By The Intrepid in BRD — 09 Jun 2026

Mobile Suit Skirmish

Definitely Not Licensed by Bandai

CORE CONCEPT

Individual ace pilots matter less than mass production quotas. Teams attempt to complete objectives before strategic weapons consume everyone equally. Logistics and politics are the real enemies.

MOBILE SUIT SYSTEM

Each unit has three attributes rated 0-4.

PILOT: Combat effectiveness (training + weapons + armor + customization)
THRUSTER: Tactical mobility and positioning
NERVE: Psychological resilience under Minovsky particle interference

Unit Examples

Federation Ace (Custom RX-78): PILOT 4, THRUSTER 3, NERVE 4
Zeon Ace (Gelgoog): PILOT 3, THRUSTER 4, NERVE 4
Zeon Regular (Long-range Dom): PILOT 3, THRUSTER 3, NERVE 2
Federation Sniper (Long-range GM): PILOT 3, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 2
Federation Grunt (Mass-produced GM): PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1
Zeon Grunt (Mass-produced Zaku II): PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1
Federation Cannon Fodder (Mass-produced Ball): PILOT 1, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1
Zeon Cannon Fodder (Experimental OGGO): PILOT 1, THRUSTER 1, NERVE 0

CORE MECHANICS

Task Resolution

Roll 2d6 + Attribute + modifiers

Routine tasks: 8+
Difficult tasks: 10+
Desperate attempts: 12+

Special Results

Snake Eyes (2): Narrative complication regardless of modifiers
Boxcars (12): Narrative opportunity with extra effect

Modifiers

Maximum +/-3 total, stress penalties always apply

TURN STRUCTURE

Initiative: 2d6 roll, high team goes first. In the case of a tie, roll again.

Alternating Activation: Teams take turns activating ONE mobile suit at a time.

A team with remaining units must activate a unit if able.
Once all units from one team have been activated, the opposing team continues to activate their remaining units until all units on the battlefield have been activated once for the turn.

Pilot Action: Move or Fight + mandatory NERVE check.

End Phase: External pressure escalation check.

NERVE SYSTEM

Status	Penalty
Operational	None
Stressed	-1 to all rolls
Shaken	-2 to all rolls
Breaking Down	-3 to all rolls
Combat Ineffective	-4 to all rolls

Each failed NERVE check moves down one level. Penalty applies to all rolls, including NERVE.

ENGAGEMENT ZONES

MELEE: Beam sabers, heat hawks, immediate destruction
COMBAT: Standard beam rifle distance
ARTILLERY: Long-range bombardment, mega particle cannons, -1 PILOT rolls

Movement

THRUSTER checks required to change engagement zones.

One zone: Routine (8+)
Two zones: Difficult (10+)
Three zones: Desperate (12+)

Cover and Terrain

Type	Example	Effect
Light	Asteroid or debris field	+1 to defensive PILOT rolls
Heavy	Colony structure	+2 to defensive PILOT rolls, -1 to offensive PILOT rolls
Exposed	Open space	-1 to defensive PILOT rolls, -1 to NERVE checks

Combine Engagement Zones and Cover as appropriate, e.g., Debris field outside a Colony = Light cover at Artillery range

Environmental Conditions and Gear

Minovsky Interference: -1 to all PILOT rollsPsycommu Systems: Negates interference penalty, +1 PILOT for NewtypesHeavy Weapons: +2 FIGHT, -1 MOVE, must spend 1 turn after moving to set upLong-Range: +2 FIGHT while in Artillery range bandDebris Field: -1 to THRUSTER checksSolar Flare: -1 to all rolls, sensors impaired

COMBAT RESOLUTION

Make opposed PILOT Rolls.

Attacker: 2d6 + PILOT + modifiers
Defender: 2d6 + PILOT + modifiers
Higher roll wins, ties favor defender
Winner inflicts damage on loser

Damage System

MELEE Range: Immediate Destruction (beam saber through cockpit)
COMBAT/ARTILLERY Range: Damaged → Destroyed (armor breach → explosion)
Ace Custom Suits: Immediate Destruction on hit (precision targeting)
Damaged: -1 to all rolls, sparking systems, second hit = Destroyed

Suppressive Fire

Target any mobile suit within range

Roll 2d6 + PILOT vs. 8+
Success = target must make immediate NERVE check at -1
Failure = wasted ammunition, reveal position, immediate NERVE check

UNIT KEYWORDS

Mass-Produced

Cheaper to field in numbers
-1 to all rolls vs. Custom or Ace units
Explode dramatically when destroyed

Custom or Ace

Can reroll one failed check per turn
+1 PILOT when engaging Mass-Produced units
Become priority targets (enemies focus fire)

Cannon Fodder

Start at NERVE 0 (immediate stress failures)
Cost half the points of regular units
Perfect for overwhelming tactical positions
Examples: OGGO, Ball, prototype death traps

PILOT BURNOUT RULE

Every failed NERVE check triggers additional roll:

1d6 = 1: "Spacetime rupture" - pilot experiences psychic echo
Effect: Permanent -1 PILOT (trauma accumulation)
Narrative: Sensing enemy pilot's death scream, battlefield psychic pressure
Ace Vulnerability: Even elite pilots eventually break under Newtype phenomena

SALVAGE SYSTEM

Mobile suits in Destroyed state:

Can be recovered with Difficult (10+) PILOT check by ally (salvage attempt)
Unrecovered suits become space debris at end of scenario
Creates rescue vs. mission tension

EXTERNAL PRESSURE

Every scenario includes escalating external threats. Roll 1d6 when triggered:

Side 7 Evacuation: All pilots -1 NERVE, civilian complications
Colony Drop Warning: Random target area, everyone makes THRUSTER check or eliminated
Mass Production Wave: Enemy reinforcements (add GM/Zaku swarm)
Minovsky Interference: Communications down, all PILOT rolls at -1
Strategic Command: New objectives override current mission, coordination chaos
Solar Ray Firing: Random target zone becomes space dust

SQUAD LEADER PERK

Pilots with NERVE 3+ can act as Squadron Leaders. Select a unit at the start of the game.

Once per turn, allow one ally to reroll failed NERVE check
Leader must be within same engagement zone as target
Represents training, experience, calm under fire

IGLOO MODE VARIANT

Roll 2d6 when using Experimental or Prototype units.

2. Critical Failure: Equipment explodes, pilot Destroyed3-4. Malfunction: -2 to all rolls next turn 5-12. Works As Intended: No penalty (Whew!)

RELENTLESS CAMPAIGN MODE

Track damaged pilots across multiple missions
NERVE penalties carry over between scenarios
No clean slate, no fresh start

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Tactical: Complete mission objectives, survive
Strategic: Doesn't matter, war continues regardless
Final: Everyone dies when Operation British succeeds
IGLOO Special: Survive long enough to file the casualty report

SCENARIO: OPERATION FALLING STAR

A doomed evacuation mission in the shadow of Side 7's collapse

Mission Parameters

Scenario: Colony evacuation under fire - Federation forces must hold the line while civilians escape Duration: 4 Turns (Colony crashes at end of Turn 4) Map: Three-zone linear progression

Forces

Federation

GM Ace Leader: PILOT 4, THRUSTER 3, NERVE 4 (Squad Leader, Ace)
GM Sniper (Long-range): PILOT 3, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 2
Grunt GM 1: PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1
Grunt GM 2: PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1

Zeon

Zaku II Ace Leader: PILOT 4, THRUSTER 3, NERVE 4 (Squad Leader, Ace)
Dom (Long-range): PILOT 3, THRUSTER 3, NERVE 2
Grunt Zaku 1: PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1
Grunt Zaku 2: PILOT 2, THRUSTER 2, NERVE 1

Engagement Zones

Debris Field (ARTILLERY): Long-range sniping position, -1 THRUSTER checks
Colony Exterior (COMBAT): Standard beam rifle range
Colony Core (MELEE): Close quarters, immediate destruction

AFTERWORD

These rules were developed alongside the essay “Gundam as Military Child Labor Horror” to reclaim Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original anti-war vision from forty years of merchandising and misreading. Every mechanic—from the guaranteed NERVE failures of Cannon Fodder units to the relentless External Pressure table—serves one purpose: forcing players to experience war as psychological horror, not power fantasy.

The NERVE system doesn’t just track performance under pressure; it embodies Tomino’s warning that combat breaks everyone it touches, no matter their skill or valor. When your ace pilot survives the battle but ends up Shaken, saddled with permanent trauma penalties—that’s not a bug. That’s the point.

This game refuses to let you forget the human cost. Gunpla culture might celebrate beautiful war machines stripped of their narrative gravity, but Mobile Suit Skirmish ensures every roll is a quiet eulogy. These “cool” mobile suits? They're coffins with beam sabers.

Strategic weapons interrupt your hard-won tactics because individual heroics are always temporary footnotes in industrial-scale carnage. If you find yourself rooting for your pilots, good—that makes their inevitable breakdown more devastating.

Tomino didn’t want pilots.He wanted witnesses.These rules are designed to make you both.

"You are not the protagonist. You are a datapoint."
"Individual heroics are temporary. One Year Wars are permanent."

Totally original mecha combat system, Bandai. Nothing to see here.