8.1 Weapon Size

As with structures and everything else of real importance, Weapons are classified according to their Size in inches (7.1: Structure). At a Weapon Size (WSize) of one inch or less, a weapon is equivalent to what you might find in the hands of a minifig. As the Size increases, so do a weapon's stats — every statistic is listed relative to the number of inches of Weapon Size (or, for an Explosive, the number of construction components in its Explosive Size).

Weapons and Devices
Item	Use	Range	Damage or Effect	Notes
A weapon's stats are based on its Weapon Size, measured in inches.
Close Combat Weapons
Melee Weapon	+1	CC	×
Melee Shield	×2		×Deflec­tion on Parry	Parry or Shove only can provide cover
Ranged Weapons
Gun	+2	×4"+2"	×
Machine­Gun		×3"+2"		may require reload
Blast­Gun	+1	×2"+2"	(×) - (dis­tance)	1 Firing Arc no Auto Penalty
Flame­Thrower			× Fire	mini­mum 1 Firing Arc
Explosive Weapons
An Explosive's stats are based on its Explosive Size, measured in construction components.
Explo­sive	*		× Exp	* ranged stats of Laun­cher or Cannon, if any
Rocket	×2	×6"
Cannon	+3	×4"	(deter­mined by Ammo)	each shot requires reload max Ammo of
Laun­cher	×2	×6"	(deter­mined by Pay­load)	max Pay­load of ½ max Pay­load of

Weapon Size Example: The Ripper Blade

Elements shown: LEGO own photo Example: Cobbling together war machines to defend their swamp and kin, Bayounix take standard weapons and (BAM!) kick them up a notch. Thanks to a discarded hacksaw and a wildly incorrect glasses prescription, a Bayounik man is inspired to forge a vicious Ripper Blade. After selecting and measuring the appropriate Bayounikal element for the blade, the Human player may choose to make it anywhere from a Weapon Size 3" to a Weapon Size 5" Melee Weapon, according to how they fudge the measurement. 4" 5 4d✶ Splitting the difference, the player arbitrarily picks a Weapon Size of 4". Where a standard Hand Weapon has stats of Use:2 Damage:1, the Size 4" Melee Weapon now has stats four times more Ossum. It has a Use rating of 5 (Weapon Size +1) and does 4 Damage (Weapon Size × Action dice).

Explosive Size

Explosives are measured on a smaller grain than other types of weapons. Explosive Size (XSize) is measured by the number of bricks (or roughly brick-sized elements) used to construct an individual Explosive, rather than by inches. This exception is made so that Explosives can be small enough to throw as hand grenades, or to load into Launchers or Cannons of matching Weapon Size.

If an Explosive is launched from a creation directly (for instance as a dropped bomb or a fired missile), the points of Explosive Size count against the creation's Power limit as if they were inches of Weapon Size. If the Explosive is launched from a Launcher or Cannon, the Weapon Size of the Launcher or Cannon is counted against the creation's Power limit instead.

KnockBack

All targets affected by an Explosion receive an inch of KnockBack for every die of Explosion Damage they receive.

Non-Explosive weapons can also cause KnockBack if they strike targets smaller than themselves. A target is Knocked Back one inch for every inch of difference between the Weapon Size and the target's Effective Size, with the usual potential for being Disrupted as a result.

Bastard Weapons

It's a coin toss whether he'll hit you with the ShotGun or the chainblade first. General William Two-Face Tecumseh Sherman likes things up close and personal - face to face to face.

Photo: Silent-Sigfig
From "Operation: HEAVY METAL"
Elements shown: LEGO

informal rights: Silent-Sigfig, 5/30/20

For minifigs, Weapon Size 1" is treated as a Short (S) weapon, while Weapon Size 2" is treated as a Long (L) weapon. Medium (M) weapons fall somewhere in-between. These hand-and-a-half Bastard weapons give minifigs some needed tactical variety in the Core Rules, and the new gun types introduced in this chapter also have minifig Bastard versions.

Minifig Bastard Guns
Weapon	Use	Range	Damage	Notes
Long-Ranged Weapon (M) Bastard Gun	3	10"	+1
Auto­Gun (M) Bastard Machine­Gun		8"		may require reload
Shot­Gun (M) Bastard Blast­Gun		6"	+1 - (dist­ance)	1 Firing Arc, no Auto Penalty 1" Knock­Back to mini­figs or smaller (no Dis­ruption)
Flame­Gun (M) Bastard Flame­Thrower	2	5"	+1 Fire	mini­mum 1 Firing Arc
Bazooka (M) Bastard Cannon	4	6"	(deter­mined by Ammo)	max Ammo XSize of 1 each shot re­quires reload
Rail­Gun (M) Bastard Laun­cher		8"	(deter­mined by Pay­load)	max Pay­load Size of 1" max Pay­load XSize of 2

All Bastard Guns are two-handed for minifigs.

Hand-Held Weapons

A weapon carried in a creation's hands (or equivalent grabbers) has the same weapon stats as one mounted directly to the creation itself. A combat mech's two-inch antimatter hatchet, four-inch chainsaw, and three-inch wolverine launcher have the same Use, Range, and Damage ratings whether they're hard-welded to shoulder and elbow mounts or if the mech is using them in a juggling act.

While the stats stay the same, a large creation's hand-held weapons are subject to the same kinds of one- and two-hand limitations as a minifig's (Chapter Three: Minifig Weapons). A weapon up to the creation's Size is Short (S) for that creation. A weapon up to one-and-a-half times the creation's Size is a Bastard weapon (M), and up to twice the creation's Size is Long (L).

The sun-worshipping Chosen of Solek dominate the jungle thanks in part to their giant lizardman. For a beastman of his massive Size, his giant axes are treated as a pair of Hand Weapons.

Photo: Zahru II
From "Encyclopedia Medivo, Volume 3"
Elements shown: LEGO

remove

Large Hand-Held Weapon Equivalents
Weapon Category	Short (S) 1 × Creation Size"		Bastard (M) 1.5 × Creation Size"		Long (L) 2 × Creation Size"
Close Combat Weapon		wield like a Hand Weapon	/	wield like a Heavy Weapon may be paired with Melee Shield		wield like a Two-Handed Weapon cannot throw weapon
Ranged Weapon	/	wield like a Short-Ranged Weapon		wield like a Long-Ranged Weapon	Not Allowed

Large Hand-Held Weapon Equivalents
Weapon Category	Short (S) 1 × Creation Size"	Bastard (M) 1.5 × Creation Size"	Long (L) 2 × Creation Size"
Close Combat Weapon	use like a Hand Weapon	/ use like a Heavy Weapon may be paired with Melee Shield	use like a Two-Handed Weapon cannot throw weapon
Ranged Weapon	/ use like a Short-Ranged Weapon	use like a Long-Ranged Weapon	Not Allowed

Large Hand-Held Weapons Example: The Archohellenic Automaton

Photo: Dienekes22 From "Dienekes Medivo Factions" Elements shown: LEGO image rights: Dienekes22, signed 7/28 Uploaded, final Example: The Automatons are Haephaestus' gift to the Archohellenium to aid them in their many wars. Twice the height of a minifig soldier, these giant war machines are armed with giant spears, swords, and shields to match. The Automaton is a mechanikal creature with Size 2". Its sword and shield are a 3" Melee Weapon and Melee Shield. The 3" Weapon Sizes are one and a half times the Automaton's 2" creation Size, making them each Bastard sized (M). The Automaton wields them as a Heavy Weapon and Heavy Shield with Weapon Size 3" stats. 3" 4 3d✶ Giant Sword 3" 6 3× Deflection Giant Shield If a larger 3" creature picked up the Automaton's sword and shield, the weapons would keep the same stats, but would be wielded as a Hand Weapon and Light Shield thanks to their new bearer's larger Size.

Power Limits

As a reward for BFenix's hard-fought victory over a Hellion Juggerbunny, the Keepers of Hellius sealed the Juggerbunny's soul within a powerful speaker amp. A single power chord from the Thermion PA has the power to crack the ground and shatter the skulls of anyone foolish or hardcore enough to be standing in its Blast Arc.

Photo: BFenix
From "Metal Warriors - Thermion PA"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: BFenix,
signed 1/14/21

Power Enhancements
Attribute	Base	Enhancements
Power	2×	3× 4×
		-: Half Power

Power Enhancements
Base	Enhancements
2×	3× 4×
	-: Half Power

The weapons and devices a creation can operate during a turn are limited by Weapon Size. A basic creation has Power inches equal to twice its Effective Size. The creation can be loaded with as many extra weapons as its player is willing to build, but on any single turn it can only activate and use as many Weapon Size inches' worth of weapons and devices as its available Power inches.

Each Size Enhancement to Power adds the creation's Effective Size again, raising its Power inches from the default two times to three times and then the maximum of four times its Effective Size.

A Power Impairment reduces a creation to Half Power. The creation's Power Inches can't exceed its Effective Size, and it can't Divert All Power to get more. A creation must be at least Size 1" to take a Power Impairment.

By default, Size Enhancements for Flight are paired with a Half Power Impairment. Flying creations have Power inches limited to their own Effective Size (although in some cases they may return to the regular Power level of twice their Effective Size while on the ground).

For minifig Specialties, a Power Impairment often takes the form of a Tool requirement. Forcing a minifig to use a Tool uses up one of his two Hands, effectively reducing him to Half Power.

Power Limit Example: Scorpiosaurus Rex

Elements shown: LEGO own photo Uploaded, final Example: With ratings slipping against sleeker, sexier velociraptor upstarts, Scorpiosaurus Rex is trying to regain popularity with a bionik makeover. He adds decorative steel plating to his one-inch Claw Blades, and upgrades his scorpion tail to a five-inch BioStinger. 1" 2 1d✶ Claw Blades (×2) 5" 6 5d✶ BioStinger The Scorpiosaurus Rex is a Size 3" creature, giving him the Power to activate 6" of weapons in a turn. He can either attack with the 5" stinger and one 1" claw (5"+1"=6"), or with his two 1" claws (1"+1"=2") in a turn. He can't normally attack with all three in the same turn, because their sizes added together (5"+1"+1"=7") is greater than his Power limit of 6". If Scorpiosaurus Rex takes an inch of Size Damage, his Effective Size will be reduced to 2", bringing his Power limit to only 4" per turn. Because the stinger is larger than this limit by itself, he no longer has the strength to use it (unless he Diverts All Power), and is limited to using his two claws only on any normal turn.

Gathering Power

The MAOX's experimental siege mech "Nimrod" suffered from unresolvable balance issues, thanks to its epic Size 7" über-minigun.

Photo: BFenix
From "MAOX "Nimrod" HWM7"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: BFenix,
signed 1/14/21

A single weapon can be too big for its creation to activate at all, either because the creation's Effective Size has been reduced by Size Damage (7.2: Taking Damage) or because the player who originally built the weapon was too busy being awesome to care about Power limits.

The first option for firing a weapon that's too big is to Divert All Power. As a full-turn Action (4.2: Action), a creation can "save up" its Power over multiple turns. The creation can't move, activate any weapons or devices, or take any other Action on a turn on which it's Diverting All Power (other than as part of its powering-up sequence - it would be completely appropriate for a Freud-Class Siege Tank to plant hydraulic support stabilizers and elevate the extending cannon into artillery mode, for example). On the following turn, the creation may immediately add the extra Power it saved from the previous turn (or turns) to its regular Power supply in order to meet the Power requirement of a single weapon or device activation. Afterwards, the creation returns to its regular Power limit.

The second means of employing a too big weapon is to bring a team of friends to help out. This is most often seen when a group of minifigs use teamwork to manually operate a weapon too big for any of them individually, like swinging a battering ram, throwing a boulder, or winding the crank on a catapult.

Creations using teamwork add their Effective Sizes together for the purpose of satisfying a weapon's Power requirement. If an Action Roll or throwing Range is required, the unit with the smallest Action Die makes the roll, and the lowest-Ranged unit determines the Range.

For weapons that are so too big that neither technique is enough by itself, units can Divert All Power and use teamwork at the same time. In either case, the participating creations should be able to provide the appropriate type of Power. A medieval knight can't use muscle strength to help power a lightning cannon, any more than hooking that knight up to a car battery would help him swing a bigger sword (although the latter example is really worth testing just to be sure).

8.2 Basic Weapons

Close Combat Weapons

Melee Weapon:

Use:+1

Range:CC

Damage:×

Melee Shield:

Use:×2

Range:CC

Effect:× Deflection on Parry;

2" KnockBack on Shove

(see 5.2: Close Combat)

Representing the height of weeaboo technology, the Oni is the heaviest armored suit in the Nipponian arsenal. The suit packs dual flamers, the MechSlayer cannon, and a heatbeam eye, but its greatest weapon is the giant OT-powered Warsword.

Photo: Zahru II
From "Nipponian Battle Armor"
Elements shown: LEGO

remove

Though the Jotunn have fallen, a new hope rises. The Last Son of Krypto demonstrates that Heroic Weapons can be scaled up to larger sizes too.

Photo: Zahru II
From "CCBS and Bonkle MOCs General"
Elements shown: LEGO

remove

The functions of Close Combat weapons are easy to scale upwards with Size. Giant swords and the like are just like their minifig versions with larger numbers attached.

A creation with a Close Combat weapon uses it to whack at targets the same way a minifig does. However, creations are not always able to participate as fully in the back-and-forth attacks of formal Close Combat. There are specific conditions under which a creation's Close Combat abilities are limited.

• Mindless: Independent creatures, creatures operated by Riders, and vehicles operated by Pilots are able to Parry and Counterattack if appropriate. Creatures and vehicles operated by anyone else don't have the necessary reflexes.
• Too Large: A large combatant has difficulty reacting to opponents half its Size or smaller. It can't Parry Close Combat maneuvers from its smaller foes, and its Shoves and Grabs against them aren't Automatic Hits. Shoves and Grabs against small targets have a Use rating equal to the size of the creation doing the Shoving or Grabbing.

• Too Small: Combatants can only Shove targets their own Size or smaller. In order to Shove targets larger than themselves, they have to use teamwork, adding their Sizes together in a combined Shove.

  Shoves from larger creations are Parried with a -2 Action Penalty for every inch of Size difference.

• Unmoving: Creations without some kind of obvious leaping ability can't use an Angry Inch when maneuvering in Close Combat.

Parrying

The Use ratings of Melee Weapons go up slowly as their Weapon Size increases. Melee Shields become unwieldy much more quickly, but the benefits can be great. A successful Parry with a Melee Shield adds layers of Deflection equal to the Shield's Weapon Size, potentially negating multiple dice of Damage all at once and rendering many attacks meaningless.

When Parrying a large weapon, the Parrying minifig or unit can benefit from the standard Action Bonus for a large target Size, receiving +1 for every 2" in the Size of the weapon or object being Parried (5.1: Making Attacks).

As with minifig weapons, a creations' hand-held weapons can be knocked away on a critically failed Parry or when Something Bad happens. The Parrying weapon or object is knocked out of the defender's hands and directly away from the attacker for a number of inches equal to the attacker's Action Roll.

Ranged Weapons

Gun:

Use:+2

Range:(×4)+2"

Damage:×

(see 5.3: Ranged Combat)

RoC77's 45th Union knows how to deploy their firepower where it'll do the most good. Jeep-mounted gunners are positioned to outmaneuver and strike at lightly-armored Vol forces, while the tanks take the opposite flank to face the heavier vehicles and emplacements of the Assyrian Star Empire.

Photo: Natalya
From "The Peach Massacre of G.R. 2,010"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Natalya
signed 4/20

no contact from RoC77

To make a Ranged attack, a creation must be able to point its weapon at its target. Both the firing angle and the weapon Range are measured from the end of the weapon barrel.

Players can mount a creation's weapons onto any type of turret, hinge, or arm to cover a wider firing arc. This has no extra cost, but remember that hinges, joints, and other moving attachment points are weak points Armored at one lower than the rest of the creation (7.1: Structure).

8.3 Automatic Weapons

Automatic weapons are a special kind of Ranged Weapon that can be fired in a Firing Arc, spraying a whole area with projectiles, or in a Burst, spraying a whole area's worth of projectiles at a single target. Larger Firing Arcs and Bursts have the potential to do much more damage, but quickly become much less accurate due to a cumulative Action Penalty known as the  Auto Penalty.

Firing Arcs

Rather than mess around with clunky protractors and drafting tools, BrikWars measures angles the old-fashioned way: using a Humans' fingers. To measure angles of Firing Arc, a player holds their hand out with palm flat to the table and fingers outstretched, with knuckles placed roughly over the attacking end of the weapon being fired. As long as the fingers are evenly spaced, players can measure Arc between whichever set of fingers they find most convenient.

Each space between fingers is one point of Arc.

There will be some variation between the fingers of different Humans. As with everything else in BrikWars, the players who are most flexible will have the advantage.

Arc Fire

When weapon fire sweeps over an area because of either continuous fire (in the case of MachineGuns and FlameThrowers) or blast spread (in the case of BlastGuns), it's handled as an arc fire attack.

Every target within the attacker's Firing Arc receives a single attack from the weapon, and Missed Shots are ignored. Larger targets suffer an extra attack for each point of the Firing Arc they span completely.

Because damage from arc fire comes from filling an area with a field of projectiles, modifiers for cover and target size not only affect the Action Roll for the attack, but also the damage inflicted to each target. Large and small targets within the cone of fire catch larger or smaller portions of the damage flying through the air. (For the purpose of determining the bonus for a large target, only consider the portion of the target within the Firing Arc.)

MachineGuns and FlameThrowers firing in an arc take an Attack Penalty known as an Auto Penalty. As the damage is spread over a larger Firing Arc, there is less chance that any individual shot will hit its target. For each point of Firing Arc in the attack, the attacker receives a cumulative -1 Action penalty.

BlastGuns have a fixed Firing Arc of 1 and take no Auto Penalty from their Firing Arc.

Unlike other Ranged attacks, Missed Shots in arc fire are not tracked (5.3: Ranged Combat). Action Rolls for Arc Fire aren't tracking individual shots, but rather whether or not any out of the whole group of shots happened to be fired in that specific direction, and so a Missed Shot in an Arc Fire attack means there was no projectile there in the first place.

BlastGuns

BlastGun:

Use:+1

Range:(×2)+2"

Damage:×-distance

Notes: 1 Firing Arc;

no Auto Penalty

This swordsman uses spicy hummus and irritable bowel syndrome to create an impromptu Blast attack.

Photo: Tzan
From "Tribal Undead"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Tzan
signed 12/9

Uploaded, final

BlastGuns are the simplest of the automatic weapons, and are only automatic in the sense that they fire a large number of shots in a single blast. Buckshot, grapeshot, and flechette rounds are the most common examples, but blast effects can also be seen in weapons like sonic cannons, chaff launchers, and exploding alien seed pods.

A BlastGun fires with a fixed Firing Arc of 1, and though its blast is powerful at short range, the shots disperse and do less damage to targets further away. For every full inch between the target and the end of the BlastGun barrel, the Damage to that target is reduced by one, to the point that more distant victims might not take any Damage at all.

BlastGun Example: ShotGun Wedding

Elements shown: LEGO own photo Uploaded, final Example: Old Man Grundy has had enough of Wooyang constantly impregnating his daughters! He's tracked down the notorious rake and hauled him in for an old-fashioned ShotGun quadruple wedding. Grundy's itchy trigger finger and poor grades in geometry mean that Wooyang had better follow through; if the old man senses any hesitation he's likely to forget that his daughters and grandchildren (and the parson) are also in the Firing Arc. Using spread fingers to check the ShotGun's automatic Firing Arc of 1, it seems that red-headed Chastity and her baby will be outside the edge of the blast zone if the ShotGun goes off, but everyone else has positioned themselves much less wisely. Constance and her baby are within the first inch of range. Constance stands to take a full 1+1 Damage, while her baby takes 1 (-1 Damage due to small target size). Wooyang is an inch away, dropping the Damage to a still-deadly 1. Virginia and her twins are two inches away, reducing her potential Damage further to 1-1. Between Constance's baby and the baby in her own left hand, Virginia has 1/3 cover from babies, reducing her risk by another -1 to 1-2. The baby in her left hand is fully exposed, but is also at -1 to Damage due to small Target Size. The baby in her right hand is safely shielded from the ShotGun behind Wooyang's sharply-dressed frame. Purity and her baby are three inches away (for 1-2 potential Damage), and almost completely shielded behind Wooyang. With only tiny portions showing, they are each at -2 to Damage, for a relatively low total of 1-4 apiece. The parson is four inches away (for 1-3 Damage) and is fully exposed, unless the players decide that his giant BrikThulhian Bible is substantial enough to count as partial cover. (It isn't.) With so much potential mayhem only a trigger-pull away, will Wooyang be able to resist giving Grundy the finger?

MachineGuns and Reloading

MachineGun:

Use:+2

Range:(×3)+2"

Damage:×

Notes: may require reload

A squad of Noxarian Infantry uses machine gun turrets to calm an agitated civilian.

Photo: BrickSyd
From "Mounted Machine Gun and Building!"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: BrickSyd
signed 12/9

Uploaded, final

MachineGuns are the most versatile of automatic weapons, allowing for arc fire, single-shot Ranged attacks, or multi-shot bursts, depending on the needs of the situation.

When a MachineGun is used for arc fire, the player chooses the size of the arc they are going to attempt (setting the overall Auto Penalty), and, starting from one end and moving to the other, rolls a separate Action Roll for each target in order.

A MachineGun can also be fired in a  burst, firing multiple shots at a single target. The player chooses the number of shots they are going to attempt, and this determines the overall Auto Penalty: a cumulative -1 for each intended shot in the burst.

While automatic fire is good for increasing a MachineGun's damage output, it also has a tendency to burn through its ammunition (or to jam, overheat, or lock up in some other way, if ammo isn't an issue). The more automatic fire a MachineGun uses, the higher the chances of hitting one of these mechanical limits. For every shot fired in an arc fire or burst attack with a MachineGun, if the number on the Action Roll (before applying bonuses or penalties) is less than the Auto Penalty for that shot, the MachineGun fires that last round and then becomes inoperative. The weapon can still be moved around as normal and used as makeshift club, but it can no longer be fired until it's reloaded.

Fortunately, reloading is easy - regardless of the Weapon Size, any minifig operating the weapon (whether directly or from a pilot or gunner's seat) can reload it with a single Action, making it ready to use again on the following turn. MachineGuns never suffer from a lack of spare ammunition; additional reloads are always mysteriously available, and minifigs know better than to ask questions about where they come from.

FlameThrowers

FlameThrower:

Use:+1

Range:(×2)+2"

Damage:× Fire

There's no way Firetail the Dragon is letting these Skylink Commandos come between him and the last soft pretzel on planet Azure.

Photo: Sir Sporktimus
From "The Fifth Great Azurian Pretzel War - Turn One"
Elements shown: LEGO

rights not secured

Warhead tests out his Heavy Flamer in preparation for ground action.

Photo: Natalya
From "ASE Hangar, Warhead, Terror Khan, IE"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Natalya
signed 4/20

Uploaded, final

FlameThrowers and other fire-based attacks measure their Damage Ratings in s rather than es, to represent the special nature of Fire damage. The dependence on s makes them relatively weak for direct damage output, but this shortcoming is made up for by their advantages in the field of setting objects on Fire.

If players choose to include Fire in their battle, they should make sure to have several s close at hand for Fire damage rolls, a handful of markers to indicate active Fires (flame pieces are best, but red and yellow bricks or pips will work in a pinch). If they're really dedicated, they can also supply loose black and gray bits to scatter over already-burned areas.

FlameThrowers are not the most precise or elegant weapons, and must always use a Firing Arc of at least 1. Like other area attacks, target size modifiers affect a FlameThrower attack's damage as well as the accuracy of the Action Roll.

Catching On Fire

Whenever a target takes Fire damage, there's a chance that it will catch on fire.

On larger creations, fires can become independent creations in their own right, turning into Field Hazards that blaze out of control (F.1: Hazard Dice). On minifigs, fires are much simpler: any minifig who takes at least one point of Fire damage is on fire. (A Critical Failure on a Fire Damage Roll, or Fire damage that's reduced to zero by damage penalties, has no effect.)

For minifigs, being on fire is unusually distracting. For as long as a minifig continues to burn, he takes a -1 penalty to Action Rolls and Armor, and is limited to using one of his two Hands at most.

A minifig can put out his flames by being doused in water or spending an Action to stop, drop and roll around on the ground and Disrupt himself. Otherwise, if he's still burning at the end of his turn and has unused inches of Move remaining, he must use up every last inch by running and thrashing around hysterically, making that funny sound burning people make when they're trying to hyperventilate and scream at the same time.

If a minifig is still on fire at the beginning of his turn, he makes a Burning Roll on 1. On a 1, the fire goes out, and the minifig can go on with his life. On any other roll, the fire continues burning. The minifig takes one point of Grinding Damage (7.2: Taking Damage), rendering one limb useless of the minifig's choice as if it were Amputated (10.2: The Medik), and the fire spreads to any one flammable object with a Weight class of 1 or below that the minifig is in direct contact with, potentially including other minifigs.

8.4 Heavy Explosives

own illustration

Uploaded, final

Explosions are the most exciting events in a minifig's life, and the options for delivering them are bountiful. Explosive weapons can be dropped like bombs, thrown like grenades, fired as Ammo from Cannons, launched as Payloads from Launchers, fired off as Rockets, or strapped onto the fronts of speeding vehicles, creatures, or minifigs for crashing into each other.

Unlike other weapons, an Explosive or Rocket is measured by its number of construction elements rather than inches of Weapon Size. This number is its Explosive Size (XSize), and is particularly important for determining its number of Explosive Damage dice.

Explosive damage is based around the intimidating . Players who expect to cause a lot of Explosions should make sure to bring a sufficient supply of s.

When an Explosive or Rocket is dropped, thrown, or fired directly by a creation, the amount of Power it takes to properly activate the weapon is equal to the Explosive Size. When Explosives and Rockets are fired from Cannons or launched from Launchers, the Power requirement of the Cannon or Launcher is used instead.

Trajectories

Where most Ranged Weapons fire some variation of deadly "pew pew" sounds, flying Explosives are physical objects and are treated as such. Launchers and Cannons can fire projectiles in parabolic arcs rather than straight lines, and some Rockets can curve their flight path to track targets.

Explosive weapons can be fired over the tops of obstacles to strike targets behind them, and will often strike targets from above or at an angle rather than along the attacker's line of sight. To fire over the tops of obstacles, the attacker can aim at any spot directly above the target. On a successful Action Roll, the Payload hits that spot and then travels straight downward (downward inches of Movement or Range are always free).

On an unsuccessful Action Roll, a Missed Shot with an Explosive has to come down somewhere, unlike regular Missed Shots which can fly off harmlessly into the sky and be ignored (5.3: Ranged Combat). This is particularly important for Launchers, whose high Use ratings make them notoriously inaccurate.

Explosives and other launched physical objects have a maximum speed of 12" per turn. When a projectile is launched further than this distance (e.g., a long-distance Rocket, or a bomb from a large Launcher or Cannon), it can take a turn or more to arrive at its destination, giving potential targets a chance to scatter.

Whenever a physical projectile is fired at a target more than twelve inches away, the attacking player doesn't immediately make the Action Roll. Instead, they place a marker at the intended target location (an "X" built from red bricks is traditional), and launch the projectile into the air, moving it 12" towards the target, and 12" again at the beginning of each of their turns. It's only when the projectile reaches its destination point that the player makes the Action Roll to find out whether it hit the target, or how badly it missed.

Premature Detonation

As the Brootal forces lay siege to the Immortal-occupied Conselia City, the massive Broozer fires its main cannon. The defensive fortifications are more than twelve inches away; the artillery shell will take an extra turn to arrive.

The Terrorkhan on the Death Wall aren't content to wait for delivery. They shoot the artillery shell out of the sky, avoiding the worst of the damage but still getting caught in the Explosion radius.

Photo: Kenny "Kommander Ken" Bush
From "IMMORTAL BROOTALITY"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Kommander Ken
signed 7/23

Uploaded, final

For all the hilarity that Explosive weapons bring when dropped into enemy ranks, they're even funnier when a minifig falls victim to his own ordnance's premature detonation.

Improvised and low-tech Explosive weapons are unstable. A single point of damage is enough to set off gunpowder kegs, dynamite sticks, fireworks, angry parents, and those red fuel barrels responsibly left lying around everywhere by the inhabitants of first-person shooters.

Any time an unstable Explosive weapon takes damage, it immediately goes off, doing its full Explosive damage wherever it happens to be.

Higher-tech Explosive weapons are more difficult to set off accidentally. Grenades, plastic explosives, nuclear warheads, and internal combustion engines depend on specific priming mechanisms to trigger their Explosions. Fortunately, minifig safety precautions are half-hearted at best, and semi-stable Explosives can be detonated just as prematurely with a little more damage.

Any time a semi-stable Explosive takes more points of damage than its Explosive Size (XSize), it's activated, and will go off at the end of the current player's turn. Minifigs are free to use response Actions to try to quickly dispose of the weapon or to encourage a nearby friend or well-wisher to jump on it and save them.

Semi-stable Explosives are treated as unstable once they're activated. Armed missiles in flight, proximity mines, and falling bombs can be hit and detonated prematurely by fast-thinking shooters or slow-thinking melee combatants.

Critical Failures

If a unit attempts to use an Explosive but fails the Action Roll, the defending player treats it as a Missed Shot as usual, choosing any Koincidentally unlucky location within the appropriate distance for the shot to land.

If either the Action Roll or the Damage Roll is a Critical Failure, the defender has the additional option of declaring the Explosive a dud. A dud Explosive doesn't explode on impact, but remains armed and extremely unstable, even if it was a semi-stable type of Explosive before being fired or thrown. Minifigs can use an Action to move the dud carefully at Half Speed; otherwise, any damage or attempt to move the dud will set it off.

Heavy Explosions

Explosive:

Damage:× Exp

Notes: Use and Range determined by Launcher

Rocket:

Use:×2

Range:×6"

Damage:× Exp

There's no safer defense against the threat of interplanetary peace negotiations than blowing them up in a massive explosion.

Photo: MadMario
From "The Pristine Commonwealth"
Elements shown: LEGO

When a minifig's grenade goes off, it creates a blast of Explosive damage (Exp) that affects all objects within two inches. With larger Explosions, this radius is multiplied, doing the heaviest damage at the center and diminishing over distance.

When an Explosion occurs, the player rolls the number of s in the weapon's Damage rating, and leaves the dice on the table. All exposed objects within a two-inch radius of the Explosion blast center take this much damage, and any loose objects in this radius (including objects which only became loose after being destroyed by the Explosion) are Knocked Back one inch for every in the Damage Roll (including Over the Top s).

For a single- Explosion, this is all that's required. For Explosions with multiple s, after handling damage for all the objects within the first two inches, the player removes the highest in the roll (including any Bonus Dice it may have earned), and counts the new total result on the dice that remain. All objects within the next two inches of radius take this new result in damage, and loose objects are Knocked Back a number of inches equal to the number of dice remaining.

The player continues removing the highest remaining for every two inches and distributing damage and KnockBack accordingly, until no s remain in the Damage Roll.

Complex Explosions might have multiple damage types, but only the Explosive damage dice add to the Explosion radius. A firebomb Explosion with a Damage rating of 2 Exp +1 Fire +1 will do 2 +1+1 damage for the first two inches, 1 +1+1 for the next two inches, and none after that.

Damage and KnockBack from more than one Explosion can stack, but the sizes of their radii do not. A hundred 2 Explosions in the same spot cause 200 worth of Damage in the first two inches, 100 in the next two, and none after that. They don't combine into a single massive explosion with a four hundred inch radius.

Explosion Example: Wall Demolition

Elements shown: LEGO own photo; support with diagram? Example: The Imperial Ministry of Truth uses spare border walls to test missiles and improve the believability of their faked terrorist news stories. By popular acclaim, Privates Templeton and Boyle have been involuntarily volunteered to man the demonstration guard towers. Once in position, the Ministry fires a Size 3" Rocket at the wall, striking two inches underneath Private Boyle's tower in a 3 Explosion. 3 6 7 Damage The missile rolls a 3, 6, and 7, for a total of 16 points of damage within the first two inches. Removing the highest roll (the 7), the total is 9 damage in the next two inches after that, and (removing the 6) 3 damage in the outermost two inches. 4 2 9 Armor The wall has 3 Armor, rolling a 15. This is less than the Explosion's innermost damage of 16, so all wall components within two inches of the blast are destroyed, and tossed away three inches. The 15 is enough to exceed the 9 damage for the next two inches away from the Explosion, so the rest of the wall survives. 8 Armor The patch of ground beneath the wall is within the Explosion radius, and rolls an 8 on its Armor of 1. This is less than the 9 Explosion's damage at the four-inch radius, but more than its 3 damage further out. All of the exposed ground within four inches of the blast is destroyed. For added effect, players build up a blast crater rim at this radius and set the surrounding vegetation on fire. Private Boyle's tower survives the Explosive damage, but with the destruction of the wall underneath it, it's no longer "nailed down" and is Knocked Back four inches. Since the blast was directly underneath it, the tower is sent flying straight up into the air, with Private Boyle still on top. 4 Damage When the private and his tower fall out of the sky, the ground does 1 Collision damage to both of them. It rolls a 4. Thanks to the wall's earlier Armor Roll of 15, this isn't enough to harm the tower (even counting it as cumulative damage with the 9 Explosive damage taken earlier). It precisely matches Private Boyle's Armor of 4, so his legs are shattered to orthopaedic confetti. The Ministry of Truth makes an immediate press release through its faux news channel about the deadly attack by terrorist insurgents.

Explosive Variants

The main cannon of the Skion Thunder Templar Heavy Tank fires a variety of magical and high-tech shells for a variety of magical and high-tech targets.

Photo: Dienekes22
From "Dienekes Sci-Fi Factions"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Dienekes22, signed 7/28

Uploaded, final

A standard Explosive does its own XSize worth of Explosive damage s. Depending on a minifig's tactical needs and desire for novelty, he might mix things up a little bit, swapping out the s for any combination of alternate Explosive Damage dice or Field Hazard effects. The Explosive's XSize and other stats remain the same.

Explosive Variants
Type	Die Replace­ment	Effect
Alternate Explosive Damage
Incen­diary	Fire	Fire damage
Armor Pier­cing	Pier­ce	cancels one layer of Deflec­tion
Con­cussion	Knock­Back	1" Knock­Back, opp­osed by POP
Explos­ive	Exp	1" Knock­Back
Phased	Phased (cost: 2 dice)	Damage s are not aff­ected by Deflec­tion
Alternate Field Hazards Chapter F: Field Hazards
Field Hazard	Any Hazard Die	4" per Smoke 2" per Expo­sure Damage die 3" per other Hazard die shrinks 1" per turn

Explosives with alternate Explosive damage work like standard Explosives in most regards. When the Explosive goes off, the attacking player rolls all the dice and applies their full damage and effects to everything within the first two inches. One at a time, they remove the highest rolling dice as the Explosion radius increases, along with their associated Bonus Dice and secondary effects. In the case of a tie between different die types, the attacking player chooses which to remove first.

• Incendiary weapons replace s with Fire damage s, or with one of the 's corrosive variants like Acid or Poison (F.1: Hazard Dice).
• Armor Piercing weapons replace s with Armor Piercing es. For each Armor Piercing that reaches a target, the attack ignores one layer of the target's Deflection.

• Concussion weapons replace s with es of Knockback. These dice do no damage of their own, but cause 1" of Knockback as if the targets were struck in a Collision. Like a Collision, targets resist the KnockBack with their own Physical Opposition.

  Most Concussion weapons throw affected objects away from the blast point, but there are exceptions. The Immortal Empire's famous black hole grenades  implode and smash targets inward.
• Explosive weapons use the standard Explosive s. In addition to doing damage, each Explosive causes 1" of Knockback to any target that's not nailed down. This KnockBack is not resisted.
• Phased weapons replace two s with a single , reducing the number of Damage dice and the overall Explosion Radius as a result. Damage s ignore Deflection entirely, no matter how many layers of Deflection a target has.

When an Explosive's Damage dice are replaced with Field Hazard effects, the Explosion creates a new Field Hazard centered at the point of impact (Chapter F: Field Hazards). The Field Size is determined by the type of Hazard: four inches for every die replaced with Smoke, two inches for every die replaced with an Exposure Damage die, and three inches for any other Hazard die. These Field Hazards aren't permanent. At the beginning of each of the attacking player's subsequent turns, the Field Size shrinks by one inch.

If an Explosive weapon has both Damage dice and a Field Hazard, they're two separate effects. The Explosion Radius and the Field Size aren't added together.

Cannons

Cannon:

Use:+3

Range:×4"

Damage:determined by Ammo

Notes: Requires reload after firing;

can fire Explosive Ammo up to max of

A Cannon is a slow but powerful direct-fire Gun that fires Explosive rounds rather than generic damage dice. Pirate ship cannons, tank turrets, and starship neutron torpedo tubes are all examples of Cannons. A Cannon must be reloaded after each shot, meaning that it can fire once every other turn.

Ammunition

Each time a Cannon fires, its chamber is emptied and it must be reloaded before being fired again. As with MachineGuns, reloading spends an Action, whether the Cannon is reloaded by hand or by automatic controls. A Cannon can't be fired and reloaded on the same turn.

Unlike MachineGuns, Cannons require physical Ammo in order to reload. Any standard Explosive can be used as Ammo if it's designed to fit in the Cannon, up to a maximum Explosive Size (XSize) equal to the Weapon Size of the Cannon. Ammo must be represented in physical brick and stored next to the Cannon's reloading area, wherever players decide that may be.

Minifigs are too busy to keep track of Ammo numbers. Ammo is never used up — as long as there's at least one round of Ammo available for each Cannon, it can be reloaded over and over again. Like any other Explosive left lying around, however, the physical rounds of Ammo can be stolen, destroyed, or commandeered for other purposes by minifigs wandering by, leaving the Cannon with nothing to reload with.

If a Cannon has more than one type of Ammo available, its player must declare which of the types they're using when they reload.

Payload Launchers

Launcher:

Use:×2

Range:×6"

Damage:(determined by Payload)

Notes: Max Payload Size of ×½;

max Explosive Payload Explosive Size of

Dave Eaton's Post-Apocalyptic Research Vehicle is the target in a running battle across the nuclear wasteland.

Jonathan Dallas's converted assault schoolbus is loaded with dynamite-strapped kamikaze warriors and a catapult with which to launch them.

The massive propulsion treads prove to be a weak spot - the detonation of one well-placed kamikaze snaps the tread and leaves it to trail out behind the PARV until the vehicle grinds to a halt.

Photos: Wayne McCaul
from NELUG's "The Post-Apocalyptic Research Vehicle"

rights not secured

The Launcher category covers any device designed to launch a Payload across a distance, from minifig-scale bazookas, mortars, and slingshots, to siege-scale catapults, mass drivers, and octopus-throwing giant squids. Launchers are ideally used to deliver Explosive Payloads, but boulders, plague-ridden corpses, and fully-loaded port-a-potties also have their special charm.

Every Payload must be represented in-game by one or more physical objects. All Launchers must have a designated area for loading their Payload (the basket of a catapult, the trolley of a railgun), and Payloads must be placed into or onto this location prior to Launch. Players may choose to construct their Launcher with an ammunition battery for auto-loading (such as a missile rack or ammunition drum), but most Launchers end up being loaded by minifigs carrying objects by hand. Less traditional Payloads are possible and fully encouraged; an appropriate Launcher might be used to scramble spacefighters, deliver pizzas and paratroopers, or fire politicians into the sun. As long as it's properly loaded, a Launcher can fire once per turn.

A Launcher can fire a group of one or more Explosives with a combined XSize up to the Launcher's own Weapon Size, or a group of one or more regular objects up to one half the Launcher's own Weapon Size, rounded down (this means that a Size 1" Launcher is limited to either XSize 1 Explosives or Size 0" objects like minifig equipment items and Vermin). If Launching a group of objects, the operator makes a separate Action Roll for each one, as projectiles disperse while in flight.

Launched weapons and equipment items do damage as if they had hit the target in a Close Combat attack. Launched Explosives use their Explosive damage ratings on impact. Other Payloads cause Collisions with their full Momentum (9.5: Collisions), doing a of Crash damage for each in their Armor rating.

Payload Example: Missile Racks

Photo: Cyko-Destructo From "Bleaktron missile tank" Elements shown: LEGO rights not secured Example: The rugged BleakTron Missile Tank boasts a 3" Launcher turret loaded with twelve Size 1 Explosive missiles. 1x 1d10 Exp Missiles (×12) 3" 6 18" Launcher Turret With a Weapon Size of 3", the turret can fire up to three of its Size 1 Explosives per turn. The BleakTron pilot makes separate Action Rolls for each against the turret's Use of 6 to see where they hit.

Thrown Minifig Weapons

In the siege of VladTron's Fortress, Sir Stalin the Bear rides ahead of the Mocian army to Heroically throw a borrowed battleaxe at the cage holding his ally, Sir Dogdu the Dog.

Rather than freeing the prisoner, Stalin's throw severs the chain the cage is hanging from, dropping both the cage and Sir Dogdu into an active volcano.

From "Rainbow War II: Jellybean Apocalypse: Grail War"
Elements shown: LEGO

own photo

Often overlooked in favor of the majestic mechanical Launchers of military engineers, a pair of naturally-occurring Launchers can be found hanging off the shoulders of even the lowliest peasants. A minifig's arms are Size ½" Launchers, capable of throwing Size 0" projectiles like grenades, hand weapons, and small animals.

Thrown objects have the same Use rating and do as much damage as if they had been used in a Close Combat attack. Thrown Explosives cause their Explosive damage on impact (which is also the same as when they're used in Close Combat, although there are drawbacks to using them in that capacity).

Creatures with larger arms can throw correspondingly larger objects, but these larger thrown objects still have a Use rating as if they were being used in Close Combat.

Minifigs working together can combine their half-inches of strength — Four minifigs can act as a Size 2" Launcher, for instance. The Range of their throw never increases, however, remaining at 3". The Action Roll for the throw is made by whichever minifig in the group has the smallest Action Die.

Because a minifig's three-inch throwing range is not a lot of distance, it's good to remember that attacks can be made out of range, taking -1 Action and Damage Penalties for every inch beyond the attack's normal Range (5.1: Making Attacks).

8.5 Manning Guns

Firing Weapons

The namesake model of LEGO set 8873, "Fireball Catapult," uses a rubber band to power a pull-back fireball launcher.

Elements shown: LEGO

own photo

Manual Fire

"Official" construction-toy designs often have projectiles that can really be fired, whether powered by springs, rubber bands, or the flick of a finger. If players would like to fire one of these weapons by hand rather than rolling dice to make an attack, consider the following rules: Strike Order: The first spot the projectile hits is where the attack lands. Any successive hits while the projectile bounces around are ignored, unless the weapon is a type that fires a continuous stream (e.g., a flamethrower) or has a projectile that could believably blow through several targets (e.g., a cannon). Range: The attack’s damage is subject to out of range penalties if the projectile flies past its listed range. Disarray: Unless there's some reason otherwise, units or objects knocked over by the projectile stay knocked over in the game. Mulligans: If the projectile fails to clear the weapon barrel or dribbles limply out the end, the player may declare a mulligan and take the shot over, either by trying to manually fire it again or by rolling dice. Each mulligan used incurs a cumulative -1 penalty to damage for that attack.

own drawing

Uploaded, final

In normal situations, firing a large weapon is just like firing a small one, except with bigger numbers attached. The attacker chooses a single target or Firing Arc and may fire any number of weapons at it as his Power level allows, as long as they're all of the same attack type (either Ranged, Arc Fire, or Close Combat).

Controlling minifig-scale weapons and devices is a simple affair. A minifig has perfect control of a sword or pistol as soon as his hand's on the grip.

On larger weapons, like intercontinental ballistic missile silos, orbital laser satellite arrays, or Bagger 288s, the controls can be far removed from the business end of the weapon itself. While controls might be mounted directly on a weapon, they're just as often found in an attached Gunner's seat, in the cockpit of the vehicle on which the weapon is mounted, or in a remote weapons control station within a nearby bunker.

In some cases, a single weapon may have controls in several locations, leading to possible conflict if opposing forces gain access to different sets of controls. While each player's forces can fire a given weapon only once per turn, any unit with access to one set of controls can use an Action to interfere with a unit trying to operate the weapon from a different set of controls, making an Action Roll and using the result as an Action Penalty to the other unit's attempt.

In the rare event that minifigs from allied teams find themselves at the same set of controls, they cannot each operate the weapon on their own turns — that would unfairly double the weapon's abilities. Whether weapons, devices, or propulsion systems (9.4: Piloting), a minifig can only operate a system if none of his allies used the same system on their previous turn.

This special limitation only applies to allies. When enemies commandeer a set of controls, they can make full and immediate use of them. This is justified by the fact that it's much funnier to let hijackers have instant benefits than to give the original owners any time to react.

A Mechanik (7.3: Field Construction) can jury-rig new controls for a weapon, even if the weapon is still controlled by one or more opponents at another set of controls elsewhere. The new controls must be attached to the inner workings of either the weapon or the machinery it's mounted on, not to the outer plating. The Mechanik will have to crack the armor open before he can start messing with the innards.

The Gunner

(Download the Gunner card)

replace illustration

The fourteen-inch dual ion cannons of the M‑Throne Hyperion superheavy death tank are too large for crewmen to operate directly. Weapons are handled by a dedicated team of Gunners in the main control room.

Photo: Azmi Timur
From "Hyperion Tank [M:Throne Empire Series Ep.5]"
Elements shown: LEGO

image rights: Azmi Timur, signed 7/23

Uploaded, final

Even without training, any minifig off the street who gains access to a mounted weapon's controls can successfully operate it, although not necessarily very well. The Use requirements of mounted weapons go up very quickly as they increase in Size, making attacks much more difficult than with handheld weapons. Especially for very large weapons, it's best to have a trained Gunner or several at the controls.

Gunnery

Gunnery Specialty:

on Action Rolls with mounted weapons;

allows Gunnery Support

The Gunner is a unit that specializes in the operation of mounted weapons. For any Action Roll related to the use of a weapon mounted on a creation, Gunnery allows the Gunner to roll their Specialty rather than their Action .

Besides firing large weapons with greater skill than usual, Gunners are also trained to cooperate in teams to increase accuracy and effectiveness. Any minifig with the Gunnery Specialty can spend his Action to provide Gunnery Support to another minifig operating a large weapon, granting a +1 Action Bonus. This bonus is cumulative, with each supporting Gunner adding another +1, but the number of minifigs in the firing team (the firing minifig plus the minifigs providing Gunnery Support) is limited to the number of inches in the Weapon Size, and each minifig must be able to directly access the weapon or a working set of controls for it.

The exact nature of Gunnery Support depends on the weapon and the technology involved. The Gunners may be calculating trajectories, feeding ammunition belts, establishing target locks, or sacrificing captives to the gods of metal and mayhem.

As long as the weapon keeps firing at the exact same point, and neither the weapon or the target move, there's no need to keep recalculating trajectories. The Action Bonuses from Gunnery Support can be considered permanent until the weapon moves or aims somewhere else. If it continues to pound that same target over several turns, the Gunners can learn from the previous turn's results and home in on the target. For each new attack they can add new Gunnery Support bonuses to the bonuses from the previous turn, accumulating +1s until it becomes almost impossible to miss. The possibility of Critical Failure remains ever-present, however, and any Critical Failure cancels the homing in bonus and requires the Gunners to start over.