Mini Mech v1.

3
Mini Mech is a set of house rules designed for simulated combat between companies of tiny
mechs and combat walkers. The goal is to create a fun, fast paced, streamlined set of rules
that will maintain the flavor of mech combat.

Miniatures - Any miniatures can be used. I’m using a variety of minis that stand around
15mm tall that are similarly based.

Written by Sean Conlon. Copyright© 2011.

Playtested by Scott Cramer, Chris Haire, Stephen Lee, Eric Walter,
Jeff Knoke, Bill Starmer, Brad Pflugh, Tony Horus, and Dave Schnur.
 Rules

Units
Light mechs are fast and agile, great for hit-and-run, scouting and ambushing, hard to hit,
but lack the armor and firepower for a steady engagement.
Medium mechs have better armor and weapons than a light mech but cannot move as fast.
Heavy mechs are slow, but have lots of armor and weapons.

Armor Level - This is the amount of armor that has been applied to a mech. It will
determine how much damage can be absorbed from an enemy attack.

Mech Armor Levels

Light Mech Armor 3 damage points absorbed

Medium Mech Armor 5 damage points absorbed

Heavy Mech Armor 7 damage points absorbed

Attack Strength - This is the overall value of a mech’s weapons power.

Mech Weapon Range and Strength

Light Mech Weapons 6 hex range 1 damage point

Medium Mech Weapons 8 hex range 2 damage points

Heavy Mech Weapons 10 hex range 3 damage points

Mech Movement and Speed

The maximum number of hexes a mech can move.
Mech Walk Run Jump

Light Mech 5 hexes 10 hexes 4 hexes

Medium Mech 3 hexes 6 hexes 2 hexes

Heavy Mech 2 hexes 4 hexes none

 Turn Sequence

Initiative phase - determine who moves first.

Action phase - move and/or shoot and/or overwatch.

Player A moves a mech, shoots, if able, then proceeds to the next mech until all mechs have
completed an action. Player B then moves and shoots, etc.

Initiative - Each player rolls a 1d6 at the beginning of the turn. The player with the most
active mechs adds +1 to his roll. The player with the highest result (Player A) moves his light
mechs first. Player B then moves his light mechs. Player A then moves his medium mechs,
followed by Player B, and so on, until both players have finished their mech movement.

Movement - A player can choose to walk, run, jump, overwatch, or do nothing.

Shooting - A player can shoot at any time during their movement, at one target, provided
they are within range and LOS. Begin movement, announce which target you are shooting at,
and resolve damage. Finish movement, if any. Each mech can only shoot once per turn.

Overwatch - A mech in overwatch may interrupt another player’s turn , to shoot once, if an
opponent mech moves within range and LOS.

Action Phase Movement

None - Mech is not moved, can recover from “hot” status. Mechs can still shoot and recover
from “hot” status.

Walk - Mech moves up to its walk distance and can recover from “hot” status if it doesn’t
shoot this turn. Mech cannot move through building squares.

Run - Mech moves up to its run distance, and at least it’s walk distance. Mech becomes “hot”
if it shoots during same turn. Mech cannot move through building squares.

Jump - Mech moves up to its jump distance. Mech becomes “hot” if it shoots during same
turn. Mech CAN move through (over) building squares and occupied hexes.
Jumping onto buildings - Light and medium mechs can jump onto buildings (which have
flat surfaces) by starting their move in a hex adjacent to the building base. Mechs jumping
down from a building must end their movement in a hex adjacent to the same building base.

Overwatch - Mech does not move and gets one reaction shot during an opponent’s next
turn.

Mechs cannot move (walk or run) through or occupy the same hex as a friendly or
enemy mech.

Action Phase Combat

Shooting - Check range and line-of-sight to the target. To shoot, roll 1d6, a result of 5 or 6 is
a successful hit. Subtract the weapon damage from the armor of the target mech. If the
damage goes at or below 0 (zero), the target mech is destroyed.
Mechs on top of buildings can only shoot (or be shot at) at half range, by mechs on the
ground level. If both mechs are on buildings shooting is normal and calculate the range by
using the least number of hexes to the edge of each building base and +1 (hex) for each of
the building bases.

Line-of-sight - LOS is determined by drawing a line from the center of the attacker hex to
the center of the target hex. Buildings block LOS. Any part of a building base blocks LOS. If
LOS follows the edge of a building occupied hex, target gets a +1 cover bonus. Hexes with
mechs will block LOS to other mechs. Mechs cannot shoot through hexes occupied by other
mechs.
(Optional: Shooting past a friendly mech, which occupies a hex on the edge of LOS, add a +1 to
the target for cover. If the die result is a 1, You have hit the friendly by mistake.)

Shooting modifiers
Base attack Roll a 5 or 6 on 1d6

Within half range -1 (ie. 4, 5 or 6)

Target is a light mech +1

Optional: Target has cover +1

Attacker or Target is on a building range is halved

Building-to-Building Shooting - Mechs can shoot at each other with no penalty, if both
mechs are on top of buildings. Calculate range by including 1 (hex) for each building base,
then use a full, adjacent hex to start counting range hexes.
Getting Hot and Overheating
If a mech runs or jumps AND shoots in the same turn, the mech goes from a “normal” or
“cool” state to a “hot” state. At the end of a mech’s action phase, use a token to indicate the
mech is “hot.” On a “hot” mech’s next turn, it can choose to walk OR shoot only and return
back to “normal” or “cool.” If a mech decides to choose an action other than walk or
shoot, the mech overheats and a malfunction check is required.

If a “hot” mech decides to:

● Walk AND shoot
● Run
● Run and shoot, roll on the “Too Hot” table and add +1
● Jump
● Jump and shoot, roll on the “Too Hot” table and add +2

“Overheating”
Walk AND shoot

Run

Jump

Run AND shoot, roll “Too Hot” and add +1 

Jump AND shoot, roll “Too Hot” and add +2 

After movement and/or shooting, roll a d6, and check “Too Hot” table.

“Too Hot” Check

d6 Result

1-4 No Effect

5-6 Malfunction Occurs, roll on Malfunction Table

 Malfunction Table
d6 Result

1 Everything is cool - No Effect

2 Knocked down = stand up at the end of your next turn, no

overwatch

3 Weapons jam = no shooting for one turn

4 Ammo explosion = lose 1 damage points

5 Shut Down = lose 2 damage point, No movement or

shooting, Roll on Power-up Check table at the end of your
next turn.

6 Mech explodes in a fiery ball of death

(1 damage point to any mech within 2 hexes)

“Power-up” Check
d6 Result

1 Remain shut down, roll again at end of next turn

2-6 Power-up and walk (and shoot) only for next turn

When a shutdown occurs, mech is stationary (no movement or shooting) until the player’s
next turn. At the end of the next turn roll 1d6, result: 1 remain shut down for another turn,
2-6 power up and walk (and shoot) only for next turn.
Optional Rules
Direct Contact - mechs can make a running or jumping charge in a last ditch effort to do
damage to a target mech. (Light mechs are still +1 to hit)

Punching or kicking - Adjacent mech can make a physical attack on an opponent mech. Roll
1d6, a result of 5 or 6 is a successful attack. If successful the target takes 1 damage point. No
effect if unsuccessful.

Ramming - Mech makes a straight run move of at least 3 hexes into the target hex. Roll 1d6, a
result of 5 or 6 is a successful ram. If successful the target mech takes 2 damage points.
Attacker takes 1 damage point, if unsuccessful.

Jumping Attack - Mech makes a straight jump move of at least 2 hexes into the target hex.
Roll 1d6, a result of a 5 or 6 is successful. If successful, the target mech takes 2 damage and
rolls on Malfunction table. If unsuccessful, the Attacker takes 2 damage and rolls on
malfunction table.

Drop Attack - Mechs can drop from a building and initiate a jumping attack on a target mech
in an adjacent hex. Roll 1d6, a result of a 5 or 6 is successful. If successful, the target mech
takes 3 damage and rolls on Malfunction table. If unsuccessful, the Attacker takes 2 damage
and rolls on malfunction table.

In all cases, if the attacker is successful, the attacker occupies the target hex and the defender
moves into any empty adjacent hex. If the attacker fails, the attacking model stops in the hex
adjacent to the target, along the attack route. (For a Drop attack failure, attacker moves to
any adjacent empty hex.) A target mech that gets destroyed as a result of damage from direct
contact, moves to an adjacent hex and then is replaced by an explosion marker.

Scenarios

Urban Assault - Players deploy their units on opposite ends of the table and attempt to
eliminate each other.

Defend the Chancellery - One player has to defend the objective, and may deploy anywhere
on the table. Attacking player chooses a table side to deploy.

Sector control - Table sector is determined before the game. Players must control the sector
for 2 full turns to win. Control is defined as opposing forces are not within the sector
boundary.
Capture the flag - Objectives are placed in the deployment zones of each player. Capture the
opponent’s flag and return it to your own flag location. Must have both flags to complete the
objective or first to return the enemy flag to a specified location.

Repair facility - Each side has a repair facility. A damaged mech can be repaired by remaining
on the building base for 1 turn per 1 damage repaired. The facility cannot make repairs if
there is an enemy mech in an adjacent hex. Enemies can destroy a facility be remaining
adjacent for 3 turns. The game is over if a player’s repair facility is destroyed.