up with s...
Even as I'm typing this, it looks like we're either just about to unlock our Stretch Goal target or will later today. We've been dancing back and forth across this funding target for the past few hours, so I'll hold off for a few hours but anticipate marking our first Stretch Goal target as achieved later today.
I know Larry Blamire and the TC: Steam Wars writing team are all pretty excited about the new possibilities this Stretch Goal could open up. Larry's shared more artwork in progress...
Once we've crossed that funding target and stuck the landing, I'll update and we can work on our next target! But, until then, let's get on with our main focus for today! The next manuscript section!
I lied. One more quick thing to note before we get into the manuscript.
Shipping Costs will be Collected in the Pledge Manager
First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. And that's as of today - we're all in the dark about how things will look in 2 years. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they haven't been able to set up ongoing international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.
The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.
Draft Manuscript Previews
Over the course of this campaign, backers are receiving the entire current draft manuscript for Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars, but not all in one go. The previews will come out in bite-sized sections throughout the campaign. This helps me seem interesting over these 30 days, but it's more about guiding the conversation and helping steer feedback for the developers.
Because they want your feedback! These manuscript previews are of the current draft manuscript – the document in its latest, approved form. This may not be the final form after editing and any additional development, but you can consider it about 95% finished, so keep that in mind.
In fact, you can help guide the team through the next stages of development by providing feedback on these manuscript previews! The Onyx Path team has set up a special Feedback Form just for campaign backers for this very purpose: <Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars Feedback Form>
You can use this Feedback Form to shrea your thoughts directly with the TC: Steam Wars developers and help guide them through the next rounds of development and editing.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Learn More" button on the bottom and I'll see you below this title treatment.
A quick preview from our final chapter detailing Storyguide Characters and Rigs that you can use in your game of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars. Today, we've got a trio of talented (lowercase) rig crew members ready to jump into your game. On Monday, I'll have another sneak peek at some of the Storyguide Rigs that may square off with your players.
The following characters are supporting characters and antagonists around whom plots might form or who might influence the tide of the Second Steam War. The protagonists in Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars might interact with any number of them during their stories.
William “Bill” Tunney: Gunnery Sergeant USSF
“Every boy wants to be a general, but every general wants to be a gunnery sergeant.”
No fighter exemplified the contradictory nature of the steam rigger more than Bill (middle name unknown) Tunney. In his thirties, by the Second Steam War, he was already a hardened veteran. The quote was no lie. There’s a reason the USSF gunnery sergeant was nicknamed “rig boss.” Officially, the rank (adapted from the Marine Corps) was responsible for all arms and ordnance, weapons-training and boarding drills aboard a steam rig. Like a team-captain in sports, he was often respected above the men who were (literally) at the top. That was Tunney.
By all accounts, his father Joseph Patrick Tunney was a hard humorless coal miner, and by age twelve, young Bill himself was working the mines. Apparently he was underage when he enlisted in US Army coastal artillery. Within two years he transferred to the fledgling Steam Force when its commander-in-chief Teddy Roosevelt had trouble recruiting. Tunney proved a natural, going from loader to starboard cranesman on the early US rig Javelin to gunnery sergeant on the hercules rig Van Buren, where he cut his teeth tamping down border incursions and smuggling runs.
Tunney was a gutsy never-do-anything-his-men-wouldn’t-do leader. But he also had a not-always-helpful mistrust of anyone in authority, that led to him being frequently rude, surly, arrogant, quick-to-drink and fast-to-punch. His impulsiveness to buck the brass was likely the biggest difference between him and equally troublesome pal Chief Duff. Regulations were made to be broken, especially if it saved the rig or crew. Tunney was practically the poster boy for the popular conception of steam force rank and file. The riggers are the worst rule breakers. That was only a slight exaggeration. As some wags scribbled over recruiting posters: “Bring us your foolhardy!”
Primary Pool: 8 (Inspirational Leadership, Talk Sense to Power) Secondary Pool: 6 (Dirty Fighting, Feats of Endurance) Desperation Pool: 4 Enhancements: +1 Leadership in Battle Defense: 3 Integrity: 2 Injuries: 6 Armor: 0 Initiative: 4 Qualities:Motivational Speech, Reckless
Motivational Speech: This character can take a simple action to bestows the Inspired status effect on any characters of their choice up to short range.
Reckless: As a reflexive action, the character can reduce their Defense by up to 2. They then apply the value they reduced as an Enhancement on their next simple action.
Lucy Tillencrest was the only child of celebrated Canadian engineer John Chandler Tillencrest, famous for his development of modern steam power (particularly fighting rigs) and his wife Sarah Crawford. The gifted Lucy, however, threatened to eclipse him with a remarkable string of inventions (contraptions, some say) that were frequently as eccentric as they were innovative. Lucy was born in 1864 on a trip to London at the time Great Britain assumed ownership of her father’s steam rig plans. The following year, Tillencrest sent his wife and daughter to London permanently for their protection, after the French used Sarah’s anarchist ties to blackmail him.
By age six, Lucy had fashioned a doll and windup monkey into a small steam-toy running on water. Later, she was one of the first women to graduate from Germany’s esteemed technical University of Karlsruhe in Baden Württemberg (had she been there a decade earlier, she may have encountered future Prussian steam commander Friedrich Conrad Voss). An accomplished pianist, Lucy constructed the Melodematon, and the later (improved) Ambulodeon. These are recreational steam-walkers driven by organ keyboard, but, in true Tillencrest whimsy, her operating tunes were unbearably atonal, leading to a number of complaints. Even her most commercial piece, the all-purpose High Hat Lifter construction rig, displayed an eccentricity of design that exemplified her “embrace something different or else” philosophy. It was testimony to her brilliance that sales were through the roof.
Lucy’s advances in steam aviation, such as the Tillencrest Airsled, conquered the fuel-weight challenge, thus aiding the GDR in the latter part of the Second Steam War and the eventual air-heavy Third Steam War.
Lucy’s interactions with Gunnery Sergeant Bill Tunney were notable for their prickliness, but more importantly for the surprising similarity of their maverick sensibilities and outspoken brashness. Their complement was the very picture of steam power: her stylish design to his rumbling furnace and gears. So too, Lucy’s chameleonlike appearance as she was only too happy to swap out her Victorian elegance for goggles and jumpsuit.
Talented Engineer: The character can attempt a difficulty 2 simple action to increase or reduce the characters’ steam dice pool by 1. The first time each scene that a rig they are in would lose 1 or more Ruin, reduce the Ruin lost by 2, to a minimum of 0, as they reroute systems.
Technobabble: The character adds 2 to their Integrity when resisting an influence action relating to their career/role on a rig.
Rikugun Shōsa Ikuma Arakawa: Rig Captain, Hero of Second Steam War
“Sound is important. Noise can defeat you. When you accept that a battle has no rhythm, that becomes your rhythm.”
When Ikuma Arakawa was twenty, he saw his father killed in the Battle of Shiroyama, the final engagement of the Satsuma Rebellion and the last gasp of the samurai class in the Meiji Restoration. He fought alongside his father, against the latter’s wishes (Ikuma was not a samurai). Before the final charge, his father knocked him over into some brush out of sight, thus saving his life.
As Arakawa grew older he continued to resent the modernization of Japan, and his bitterness emerged in aimless wanderings and criminal behavior. But when he went to work in a coal mine, something changed. He suddenly began to see the industrialization of Japan as something he could use. Upon his release, with the help of renowned female samurai Niijima Yae, he apprenticed with brilliant engineer Akio Hirohata, which led him to the team developing Japan’s first steam rigs. It was like a sign from heaven. The rigs were fashioned after samurai warriors. Of course. It made sense. What else? The honor, the importance, the grandeur, the loyalty of the samurai, had arisen again in the form of giant metal warriors, whose crews would carry on the tradition, even at the cost of their lives. To Arakawa, this was what it had all been about; the way he viewed his father — not the trite financial causes of the rebellion some liked to harp on.
Arakawa became the first “test pilot” for a 40-foot rig in the menpo style: the classic samurai look. He took to it like a duck to water, and when the JISF (Japanese Imperial Steam Rig) fleet was built, he stood proudly at its head as rig captain. His timing was heaven-sent as the First Steam War (also known as the Batavia Disagreement) seemed to come from nowhere, at least as far as the public was concerned. Arakawa saw it as a proving ground, a test, all for him. Though the war was short-lived (a stalemate), Ikuma Arakawa, now a Rikugun Shōsa (major) was acclaimed a hero, boasting seven kills (a considerable amount for fighting rigs). And while resentment lingered, the experience and success tempered it to an extent that allowed him to live (or die) with it.
There are moments it feels like we just started this campaign, but in truth we've been running since late January and we're now officially in our FINAL WEEK COUNTDOWN!
Over the next week I'll be sharing a handful of instruction and review-type posts about Reward Tiers & Add Ons, Stretch Goal reviews, and What Comes Next, so if you've got any process questions or are wondering about how the Crowdfunding steps work, I'm hoping to clarify any remaining questions before we finish. Of course, if you're still wondering about something, please ask and I'll help as best I can.
Final Week Program
Feb 23 - Reward Tier & Add On Review
Feb 25 - Manuscript Preview # 5 - Chapter 5+6
Feb 26 - Stretch Goal Review
Feb 27 - Final Day Checklist & What Comes Next
The Campaign ends on February 27th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time... sort of.
With our boilers roiling and our gears engaged, we're able to unleash the full strength of our war rigs and achieve the nearly impossible. In this case, that's called "OVERTIME MODE" and it allows us to keep the campaign rolling as long as backers are pledging.
Overtime Mode
Overtime Mode extends the campaign past its original end time to give backers a final chance to make their pledge and adds an interesting twist to the end of the campaign. How long will it extend? That’s entirely up to backers: The campaign will keep going for an additional 10 minutes as long as pledges keep coming in – a chain of back-to-back pledges is called the Backer Train. The campaign will end only when the Backer Train stops after a period of 10 minutes passing without any pledges.
You’ll know we’re in Overtime Mode when the campaign’s Backer Train counter displays a bright rainbow border and a new countdown that resets to 10 minutes after each new backer joins that final Backer Train ride.
So, we've scheduled the campaign to conclude on February 27th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, but it'll be extended in 10 minute chunks as long as backers keep pledging. Will we add an extra 10 minutes? An extra 20? Or will it all finish up as planned? Who knows, but we'll find out together! Full steam ahead!
Building our Crew
I know, this is something I've already said many times (and seem to say during every project!), but for this final week, you are officially a Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars recruiter. It's time to share your excitement for Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars! Basically, we want to recruit as many curious backers as possible to see how long we can keep our Backer Train running over this final week.
I know I've ended many update posts with "Keep spreading the word! Invite others to join in!" - but what does that mean, and how do you do it?
Easy answer - don't stop talking about TC: Steam Wars until 2:01 PM Eastern next Thursday February 27th (and then as long as we continue running in Overtime Mode). Yes, family and friends are tired of me talking about it. But what else have I got to talk about? The state of the world? That gets a little depressing fairly quickly. And - they've learned to tolerate me during a crowdfunding campaign. But here's the thing - there are others around who haven't heard or don't know about the campaign.
We all know this project is quirky and niche - it's steam-powered warfare in the late 1800s - not a well-explored genre or setting. Those interested in this game will have interesting imaginations and a love for the unusual. That said, there are many Onyx Path game fans that "interesting and unusual" describes perfectly and they haven't yet heard about this campaign and would love to join in. We're right in the middle of relentless news and events so it's not surprising that new backers are just finding out about the campaign every day. If you have an opportunity to let someone know, please do and let's make sure they have a chance to join in before the end.
For me, one of my main ways of coping with these exhausting times is to dive into a game world with my friends. Reading the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars manuscript has been a much-needed escape over the past weeks, and my friends and I will absolutely be designing our own war rig as part of our self-care in the future.
So, let's help out our awesome TTRPG fans and make sure that we've spread the word as best we can and everyone has an opportunity to participate in this campaign!
Resources to Share
If you're inviting new backers, or if you are a new backer (hi new backers!), here are a few key resources to be aware of for this campaign.
Backers are able to review the (soon-to-be) complete manuscript for this book before the campaign closes and any pledges are processed. With the exception of the Storyguiding chapter coming on Tuesday, the entirety of the rules and options from this book are available for download and review by backers, along with all of the setting information for this strange, cool world.
Anyone who pledges to this campaign before the end can read the entire book now AND provide feedback directly to the developers to help guide the manuscript through the final phases of development and editing!
And, if you join now, as I've noted, we'll be posting the final chapters of the book next week before we reach the finish line. These final chapters have advice for Storyguides on how to run their story, along with a plethora of story hooks and seeds to get them started. These chapters also provide advice on different themes that can be explored and secrets relating to how this game ties into the broader Trinity Continuum. Reader discretion is advised if you want the setting and future of Steam Wars to remain a mystery.
Plus a full selection of pre-built antagonists and war rigs to challenge your players! We'll get some previews of these over the next week as well.
The Gentleman Gamer Videos
Matthew Dawkins, one of the developers for this book, presents an amazing series of videos digging into various aspects of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars on his Gentleman Gamer channel. Check these out:
Great stuff, and the creativity of the team is just more inspiration for your own game!
Trinity Continuum Chat
The Discord is particularly lively, but you might be able to gain further insight and some in-depth conversation at any of these Onyx Path discussion zones:
1) Don't forget to share a link to the Crowdfunding page in any discussion you have (where appropriate) - and feel free to pass any of the long list of links above to those who may need more info (or, just point them to this post!)
2) Don't forget to tell us about any post or review or discussion you write! Come to the comments section and let us know so we can all go and contribute! I know I keep saying it, but really - these last days are key. Keep the enthusiasm high and keep on inviting others to join in, either directly ("Come see...") or just by setting an example of your enthusiasm and interest.
Final Week
We've got one week to go, everyone! Thank you all so much for your support! We work together because it's the right thing to do, and because backers make it better! Let's finish strong! And let's continue exploring this amazingly quirkly and unique setting together, sharing our feedback with the writers and delving into the draft manuscript, and let's see if we can't get another Stretch Goal before we review next Wednesday!
At $18,000 in Funding - DIGITAL WALLPAPER
Fantastic TC: Steam Wars artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added as a free bonus reward for all backers supporting this project. [Envoy reward tier+]
After spending the past two days digging out from a massive snow storm, I'd love nothing more than to be able to assemble a big steam rig to get the job done!
Today, I'll have a sneak peek at just a fraction of the parts that go into building your own Rig for a game of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars. Backers will have access to the full text from this massive chapter tomorrow, but for today, we'll look at a couple of key elements.
Building Your Rig
A steam rig should be built by the players at the table. Even if the characters are from different alliances, they can be in the same rig as a special collaborative effort or for other reasons such as espionage. Wartime politics tend to be a bit messy with certain moments where adversaries are working together within limited constraints.
Choose Headcab
The first step of building the steam rig is determining the style of headcab. All the headcabs are modelled after medieval and renaissance era helmets and impart the same style of armor to the overall steam rig. Each Alliance provides an alliance benefit to the headcabs they favor. Additionally, each headcab provides their own benefits.
Headcabs
On top of every steam rig is a giant helmet where the main controls are. Inside this headcab are the pilots and officers who command and control the tempo of the rig’s operation. Observers and pilots peer out the eyeports at what lies ahead on the battlefield. They communicate with the rest of the crew in the other parts of the rig through hollow communication tubes and engine order telegraphs. Pilots have levers, a steering wheel, and an engine telegraph that directs the amount of steam that goes to the engine.
All personnel working in the headcab reach it by climbing ropes or ladders up the rig’s body. Once inside they are mostly protected from the elements (no headcabs have windows nor insulation) and can sit and enjoy the somewhat smooth ride. To direct the rig, whomever is sitting in the pilot’s chair, be it a Captain or Pilot, controls the levers that prompt the rest of the rig to start moving and direct the ambulators and boomsmen to start the walk cycle, and the Engineers to adjust the amount of steam. This is done as a Pilot or Leadership + appropriate Attribute, as agreed upon by Players and their Storyguide.
The style of a headcab itself influences the overall style of the steam rug, regardless of the size class. Some styles are preferred by the Steam Forces of an Alliance and grant a unique Alliance benefit in addition to whatever unique benefit each style provides with its design.
Armet Style
A headcab styled like the classic full face helmet from medieval Europe. The front visor is pinched forward and can be lifted to allow the crew better visibility than through the narrow slit in the eyeport. Some variations of the armet style have a raised fin along the top.
Fulcrum benefit: Wing It. Steam Force crews of the Fulcrum have figured out how to cobble together solutions on the fly to keep their rigs fighting even when they are on their last gasp of steam. Once per session, when the rig is Ruptured and gains the Malfunctioning status effect, vent 2 steam dice to stave off the effects of the Complication for one more turn.
Armet Style: Rigs with armet style headcaps benefit from better stability. Once per session, when the rig is on the verge of being Toppled, you can vent two steam dice to maintain your feet.
Barbute Style
An Italian style of headcab resembling the 15th century barbute helmet. Barbute style headcabs feature a rounded headcab with a T- or Y-shaped eyeport that ends at the rig’s “chin”. Some variations of this style of headcab feature an open-faced form with an arched opening.
Confederation of the Sea benefit: Never See Us Coming.The Confederation of the Sea have discovered interesting ways to board enemy rigs. They’ve built rig to rig boarding equipment into their rigs, making it easier for them to take the fight inside of an enemy rig. Gain +1 to boarding actions.
Barbute Style: Rigs with barbute style headcaps benefit from overfiring their engines to increase their steam pressure knowing that shifting the balance can result in catastrophic system failure. Once per session, double your steam dice to a maximum of ten.
Capeline Style
Capeline headcabs resembled the capeline or lobster-tail helmets of the 17th century characterized by its long peak, extended tail shield, and most notably a sliding nasal bar gun elevator developed specifically to accommodate the first headcab artillery. There is a smokestack directly through the cab.
Confederation of the Sea benefit: Never See Us Coming. The Confederation of the Sea have discovered interesting ways to board enemy rigs. They’ve built rig to rig boarding equipment into their rigs, making it easier for them to take the fight inside of an enemy rig. Gain +1 to boarding actions.
Capeline Style: Rigs with capeline style headcaps benefit from better ammunition management. Once per session, when the battlerig suffers Complications from weapons running out of ammunition or being jammed, you may ignore the first instance of the Complication until the end of combat but not subsequent Complications of the same type.
Close-Burgonet Style
British style of steam rig named for the headcab’s resemblance to the open faced Renaissance helmet of the same name, characterized by a peak above the cab and rounded dome with comb.
Fulcrum benefit: Wing It. Steam Force crews of the Fulcrum have figured out how to cobble together solutions on the fly to keep their rigs fighting even when they are on their last gasp of steam. Once per session, when the rig is Ruptured and gains the Malfunctioning status effect, vent 2 steam dice to stave off the effects of the Complication for one more turn.
Close-Burgonet Style: Rigs with close-burgonet style headcaps benefit from being able to vent steam through stovepipes at the back of its neck. Once per session, when the rig would suffer a pernicious failure, treat it as a normal failure instead.
Select Rig Class
Rig class is the size of the rig and restricts the armaments that can be equipped. It also dictates how big of a crew is needed to operate it.
Classes of Fighting Rig
Where headcabs determine the style of a steam rig’s appearance, the class determines the size, weight, crew size and possible armaments available. Rig classes tend to be named after mythic heroes and deities. Every rig is customized to the crew, while similarities exist between Alliance Steam Forces, each rig has ticks that crews must learn to navigate to keep their fighting rig at peak efficiency. Rig heights can vary by several feet between rigs of the same class based on load out and legs used.
Achilles Class
Invented by Major Matthew Bedford Creed and pushed into prominence as a “strategic rig,” the achilles class is one of the smallest classes of steam rigs that suffers from an identity crisis. It has been noted as not being small enough to be fast nor big enough for decent armament. They are the most plentiful rigs found in the rig graveyard on the Manitoban border.
Size: 3 Handling: 1 Armor: 2 Speed: 2 Height: 27 feet Crew Size: 3 – 4 Armament Limits: Achilles rigs can employ up to one .30 machine gun in their torso.
Agincourt Class
A British class of steam rig equivalent to the American goliath class, the agincourt class steam rigs have additional armaments at midrig – midport and starboard.
Size: 4 Handling: 2 Armor: 3 Speed: 2 Height: 90 feet Crew: 25 – 35 Armament Limits: Agincourt Class can equip typically 37mm rapid fire cannons or .303 machine guns.
Ajax Class
One of the most popular rig classes for deployment on the battlefield for its lower maintenance and fielding costs than the larger rigs, providing efficient use of armor and fuel for its smaller crews. Additionally, it has a midrig walkway allowing crew additional access to the torso and providing another observation point and fighting platform for embarked marines to fire from.
Size: 3 Handling: 1 Armor: 3 Speed: 2 Height: 45 – 48 feet Crew: 8 – 10 Armament Limits: Ajax rigs can employ up to one 3” gun in the chest and one machine gun in its headcab.
Pick Booms
Booms are the arms of the steam rig. The type of suspension used on the arms provides different benefits based on how the rig might be used.
Booms
Everyone needs a hand, luckily, steam rigs have multiple. The ones that count are the booms, which help balance the steam rig with an offset walk cycle. Some booms are better for more precise work while others are better for heavy loads and combat.
Heavy Chain
Heavy Chain supported booms are better suited for combat and handling heavy loads. These booms are more robust for performance in adverse conditions. But when the chains break, the risk of damaging the rest of the rig is high.
Heavy Combat: Heavy Chain Booms provide rigs with a benefit of reducing the cost of rig combat stunts by 1 hit to a minimum of 1 hit. If the boom breaks, it imposes the Moderate Complication Broken Linkthat does one damage to the rig every turn the boom is used until the chain is repaired or replaced if the Complication is not bought off.
Hidden Sword
There is wisdom in not allowing the enemy to readily identify what sorts of weapons your rig is equipped with. Japanese engineers have recently invented a pneumatic mechanism to deploy and retract a rig sized sword to use in rig to rig combat. These blades are sharp enough to slice through rig hulls, regardless of how thick the armor plates are.
Retractable Blade: Hidden sword booms conceal a rig sized blade to be deployed from the boom to be used in rig to rig combat. Vent 1 steam die to deploy a rig sized sword with the Piercing and Sunder tags.
High Tension Cable
High tension cable booms are better for more precise and quick movements. They require more regular inspection and maintenance after battle to ensure there is no abrasion or breakage to weaken the cables. Despite needing more maintenance, these booms are cheaper to produce and maintain.
Dexterous Booms: High Tension Cable Booms provide rigs with a benefit of reducing difficulty of actions using the booms by 1. If the boom breaks, it imposes the Moderate Complication, Malfunctioning until the cable is repaired or replaced. If not bought off, that does one damage to the rig every turn the boom is used.
Pick Legs
Pick the style of legs for your steam rig. Many of these provide additional benefits for the rig’s mobility.
Legs
All rigs need to stand on their own two gigantic mechanical feet. Controlled from the ambulation chamber midrig, a rig walks in a counterbalance with its arms to keep upright. A good observer will keep the rig from accidentally wandering into a crevice or body of water too deep or slick for the rig to escape from.
Barrel Sheath
Barrel sheath leg configurations are the most common, concealing the shins of the rig in a metal sheath. The gears in the hips can either be enclosed or exposed. These lower sheathes both protect the legs and make the rig more difficult for troops to scale.
All About Scale: The barrel sheath imposes a Moderate Complication to boarding parties attempting to scale the steam rig. Failure to buy off the complication can result in the Dazed status effect if the steam rig is still or 1 Injury Level in motion (respectively) while the climbing attempt was made.
Enclosed
This leg design for steam rigs is the baseline with all gears and mechanisms enclosed within a bipedal frame. They will get a steam rig from point A to point B and are often used for runabout class rigs. On larger battlerigs, enclosed boots are reinforced, to provide both stability and make kicks more impactful.
Das Boot: Battlerigs with enclosed boots gain access to the Earth-Shaking Step trick and can buy Stomp for 1 hit instead of 2.
Pick Armaments
Based on the class of the steam rig your group has selected, will restrict how many and how big the armaments can be.
Rig Armaments
Steam rigs employ a mixture of artillery, anti-rig, and anti-personnel heavy weapons. Most weapons are classified by the size or weight of the projectile it fires. Many are meant to penetrate and explode inside the body of an enemy rig and are devastating when used against personnel. All rig armaments work to Long range.
Armstrong Whitworth Recoil Carriage
Allows for a machine gun to be mounted in the headcabs of steam rigs larger than the achilles class. Its recoil to be absorbed so it does not disrupt the balance of the rig or require additional weight for absorption.
Range: Long
Tags:
Armor Piercing: A rapid volley of molten lead cuts through a rig’s armor, inflicting Ruin to a battlerig despite its armor plating. Rupturing: Gain access to the Rupture Trick when making attacks with this weapon. Armor negates this effect.
Rupture (1 hits):Inflict the Faulty Valve status effect (p. XX) on your target.
Special Rules: Cramped: This carriage may be mounted in any steam rig larger than Achilles Class. The addition of a Recoil Carriage to a headcab reduces the amount of space within, imposing a Minor Complication which if not bought off causes the crew to bump into each other. Continual collisions with the rest of the crew in the headcab can shift the attitudes toward the crew member negatively. Firing a Recoil Carriage adds 1 steam die every other turn it is fired.
Field Gun
Field guns are a type of field artillery that fire a heavy shell to provide long range fire support and counter battery fire. Typically referred to by the weight or size of their shells. Recoil of the weapon is reduced by drag shoes placed under the wheels and secured to the deck of the steam rigs with chains and cables. These can be mounted on battlerigs or used by troops outside battlerigs — when used by troops, each field gun gains this additional tag: Long Range: (Ranged) This weapon can be used to make attacks out to Long range.
10 Pounder
A muzzle loaded field gun capable of firing a 2.9in (74mm) or 3 in (76mm) diameter shell weighing up to 10 lbs. Range: Long Tags:
Brutal: The weapon inflicts massive damage. Reduce the number of hits required to purchase the Critical Trick by 1. Wrecking: This weapon gains access to the Destroy Object Trick. When purchasing the Destroy Object Trick on an attack with this weapon, you may destroy any armor.
Again, we're just scratching the surface of the options presented in Chapter 4. Backers will have access to the full draft manuscript chapter tomorrow!
We're under $300 from our kaiju-centred stretch goal, so if you want to see some giant monsters duking it out with war rigs in our new Trinity Continuum game, be sure to share the campaign with your friends!
