Action Points in MENACE
While many turn-based strategy games and franchises have swapped to the popular “2-actions” system, we will stay true to the genre's roots with a classic action point system.
Each entity on the battlefield has a pool of action points, used up by any action a unit can take. The idea behind this is that all actions take a different amount of time, and this system can model that with far more granularity than a 2-action system.
Each unit starts with 100 Action Points (AP) per turn. The available amount is relatively stable but can change under certain circumstances.
For example, when a unit is suppressed, it begins its turn with 30 AP less.
- A typical skill use, like firing a squad weapon or throwing a grenade, costs 40 AP.
- Heavy special weapons, such as firing a rocket launcher, typically cost 60 AP and cannot be used twice in a turn.
- Movement also costs AP, though the number of points needed depends on both the unit’s movement type and the surface being traversed.
Careful management of your Action Point economy is essential to overcoming the tactical challenges in MENACE. As the game progresses and units acquire more perks, equipment, and weapons, the decisions about which skill or action to use—and when to use it—become increasingly complex.
Attack Mechanics
Below is the rundown of how an attack is calculated in the game. Buckle up—this will get a bit technical.
Attacks usually begin with the attacker spending the action point (AP) cost for the corresponding skill. There are exceptions, such as off-map abilities, but we’ll set those aside for now.
Example Scenario: A Marine Squad uses its Squad Weapon to fire at a Pirate Scavenger Squad.
- The target is 6 tiles away.
- The target is in the open.
- The target is in default stance.
- The target is not suppressed, damaged, or injured.
1. Paying AP for the Attack
The K-PAC assault rifle used by the squad has two attack skills:
- Salvo – Costs 40 AP, firing three shots in quick succession to maximize damage.
- Sustained Fire – A separate option not covered in this example.
2. Determining Hit Chance
Calculating an attack’s hit chance starts with the attacker's base accuracy. In this example, that’s 70, meaning a 70% chance to hit. Weapon and skill modifiers come next, and both can increase or decrease accuracy. Suppressive fire, for instance, trades accuracy for suppression. In this case, no modifiers are applied.
Distance matters. Every weapon has an ideal range and shots beyond that suffer an accuracy dropoff per tile. Assault rifles typically have an ideal range of four tiles. A sniper rifle, while precise at long range, struggles in close quarters due to its size and weight. Here, the shot is taken from six tiles away—two tiles past the rifle’s ideal range. With an accuracy dropoff of six per tile, this results in a 12-point reduction, bringing accuracy down to 58%.
This is a simple scenario. Other factors could come into play: an attacker in a deployed stance gains 15 accuracy, while a deployed target reduces hitchance by 15%. Light cover reduces accuracy by 20. A suppressed shooter loses 50 accuracy, and a pinned target lying prone imposes another 50-point penalty. Additional modifiers include terrain, smoke, lighting, perks, skills, and accessories, all of which can affect the final hit chance.
| Factor | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Base Accuracy | 70% | [/tr]
| Weapon & Skill Modifiers | ±0% (None Applied) | [/tr]
| Distance Penalty (6 per tile, 2 tiles over ideal range) | -12% | [/tr]
| Final Accuracy | 58% | [/tr]
3. Number of Shots
Once hitchance is established, the next factor is shot count. Every weapon and skill determines how many times an attack is repeated. Each repetition is treated as a separate attack, with hit or miss calculations applied individually, along with damage, suppression, and armor impact.
A standard assault rifle salvo consists of three repetitions, meaning three shots per squad member using that weapon. Squads typically have five members, though this varies. Some squad members may swap their standard weapon for a special one, like a machine gun or grenade launcher, reducing the number of members using the primary weapon. If a squad takes casualties, fewer members contribute to the attack. Special weapons are unaffected by squad size, as only one member ever operates them.
In this example, the Marine squad carries a medium machine gun, so only four of the five members are firing their assault rifles. With three repetitions per shooter, this results in 12 total shots at a 58% hitchance.
| Factor | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Hit Chance | 58% | [/tr]
| Shots per Shooter | 3 | [/tr]
| Number of Shooters | 4 | [/tr]
| Total Shots | 12 | [/tr]
4. Determine Hits
With the number of shots known, the next step is determining how many land. Here, seven out of 12 shots hit the pirate squad.
Suppression mechanics affect this phase. If a target is suppressed mid-attack, they may involuntarily shift stance—moving from standing to deployed or even pinned. This can cause part of the attack to resolve against a standing target while the remainder is applied to a suppressed or pinned enemy. Early hits matter, as they may alter the conditions for later shots.
5. Armor Penetration
Landing a shot isn’t enough—it must penetrate armor to deal damage. Each projectile undergoes this check individually.
The assault rifle in this example uses an intermediate caliber, effective against standard body armor but dealing relatively low damage. Its penetration value is 30, with a penetration dropoff of 1.8 per tile. Unlike accuracy dropoff, which applies to shots beyond the ideal range, penetration dropoff is calculated from the point of origin. Effective penetration is then compared against the target's armor to determine penetration probability. Armor also degrades with use, lowering its effectiveness over time.
For this scenario, penetration starts at 30 but suffers a 10.8-point dropoff due to range, reducing effective penetration to 19.2. The pirates’ armor is undamaged at 30, resulting in a penetration chance of 82%. Out of the seven shots that hit, five successfully penetrated.
| Factor | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Total Shots Fired | 12 | [/tr]
| Shots that Hit | 7 | [/tr]
| Armor Penetration | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Base Penetration | 30 | [/tr]
| Penetration Dropoff (1.8 per tile, 6 tiles) | -10.8 | [/tr]
| Effective Penetration | 19.2 | [/tr]
| Target Armor | 30 | [/tr]
| Penetration Chance | 82% | [/tr]
| Shots that Penetrate | 5 | [/tr]
6. Armor Damage
Shots that penetrate armor deal damage to hitpoints, while those that don’t reduce armor durability instead. Each weapon has a separate armor damage stat, with its own dropoff. In this case, the rifle’s armor damage value is 9, with a dropoff of 0.6 per tile. At six tiles, this reduces its effective armor damage per shot to 5.4. With two non-penetrating shots, the total armor durability reduction for the pirate squad is 10.8 points.
| Armor Damage | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Base Armor Damage | 9 | [/tr]
| Armor Damage Dropoff (0.6 per tile, 6 tiles) | -3.6 | [/tr]
| Effective Armor Damage per Shot | 5.4 | [/tr]
| Non-Penetrating Shots | 2 | [/tr]
| Total Armor Durability Reduction | 10.8 | [/tr]
Armor durability is tracked as a squad-wide value rather than on a per-member basis. Each element contributes to the total, and when a member is lost, the squad's armor pool is reduced accordingly. Some weapons specialize in breaking down armor rather than penetrating it, making follow-up attacks more effective.
7. Hitpoint Damage
Penetrating shots deal hitpoint damage, which also suffers a dropoff. Here, the rifle’s base damage is 9, with a dropoff of 0.8 per tile. At six tiles, each penetrating shot deals 4.2 damage. Since five shots penetrated, total hitpoint damage amounts to 21.
| Hitpoint Damage | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Base Damage | 9 | [/tr]
| Damage Dropoff (0.8 per tile, 6 tiles) | -4.8 | [/tr]
| Effective Damage per Shot | 4.2 | [/tr]
| Penetrating Shots | 5 | [/tr]
| Total Hitpoint Damage | 21 | [/tr]
8. Elements Lost
The pirate squad consists of five elements, each with 10 hitpoints, for a total of 50. The attack reduces their hitpoints to 29, meaning two elements are lost, as one element perishes for every 10 hitpoints lost.
| Pirate Squad Status | Value | [/tr]
|---|---|
| Total Elements | 5 | [/tr]
| Hitpoints per Element | 10 | [/tr]
| Total Squad Hitpoints | 50 | [/tr]
| Hitpoints After Attack | 29 | [/tr]
| Elements Lost | 2 | [/tr]
Suppression
Suppression is as complex as damage calculation, if not more so. Every projectile applies suppression, even if it misses, and shots landing nearby still contribute partially. Losing squad members also generates significant suppression.
Full details on suppression mechanics are covered in Dev Diary #7.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352851020
Summary
These calculations may seem intricate, but the system was designed around two core principles. First, realism—combat follows a simulation-based model that accounts for factors like distance and ballistic dropoff. Second, accessibility—players don’t need to track exact numbers to make informed decisions. The UI presents only the final results, keeping things intuitive while still offering deeper weapon stats for those who want to optimize their strategy.
Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed
That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.
You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/
And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/534342772300185779
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/512950040394727468
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466769966436075
