The Book of Mechagodzilla (Kiryu)

[Ronin]

The Book of Mechagodzilla (Kiryu)

C3G IDW SUPER SECRET EXCLUSIVE 94
TOKYO SOS


Vehicle Front PDF


Comic Back PDF


Mini Back PDF

The figure used for this unit is a Bandai figure from the Godzilla Movie Monster Series set.
Its model name is Mechagodzilla (Heavily Armed Type).

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Character Bio - In 1954, the creature Godzilla attacked Tokyo. It was defeated at great cost, and the experimental superweapon that killed the monster was lost. When another similar creature surfaced in 1999, the Japanese government scrambled to develop a new weapon to defend Japan. They decided that their best option was to create their own monster. Using the bones of the 1954 Godzilla as a frame, they constructed an enormous robot, nicknamed Mechagodzilla (or Kiryu).

Using Godzilla's skeleton in the structure allowed for bio-organic technology to augment the robot's movements. This came with unforeseen consequences, however; Mechagodzilla was haunted by the spirit of the original Godzilla. This led to a tendency to go berserk and act independently of its pilot's control, especially when confronted with other monsters.
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-Type of Destructible Object-

• Vehicle Destructible Object: See rules for Destructible Objects HERE. See HERE for optional C3G Destructible Object rules.
• Mechagodzilla is an Event figure and follows Event figure rules.
• Base Clarification: Mechagodzilla is a double-spaced figure.

-Rulings and Clarifications-

• N/A

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-Combinations and Synergies-

Incoming Synergy:

• As a Vehicle (front side), Mechagodzilla has these Vehicle Synergies.
• As a Cyborg (back side), Mechagodzilla has these Cyborg Synergies.
• As a Destroyer (back side), Mechagodzilla has these Destroyer Synergies.
• As a Huge figure, Mechagodzilla has these Huge Synergies.

Outgoing Synergy:

• N/A

Immunities, Benefits, and Weaknesses:

• N/A

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-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

• N/A

-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

• Initial playtest: Ronin
• Second playtest: Splash/toyhandle
• Third playtest: Tornado
• Fourth playtest: IAmBatman
• Art: Comic, Figure, Background
• Art by Arkham

[Ronin]

Front Side:

NAME = MECHAGODZILLA
DESIGNATION = VEHICLE DESTRUCTIBLE OBJECT

COVER = FULL
UNIQUENESS = EVENT
OCCUPANCY = 1
SIZE/HEIGHT = HUGE 17

LIFE = 15

MOVE = 6
RANGE = 6
ATTACK = 7
DEFENSE = 6

POINTS = 900

GHOST IN THE MACHINE
Start the game with this card flipped to this side. After revealing an Order Marker on the card of Mechagodzilla's driver and before taking a turn with the driver, you must roll the 20-sided die. Subtract 2 from your roll for each huge figure within 4 clear sight spaces. If you roll 5 or lower, flip this card over.

FLYING DRAG
Once per round before moving, you may choose for Mechagodzilla to gain the Flying special power for this turn. After moving, you may choose a huge enemy figure that Mechagodzilla passed over. Place that figure on any empty spaces adjacent to Mechagodzilla. It will not take any leaving engagement attacks.

TWIN MASER CANNON
Instead of attacking, choose up to 2 figures that are within 2 spaces of each other and within 6 clear sight spaces of Mechagodzilla. Roll the 20-sided die once for each figure. If you choose only one figure and that figure is huge, you may roll for that figure twice. If you roll 12 or higher, that figure receives 2 wounds.

SUPER STRENGTH

Back Side:

NAME = MECHAGODZILLA
SECRET IDENTITY =

SPECIES = CYBORG
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = DESTROYER
PERSONALITY = TORMENTED

SIZE/HEIGHT = HUGE 17

LIFE = 15

MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 10
DEFENSE = 6

REGAINING CONTROL
While this side of the card is face up, any figure that was occupying Mechagodzilla still occupies Mechagodzilla as if he were a full cover destructible object. At the end of the round, flip this card over.

DESTRUCTIVE SPIRIT OF GODZILLA
After revealing an Order Marker on any other card you control and instead of taking a turn with that card, you must take a turn with Mechagodzilla. During this turn, if possible, Mechagodzilla must move closer to a huge figure and must attack.

PROJECTILE ARSENAL 5 SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 4 + Special. Attack 5 + Special.
When attacking with this special attack, you may:
• add 2 to the range;
• roll 1 additional attack die; or
• choose all figures adjacent to the targeted figure, other than Mechagodzilla, to be affected.
After attacking with this special attack, Mechagodzilla may attack with it one additional time.

SUPER STRENGTH

[Ronin]

Comic art:

Spoiler Alert!

Mini art:

Spoiler Alert!

[Ronin]

Okay, so this is a weird/ambitious one I've been hoping to get to for a while! Workshopped it a bit and run some informal tests already and I think it works pretty intuitively though.

[Arch-vile]

Mechagodzilla! Definitely an exciting design.

Flying Drag feels like it could have a few autowounds or an attack boost/defense subtraction attached to it, to represent slamming the carried huge figure to the ground.

The VDO side seems kinda barren. Flying Drag is once per round and is just movement, the special attack is once per game, and the other power is a "negative" power (but the other side seems like it'd usually be better if you don't have to move so not really). Though maybe specialized pilots will change that - Amuro is a huge boost to Mechagodzilla's VDO form, for example. Definitely a tricky one to theoryscape!

[Soundwarp SG-1]

I like how it hasn't even been a year yet since mecha designs became practical and we've like already made more of them than any other VDO

Proving once and for all that robots are cooler than random cars.


Just wondering, if the Driver "still occupies Mechagodzilla as if he were a destructible object" would that mean a power on the Driver's card that only cares about being in an object (not specifically a VDO/ Driving a VDO) still work? Not sure we'd ever do something like that, unless we get a Solid Snake specifically for Cardboard Box action , more just a thought experiment.

Also I think you might need to specify that he works as a full cover DO? Since full and partial ones have vastly different mechanics.


Are you planning to do a specific pilot design for this? Gundam pilots are close enough if not I guess

I do agree with Archie a bit that the VDO side is a smidge plain (especially against non-huge figures)

[quozl]

This looks great!

[IAmBatman]

On the calculator, base stats hit 700. A lot of the powers are neutral to negative. The two special attacks and the flying drag are better, but limited enough that they're in the 2-3 range, IMO. Even putting them all as 3's, that puts him at 790 on the calculator.

Not sure if 900 is the goal, but if it is, it seems he could use a bit more juice.

Something I love about the Godzilla design and that makes him top notch, IMO, is he has an answer to everything. He has auto-wounds, crowd control, and the ability to lay the smack down on a single figure as well.

I think adding an unblockable to the flying drag could be a big help, as Archie suggested.

I'm not sure if it works thematically, but I'd really consider swapping the sides that the special attacks appear on. It seems like the Arsenal 5 special attack is the one you'd want to use frequently and that he'll usually be on Side A, so having those line up would be nice. The other special attack only gets one use, which would see at home with the side that you might only be on once or not at all for the whole game.

There's a synchronicity to being able to flip to the rarer side to use the once per game power, and then flip back to the side you're usually going to be on to use the reliable special attack.

[tcglkn]

I’m honestly not sure there’s even room on the card to add an unblockable to Drag. These seem close to maxed out but I can confirm later.

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by quozl

This looks great!

Awesome! Glad our Godzilla pioneer is on board!

Originally Posted by Arch-vile

Mechagodzilla! Definitely an exciting design.

Flying Drag feels like it could have a few autowounds or an attack boost/defense subtraction attached to it, to represent slamming the carried huge figure to the ground.

The VDO side seems kinda barren. Flying Drag is once per round and is just movement, the special attack is once per game, and the other power is a "negative" power (but the other side seems like it'd usually be better if you don't have to move so not really). Though maybe specialized pilots will change that - Amuro is a huge boost to Mechagodzilla's VDO form, for example. Definitely a tricky one to theoryscape!

Yeah I could see putting a little more oomph on the drag. I originally had a Godzilla-style adjacent huge attack boost on the VDO side but ended up dropping it to streamline and differentiate the sides more.

Originally Posted by Soundwarp SG-1

I like how it hasn't even been a year yet since mecha designs became practical and we've like already made more of them than any other VDO

Proving once and for all that robots are cooler than random cars.


Just wondering, if the Driver "still occupies Mechagodzilla as if he were a destructible object" would that mean a power on the Driver's card that only cares about being in an object (not specifically a VDO/ Driving a VDO) still work? Not sure we'd ever do something like that, unless we get a Solid Snake specifically for Cardboard Box action , more just a thought experiment.

Also I think you might need to specify that he works as a full cover DO? Since full and partial ones have vastly different mechanics.


Are you planning to do a specific pilot design for this? Gundam pilots are close enough if not I guess

I do agree with Archie a bit that the VDO side is a smidge plain (especially against non-huge figures)

Yeah, I think anything that keyed off occupying a DO would still work. "Full cover" is a good specification.

No specific pilot design here - I really like the pilot from Kiryu's first movie, but she doesn't pilot him in the second movie and never got adapted into comics. All the comics appearances either have their own original characters piloting Kiryu, or they just don't worry about who's in the driver's seat.

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

On the calculator, base stats hit 700. A lot of the powers are neutral to negative. The two special attacks and the flying drag are better, but limited enough that they're in the 2-3 range, IMO. Even putting them all as 3's, that puts him at 790 on the calculator.

Not sure if 900 is the goal, but if it is, it seems he could use a bit more juice.

He might be a bit short now - in my pre-thread informal testing he was going pretty even with Godzilla at 890. I bumped him up to 900 partly to get him at an even number, mainly so he was less married to Lady Blackhawk.

Since then, I dropped his attack on the VDO side a bit - he originally had 6 Attack with a Godzilla style boost against adjacent jumbo types. I dropped that and made it a little easier for him to get turns in his Event Hero form instead (and upped his base attack to 7).

So he might be a little softer than he originally was during those games.

Something I love about the Godzilla design and that makes him top notch, IMO, is he has an answer to everything. He has auto-wounds, crowd control, and the ability to lay the smack down on a single figure as well.

I think adding an unblockable to the flying drag could be a big help, as Archie suggested.

I'm not sure if it works thematically, but I'd really consider swapping the sides that the special attacks appear on. It seems like the Arsenal 5 special attack is the one you'd want to use frequently and that he'll usually be on Side A, so having those line up would be nice. The other special attack only gets one use, which would see at home with the side that you might only be on once or not at all for the whole game.

There's a synchronicity to being able to flip to the rarer side to use the once per game power, and then flip back to the side you're usually going to be on to use the reliable special attack.

Thematically I really don't love Absolute Zero Cannon on the Hero side. It's more of an anti-Godzilla thing than a Godzilla thing. Also gameplay wise, I think having the once-per-game effect on the side you'll only sometimes use creates a big pressure to use it immediately. It's really strongly associating the cannon with that side of the card in a way that doesn't track for me.

Absolute Zero Cannon is replaceable, though; could work out something different to put on the VDO side.

[Lord Pyre]

Super cool! I love seeing something crazy ambitious here.

Agreed that the VDO is a bit boring, as he's mostly just walking around with 7 attack. My only other concern is that when he flips to crazy mode, he can't move unless there are other huge figures? I know he WANTS to kill big guys, but not able to move at all makes him a bit too niche, in my opinion. A move bonus or something else seems more enjoyable to play, to me, than all or nothing.

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by tcglkn

I’m honestly not sure there’s even room on the card to add an unblockable to Drag. These seem close to maxed out but I can confirm later.

Hmm. Surprised to hear the DO side is pushing it, but I guess not the Hero side so much - it is packing a lot of bullets.

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

Super cool! I love seeing something crazy ambitious here.

Agreed that the VDO is a bit boring, as he's mostly just walking around with 7 attack. My only other concern is that when he flips to crazy mode, he can't move unless there are other huge figures? I know he WANTS to kill big guys, but not able to move at all makes him a bit too niche, in my opinion. A move bonus or something else seems more enjoyable to play, to me, than all or nothing.

Yeah, might be a good idea to ease his movement restrictions - it'd help with text space as well. The way I first had it, the restrictions wasn't as big a deal because the flip-out trigger was at the end of your turn after attacking (so you knew he was in attack range when he flipped out).

Felt like I had to move the timing because it resulted in really lame flip-outs where he just like... changed at the end of turn 3, had no time to do anything, returned to normal at the end of the round.