Chapter Three: Minifig Weapons
| With the unique and logic-defying ability to weild an unlimited number of minifig weapons simultaneously, the semi-mythical hero Zahru Trollarm brought the human minifigs of Medivo back from the brink of extinction in ancient times, slaying his way through hordes of Dungans, trolls, and the undead forces of the evil spirit Warhead. |
| Wiki entry: Zahru Trollarm |
|
The weapons with which you arm your minifigs are best chosen according
to which look the coolest. More practical considerations might increase
your army’s chances of victory, but that's of no consequence compared with
the importance of looking awesome.
| Minifig Weapons |
| Weapon |
Cost |
Use |
Range |
Damage |
Notes |
| Close Combat Weapons |
| Hand Weapon (S) |
2CP |
2 |
CC |
1d6 |
|
| Heavy Weapon (M) |
3CP |
3 |
CC |
1d6+2 |
may be paired with Shield or Heavy Shield |
| Two-Handed Weapon (L) |
4CP |
4 |
CC |
2d6 |
Two-Handed; -1" Move;
can't Sprint; can't throw |
| Ranged Weapons |
| Short-Ranged Weapon (S) |
3CP |
3 |
6" |
1d6 |
some are Two-Handed |
| Long-Ranged Weapon (M) |
5CP |
3 |
10" |
1d6+1 |
Two-Handed |
| Explosive |
1CP |
1* |
3"* |
1d10 Exp |
* if thrown |
| Bodily Protection |
| Shield (S) |
1CP |
2 |
CC |
Shielded Parry |
Parry or Shove only; can Parry Charge attacks |
| Heavy Shield (M) |
1CP |
3 |
CC |
Shielded Parry |
same as Shield, can provide cover |
| Body Armor |
1CP |
- |
- |
Armor +2 |
Move -1", can't swim |
| Heavy Armor |
2CP |
- |
- |
Shielded |
Half Speed |
| Desperate Measures |
| Bare Hands |
- |
* |
CC |
Shove 2" or Grab |
* Automatic Hit |
| Minifig Tool |
1CP |
3 |
CC |
1d6-1 |
|
| Random Object |
- |
4 |
CC |
1d6-2 |
|
| Thrown Object |
* |
* |
3" |
* |
* use object's Close Combat stats |
|
Less well-equipped minifigs will try to tell you that it's not the
size that matters, it's how well you use it. This is of course completely
false. Minifig weapons, like everything else of importance, are categorized entirely according to length. They fall into three categories, separated by how they compare
to a minifig's height: weapons shorter than a minifig are Short (S), equal to a minifig are Minifig-Size (M), and longer than a minifig are Long (L). You might be tempted
to think of the letters as standing for Small, Medium, and Large,
but that would be much less precise.
3.1: Close Combat Weapons
Killing enemies from a safe distance is all well and good, but any
real minifig will tell you that's for cowards. Nothing beats the meaty
hands-on thrill of physically whacking an uncooperative enemy into
a pile of bloody chunks. Close Combat weapons are used to make
Close Combat attacks, as you might suspect (5.2:
Close Combat).
Hand Weapons
Size:(S) Cost:2CP Use:2 Range:CC Damage:1d6
Hand Weapons are the lightest, most versatile, and most readily
available melee weapons: anything from maces, hand axes, and shortswords,
to baseball bats, bicycle chains, and crowbars.
Because Hand Weapons are so light and easy to handle, they leave the
second hand entirely free for a second weapon or equipment item. Hand Weapons can be paired with another Hand Weapon, Short-Ranged Weapon, Shield, Heavy Shield, or Minifig Tool.
Heavy Weapons
Size:(M) Cost:3CP Use:3 Range:CC Damage:1d6+2 Notes: May be paired with
Shield
Heavier than regular Hand Weapons, but not requiring the dedicated
use of both hands, Heavy Weapons are sometimes called Hand-And-A-Half
or Bastard weapons. Heavy Weapons include such weapons as broadswords,
battleaxes, flails, spears, katanas, chainsaws, and beamsabers.
| Heavy Weapons do not include Lightsabers, because the Lightsaber is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd., and we would never want to risk infringing a trademark. |
Minifigs wielding a Heavy Weapon
cannot carry a second weapon of any type in their off hand, although
they may equip a Shield or Heavy Shield.
Two-Handed Weapons
Size:(L) Cost:4CP Use:4 Range:CC Damage:2d6 Notes: Two-Handed, -1"
to Move, cannot Sprint, cannot throw
Two-Handed Weapons give heavy troops the power to destroy the
sturdiest armored foe, and the ability to hit at targets normally out of reach - striking behind
a rank of other minifigs, surprising
targets on separate building levels, or nailing riders on horseback.
The drawbacks are that they are heavy, slow, and difficult to weild
effectively. Minifigs carrying a Two-Handed Weapon have their Move
ability reduced by one inch and are unable to Sprint. They have a hard time navigating tight spaces,
and they need both hands free to use the weapon in melee. (You don't
have to pose your minifig with both hands physically holding the weapon
shaft, as that isn't always possible or easy to manage; it's understood
that both hands come together to swing the weapon at the moment of
attack, so quickly that the eyesight of mere Humans is unable to detect
it.)
Even worse, a Two-Handed Weapon's extra inches of reach carry their
own vulnerability - an enemy minifig can sneak up closer than the
weapon's effective minimum range. A minifig swinging a Two-Handed
Weapon must have a hand on the bottom-most grippable part of the handle;
this may mean that he doesn't have enough space to bring the weapon's
striking surface into contact with the target. If the minifig is unable
to back up far enough to give himself room to swing, then the enemies
inside that distance can only be Shoved, not attacked.
Unscrupulous players may try to get around problems of minimum striking
distance by giving their Two-Handed Weapon a very long striking surface.
This is considered to be in poor taste, and justified grounds for
a mild to moderate beating. The amount of striking surface on
a Two-Handed Weapon should never be longer than a minifig.
| There is one important exception to the Two-Handed Weapon's two-hands requirement: Jousting, decribed in H.3: Fighting From Horseback. A minifig riding a steed or vehicle only needs one hand to use a Two-Handed Weapon as a lance in a Charge attack, as long as it has a pointy tip. Jousting minifigs can use their free hand to weild a Short-sized weapon, Shield, or equipment item. |
3.2: Ranged Weapons
| “You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.” |
| - Al Capone |
|
While it's hard to beat the joy of plunging a hand weapon into exposed
enemy flesh (but not impossible: see the Explosives section below),
it can be frustrating when some jokester thinks it's
funny to keep bouncing around just out of reach of your hand axe.
It's times like that that you want a nice ranged sidearm, to wipe
that self-satisfied grin off his face in the most literal fashion (5.3: Ranged Combat).
Short-Ranged Weapons
Size:(S) Cost:3CP Use:3 Range:6" Damage:1d6 Notes:some are Two-Handed
| “Remember the first rule of gunfighting: 'have a gun.'” |
| - Jeff Cooper |
|
Most light ranged weapons fall under the Short-Ranged Weapons heading (also called "Pistols" for short): revolvers,
shortbows, blowguns, magic wands, and slings are good examples. Many
can be fired with one hand; a little common sense should be enough to
determine how many hands a given weapon requires (a crossbow can be
fired with one hand, for instance, while a shortbow takes two).
Because
their short range puts minifigs dangerously close to an enemy's ability
to counterattack, Short-Ranged Weapons are best paired with a Hand
Weapon in the opposite hand, or used in hit-and-run harrying attacks
that keep the Ranged attackers just out of enemies' reach. They can also be paired with Shields, Heavy Shields, or Minifig Tools.
Long-Ranged Weapons
Size:(M) Cost:5CP Use:3 Range:10" Damage:1d6+1 Notes:Two-Handed
| “The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle!” |
| - John J. Pershing |
|
Long-Range Weapons (or "Rifles") are higher-powered
than regular Ranged Weapons, allowing minifigs to pack a solid punch
while staying safely out of enemy units' melee range. Muskets, longbows,
heavy crossbows, and a Magic Staff of Lightning Bolts are all Long-Range
Weapons. Long-Range Weapons are generally about the length of a minifig,
and always require two hands.
Explosives
Size:- Cost:1CP Use:1* Range:3"* Damage:1d10 exp Notes:* -
if thrown
Hand-held Explosives come in a variety of forms for a variety
of purposes - grenades for throwing, rockets for firing, and timed
charges for dropping somewhere and getting the hell away. A minifig's
Explosive can do any of the above. If he throws it, it's a grenade;
if he fires it from a launcher (launchers are bought as Short-Ranged
or Long-Ranged Weapons), it's a rocket; if he drops it on the ground
and says "I'm setting the fuse to go off on the end of my next
turn," then it's a timed charge.
Once they go off, though, all Explosives work exactly the same way.
The Explosive does 1d10 Explosion damage to every object and
surface within a two-inch radius. Loose objects within this radius,
such as minifigs not wearing seatbelts, are tossed one inch directly
away from the center of Explosion. Fixed objects, such as brick walls,
are only tossed away if the Explosion breaks them into loose objects.
Each Explosive can only be used once, for obvious reasons. If you
want three rockets for your bazooka, you need to purchase three Explosives.
3.3: Bodily Protection
| “To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armor, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.” |
| - George Orwell |
|
A good leader knows that a budget surplus is always spent on more weapons and more
men, but a less-experienced general will sometimes buy protective gear
for his existing troops instead. This shows extremely poor priorities. A trooper's job is to kill enemies,
not to worry about coming home alive afterwards. It's even worse if the soldiers request
this equipment themselves - it's a sign that they may be less than obsessively eager to throw away their lives meaninglessly for the entertainment of their Humans.
Cowards that request protective gear are likely to be among your
least popular units, so go ahead and buy them some. The longer they
stay alive, the more pissed off the rest of the troops will be, and
that's a good state of mind for battle.
Shielded Targets
When striking a minifig wearing Heavy Armor, or who successfully parries with a Shield or Heavy Shield, he is considered to be Shielded against the blow. Striking a Shielded target removes one die from the Damage rating of each weapon before its Damage is rolled. (For weapons with multiple die types, a Shielded target removes one of each type of die, except for d12s (MOC Combat: Fancy Dice).)
By wearing Heavy Armor and successfully Parrying with a Shield at the same time, the most cowardly minifigs of all can receive the Shielded benefit twice, removing two of each type of dice from a source of incoming Damage.
| Secondary Effects on Shielded Targets |
| Attacks may have a number of secondary effects, which will be introduced in later chapters. Whether or not a Shielded target is protected from these effects depends on whether they're based on the number of Damage dice, or on the results of the dice once they're rolled. It can help to handle secondary effects in the following order:
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Shields
Shield: Size:(S) Cost:1CP Use:2 Range:CC Effect:Armored Parry Notes:Parry or
Shove only
Heavy Shield: Size:(M) Cost:1CP Use:3 Range:CC Effect:Armored Parry Notes:Parry or
Shove only, can provide cover
A Shield is like a Hand Weapon devoted exclusively for Parrying (5.2: Close Combat),
although they can sometimes also be handy for Shoving opponents into proper position
for a follow-up attack. A minifig can Parry a wider range of incoming attacks with a Shield than with a regular Hand Weapon, including Joust attacks (H.3: Fighting From Horseback), Crash Damage, and thrown weapons.
A minifig who successfully Parries an attack with a Shield is Shielded against that attack.
Shields cannot be used to make Attacks or Counterattacks of their own, no matter how much you
sharpen the edges.
Shields come in two sizes - regular Short-sized Shields, and Minifig-sized Heavy Shields. The Heavy Shield is slightly more difficult to use, with a Use of 3 rather than 2, but it has one big advantage: unlike a regular Shield, the Heavy Shield can be positioned as passive cover against all types of attacks, in addition to being used to Parry. It can provide cover either by itself, in conjunction with other cover elements on the field, or put together with the Heavy Shields of other units (5.1: Making Attacks). Like all cover, its effectiveness will depend on how well the Heavy Shield is positioned between the unit and the attacker, of course - if it's pointed in the wrong direction when the attack is made, it's too late to reposition it.
Body Armor
Body Armor: Cost:1CP Effect:Armor +2 Notes:-1" Move, can't swim
Heavy Armor: Cost:2CP Effect:Shielded Notes:Half Speed
| “During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were 'just going down to the corner.'” |
| - Jack Handey |
|
For faint-hearted warriors who fear death, but not enough to lift a Shield in their
own defense, Body Armor is a great way to prolong their lives
as lazy cowards. As a bonus, when they always seem to be last to arrive at
the front lines, they can claim that it's because their heavy
Body Armor slows them down, even if that's not the real reason for their tardiness.
A minifig wearing Body Armor gets +2 to Armor against all incoming attacks (but not for internal Damage, like the effects of Poison or swallowing a grenade), but it reduces the minifig's Move by -1", and prevents swimming or any kind. A minifig wearing Body Armor who falls in water must either use an Action to remove the Body Armor or hope that someone can fish him out in a hurry; otherwise, he will die of drowning at the end of the turn. (Assuming he needs to breathe, that is - non-organic minifigs like androids and skeletons can continue wandering around happily underwater.)
When a piece of Body Armor is combined with a visored helmet, it becomes Heavy Armor.
A minifig wearing Heavy Armor is even better protected, but has an even harder time moving around. A minifig in Heavy Armor is Shielded against all incoming attacks, but he is forced to move at Half Speed. All Movement costs twice the usual number of Move inches (walking two actual inches, for instance, now costs four inches of Move). Any other type of movement which would normally be at Half Speed (swimming, crawling, climbing ropes) is completely impossible for a minifig in Heavy Armor, although they can still climb into saddles as usual.
Minifigs wearing Heavy Armor also cannot Sprint (4.1: Movement), jump, or fly around (if they're a flying type of minifig). Like minifigs in Body Armor, a minifig in Heavy Armor is likely to drown if he falls into water.
Because they move so slowly on foot, it's best to mount armored minifigs on the back of a Horse (Chapter H: The Horse), or to post them in narrow gates and walkways where they can't be easily outmaneuvered and bypassed.
When a minifig wearing Heavy Armor is Disrupted (4.3: Enemy Response), it takes an Extended Action for him to get up again without help (4.2: Action), using up all of his Movement and Action for the turn. This can make Armored minfigs especially vulnerable to attacks that knock them over if they're not supported by other troops to protect them while they're down.
| Strategies for Fighting Shielded Minifigs |
| Minifigs in Heavy Armor can be intimidating to new players. Because their armor removes a die from incoming weapons' Damage, they can seem invulnerable against attacks from minifig weapons (most of which have only a single Damage die to begin with). Overcoming these defenses takes a little extra strategy.
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3.4: Desperate Measures
| “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” |
| - Charles Darwin |
|
Nothing makes a warrior feel stupider than arriving at a battle and
realizing he forgot to bring a weapon. He still has options, but mooning
the enemy has been shown to have limited practical effect, and he's better
off trying to scavenge a real weapon as quickly as possible.
Bare Hands
Size:- Cost:- Use:* Range:CC Damage:Shove 2" or Grab Notes:* Automatic Hit
| “Those who have not swords can still die upon them.” |
| - J.R.R. Tolkien |
|
Minifigs lack the ability to clench their clawlike hands into fists,
and the limited range of minifig leg motion means that the groins
of their enemies will never be exposed to their nonexistent knees.
As a result, unarmed combat between minifigs is an almost complete
waste of time. The only really worthwhile use for Bare Hands is in
grabbing someone else's dropped weapon.
Bare Hands cannot be used to Attack or Parry. If a minifig has one hand free, he can use it to Grab his opponent, for the sake of hitting him with the weapon in his other hand. If both hands are empty, then he can use both of them to Shove his opponent 2" away, in an attempt
to get away from the real warriors who remembered to come armed (5.2:
Close Combat).
Minifig Tools
Size:- Cost:1CP Use:3 Range:CC Damage:1d6-1
| “It is important when you haven't got any ammunition to have a butt on your rifle.” |
| - Winston Churchill |
|
The "official" purpose of a Minifig Tool is to help minifigs do their jobs. Medix need their first aid kits, Mechanix need their wrenches, and Clerix need their holy symbols. Fortunately for everyone, all of these things can also be used to beat people to death.
Any tool designed to be gripped and carried in a minifig's hand can be used as if it were a makeshift Hand Weapon with less effective stats. This includes not only the obvious striking implements like hammers, torches, and frying pans, but also suitcases, coffee mugs, megaphones, and teapots. Larger, Minifig-Sized Tools have the same stats but require two hands; these include rifle butts, shovels, metal detectors, pushbrooms, and oars.
Decapitated heads and skulls also count as Minifig Tools when used in combat - not because this makes any sense, but because beating opponents to death with their own friends' faces is awesome.
Random Objects
Size:- Cost:- Use:4 Range:CC Damage:1d6-2
| “If a person offends you and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures. Simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick.” |
| - Mark Twain |
|
Table legs, broken bottles, and even big rocks are
all part of a cherished tradition of improvised weapons in the real world; in BrikWars, minifigs are just as likely to weild broken vehicle bits, a door, or an unsuspecting sheep. If a minifig
can't find a real weapon, Random Objects are better than nothing,
although that's only because having nothing sucks to such an impressive degree.
Any object that could conceivably be picked up and swung around by a minifig can
be used as an improvised weapon. Some objects are obviously excluded:
items like shortbows, flowers, and hats are too flimsy to do any
damage, while objects larger than two minifigs in length are too big to pick up. The minifig must have an actual object he can hold in his
hand; he can't for instance claim "there's a belt printed on
my torso, I'm taking it off and whacking you with it."
Thrown Objects
Size:* Cost:* Use:* Range:3" Damage:* Notes: * use Close Combat stats
| "Though boys throw stones at frogs in sport, the frogs do not die in sport, but in earnest." |
| - Plutarch |
|
If an object can be used one-handed in Close Combat (whether as a regular weapon or a Random Object), it can also be thrown. A Thrown Object has exactly the same Use and Damage rating as if it were being used in Close Combat, but with a Range of 3" it can be hurled at targets out of immediate reach.
By throwing a weapon rather than running in swinging, minifigs can avoid entering Close Combat and risking Counterattacks. A Thrown Object can be Parried by a Shield or Heavy Shield (5.2: Close Combat), but not by other weapons (except in special cases - thrown Baseballs can often be Parried by a BaseballBatsMan, for instance).
Once they're thrown, Thrown Objects have a known drawback in that surviving opponents can then pick them up and use them against you. Grenades are a popular workaround for this issue.
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