Carapace is a solo tabletop skirmish game. Players control Combat Wings comprised of ancient war machines trying to recover their original purpose and memories. Piloted by a Cantor, a sacred steward who speaks for you, together you battle across ruined reliquaries, drift-wrecked strongholds, and memory-haunted warfronts. This is a game of reclamation and survival. You won’t just win missions, you’ll regain parts of yourself and your world doing it. Victory is temporary, but identity is everything. Tell the story of your carapaces, one battle at a time.

THE GAME

You’ll field a combat wing of up to 5 carapaces engaged in fast-paced tactical battles on a 2’x2’ or 3'x3' battlefield. Your Combat Wing fights for the Aeonic Synaxis against the corruption of the Heriticae Ascendent. Each fight can be deadly. Cover matters, decisions are weighty, and some damage can be more than physical.

If you’ve ever felt like something inside you was broken (but not beyond repair), Carapace was made for you. It asks your Combat Wing to endure through choices; what to preserve, and what to let go. And through these choices, you will (re)build a memorable legacy. The Aeonic Synaxis must survive!

Featuring:

• Solo or Co-op focus — Built for solo fun or with friends.
• Fast, brutal skirmish gameplay — Each battle lasts under an hour, with deadly precision and tactical depth.
• Campaign persistence — Every choice, every injury, every echo remains. You don’t reset between missions, you build on it and evolve.
• Memory mechanics — The Spiral Lattice records your legacy, but it can fracture. What you discover… changes you.
• Designed with purpose — This is a handcrafted passion project born out of love for mecha (Japanese and Western). Miniatures are front and center to the gameplay experience.

An Echo-hulk, a formidable enemy unit. Download the free pre-supported .stl!

WHY BUILD IT?

My name is Jamison Banks, and I've steeped my brain in anime and mecha since I was 5 years old. I've always loved bringing big stompy robots to life on my tabletop. I've been collecting and playing Battletech, Heavy Gear, Mekton, Weaseltech, and many more for over 30 years. However, my biggest pain point has been a lack of people and places to play. Hobby stores have gotten scarcer, and so too has finding fellow tabletop players (especially with having a family and work responsibilities). And playing tabletop games online lacks a certain panache. Who wants to play a game through a Zoom call?

I wanted a fun solo game I could play on my time, and my schedule. Yet I still yearned to play with friends when we can. There are now plenty of indie solo tabletop games out there. But the tabletop mecha niche is badly underserved (and solo rules are practically non-existent). Thus Carapace was created as a solo and coop game from the ground up. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAY?

- A 12" ruler or measuring tape. 

- 5 miniatures or stands per side, 1 for each carapace. Bring your own miniatures! (or print Echo-hulk figures on your resin printer!)

- 10x 10-sided dice (d10’s) per side. (or use a dice app if you don’t have any)

- A 2'x2' or 3'x3' playing area. 

- Lots of terrain!

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

This is the free full version of Carapace. The package includes the following files to get you started:

-Carapace A Game Of Memory And Ruin 1.0.pdf: 

The basic rules for a single combat mission between your Combat Wing and an Echo-hulk Horde. It does not include extras such as naming tables, full AI behaviors, or campaign structure included with the full rules. Please see the Kickstarter for the full package, including .STL files!

-Unit-Sheets.pdf: 

Pre-made unit sheets for your combat wing and enemy units.

-Counters.pdf: 

Top-down 2d unit counters if you don't have any miniatures to use.

-Echo-hulk STL presupported: 

A free Echo-hulk stl file presupported for resin printing! (for personal use only, you may not sell or redistribute the file) The print comes in 8 pieces featuring ball joints for easy posing. Assemble with super glue. The figure is compatible with Carapace or any other 6mm mecha game.

If you like this, check out the new miniatures debuting each month at the Carapace Forge!

THE CARAPACE FORGE