The Book of Modular Skyscraper

[Yodaking]

Bringing this discussion over here as it seems like a good place for the greater Skyscraper Rules book discussion.

If we are saying each hex is 5-6 feet across, when we say you can only throw the Flash Bang at a target up to 5 spaces away (East, West, North, or South of your current location), that says you can only throw them 25-30 feet before they come crashing down to the ground because of gravity. However if you throw it up into the air, it can suddenly defy gravity and travel 88 feet up if you want it too in addition to the 25-30 feet out.

Hand Ninja have a short range of 3 to represent throwing stars. A Hand Ninja can't stand on the street and throw anything at all at someone on the top of the Empire State building. Gravity just isn't going to lose that battle, so why are we letting them throw stars 40+ feet up into the air but only 15-18 feet on the ground? On a map with only 15 levels of height, it wasn't ever an issue as range 3 was enough to cover both up and out. A range cost or limit when going up would make the big building more dynamic as you couldn't just sit on the ground and shoot it out with anyone that has a ranged attack of any kind. You would need to enter the building and move up the elevator or stairs to try and get closer to those on the roof.

When someone with a flying move of 5 moves, we say it can move 25-30 feet, while another figure with a flying move of 7 moves, we say they can move 35-42 feet. Both can fly up an unlimited amount of space though. Introducing a move cost when going up actually would help keep someone like the Silver Surfer from being too good on building maps. He can't just strike at you from the street and then zip back up to the top of a building using his free move of 2. Superman with a flying move of 10 can do things someone with a flying move of 5 can't do as it relates to leaping over a tall building. Knocking out the windows on multiple floors becomes more important for fliers with shorter moves, as they'll need to fly through a really tall building instead of over. This allows ground pounders running around inside the building a chance to intercept them on lower level floors.

For range, I'm currently thinking the range number should also just define how far up something goes. Each 1 range = 5 or 6 levels up, however wide a hex is when placed up against a pile of terrain. So a range 3 attack can only reach 15/18 levels up, while a range 8 attack can reach 40-46 levels up. Simple, intuitive, fair.

On move, I'm thinking moving up is just a flat cost for every X levels above a certain height. So say the first 20 levels are free similar to how expert climbing gives you the first few spaces up for free, that means nothing would change for 99% of maps. However if you want to move more than 20 levels up in one move, it will cost you 1 move point for every say 10 levels up after 20. So if you are on the ground and want to fly to the top of a building 63 levels high, first 20 up is free, then 30/40/50/60 all cost you 1 point of move, meaning you would need at least a move of 5 to get up to the top and move over one hex onto the roof. Now Silver Surfer can only use his free move of 2 to go up a max of 29 levels. If there is an open window just one space away he can still get up to a higher floor, but he's not going up onto any edge of the roof.

Just spit balling some numbers here, but that's the general idea.

[IAmBatman]

I would want to go fairly light touch if you were to do something like this (and it's an overall rules consideration, not really something for a building booklet, IMO). But I might go with an optional "high winds" effect, like slippery ice, where you can turn it on or off for a map. Basically if there are "high winds" you just somehow make it harder to fly/shoot upwards for large distances.

Not sure I'm sold on that idea, though, as most of our chatter while playing with Skyscrapers was things like wanting King Kong to be ABLE to move up faster so he could move up the building.

[IAmBatman]

Maybe something like this:

HIGH WINDS
A figure must subtract one from its range number if it targets another figures that is 20 levels or higher than the targeting figure's height. A flying figure must subtract one from its move number before moving 20 levels or higher than its height during its normal movement.

[quozl]

Why do you not want Godzilla to be able to destroy buildings?

If Galactus can do it, I want Godzilla to be able to do it too.

[IAmBatman]

Galactus can remove terrain. Do you want him to be able to remove terrain? And automatically rather than with a D20 roll?

[quozl]

*sigh*

As it pertains to buildings.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by quozl

*sigh*

As it pertains to buildings.

You're not following. The hexes on top of castle walls are terrain. The spaces inside the Skyscraper are terrain. What happens to the terrain when Godzilla removes the obstacle?

I think what I'll do here, now that we're coming off of the breathing period is no longer call the Skyscraper an obstacle so I don't block any design space. We already weren't considering the floors obstacles, so going half-and-half is probably too mechanically confusing. I believe it still applies to castle walls with hexes on top of them, though, so that's something that will need to be sorted out for Godzilla.

[IAmBatman]

Updated the SP with this:

Spoiler Alert!

C3G stackable Skyscrapers are enclosed structures. Skyscrapers are considered terrain. Skyscraper floors are considered Interior terrain and are specifically called Floor spaces. However, any figure that can pass through an obstacle may pass through any part of the Skyscraper as if it were an obstacle.

We're officially in the design phase! I'm happy with where we're at to go into testing, so I propose we move to initial playtesting.

[quozl]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

You're not following. The hexes on top of castle walls are terrain. The spaces inside the Skyscraper are terrain. What happens to the terrain when Godzilla removes the obstacle?

I think what I'll do here, now that we're coming off of the breathing period is no longer call the Skyscraper an obstacle so I don't block any design space. We already weren't considering the floors obstacles, so going half-and-half is probably too mechanically confusing. I believe it still applies to castle walls with hexes on top of them, though, so that's something that will need to be sorted out for Godzilla.

So if you followed what I was saying, you'd answer my question:

How does it currently work with Galactus?

[IAmBatman]

Galactus has rules to remove terrain. Godzilla only removes obstacles.

[Tornado]

Yea

[A3n]

Yea to playtesting.

But I will want a solid ruling on Godzilla & Castle Walls with Hexes on top before I feel 100% sure on what we are trying to achieve with the rule & if it actually is necessary &/or covers everything we need it to:

C3G stackable Skyscrapers are enclosed structures. Skyscrapers are considered terrain. Skyscraper floors are considered Interior terrain and are specifically called Floor spaces. However, any figure that can pass through an obstacle may pass through any part of the Skyscraper as if it were an obstacle.