Human-Scale Combat Update

Hey folks,

Last night’s session was an absolute blast. We played the Session Three aftermath of our starting playtest campaign, and the group had plenty to roleplay about after all the death and explosions in the company compound. We had intrigue, tension, lies, and tears—and then I got to roll out the “Frame vs. Pilot” presentation I’d been saving to really make them feel small.

In the process, we learned a few things:

• A railgun slug, fired by a 15-meter-tall A.E.G.I.S. inside a hangar, can hit speeds near Mach 9 and leave the whole place with bleeding ears.

• Our soul-backlashed pilot may have saved the day… even if he pulled the trigger while his radio was carrying his companion’s plea: “Don’t kill him—we want to interrogate this bastard.”

• I was spared the joy of having to explain to them that a five-foot-wide shredder drill, even if attached to a damaged exosuit, would still do severe damage to a human body.

Coming out of that, today’s update to the core rules focuses on Human-Scale Combat. We’ve added:

• A new rule for damage coming from Frame-sized units against human targets. Nothing too heavy—just the tools you need to do the math and reflect the danger.

• A new death-move option tied specifically to this scenario, giving pilots one last (costly) chance to survive when the odds should be fatal.

Remember—without your feedback, I’m doing all the playtesting heavy lifting myself. Your input (or lack of it) shapes where we go next.

Enjoy!!