ItBN: Into the Breach Notation

A guide to textually notating moves in Into the Breach

Table of Contents

1. Preface
2. Basic rules
3. Extended rules
4. Full turn example

Preface

As per update 1.0.16, ITB has a native grid overlay ("Grid Coordinates" in the options) so those coordinates are what's used here. Text notation should ideally exist alongside a screenshot to explain what is happening, and any pilot-specific abilities used should be noted preceding the notation itself. I've based this on algebraic chess notation. Hopefully it's specific enough to show your intended actions & consequences without having to get bogged down in what weapons or upgrades you have equipped.

Basic rules

• A unit is designated by the tile it starts the turn in.
• Unit movement is designated by an initial tile and an ending tile with a hyphen inbetween.
  • Example: A2-B3 (The unit that's in A2 moves to B3.)
• Unit abilities are designated by an initial tile and a target tile with an x inbetween. Projectile and artillery weapons need no differentiation.
  • Melee example: C5xD5 (The unit in C5 attacks tile D5.)
  • Projectile example: C5xE5 (The unit in C5 attacks tile E5 with a projectile.)
  • Artillery example: C5xC1 (The unit in C5 attacks tile C1 with artillery.)
• Each action should be listed in the order committed on new lines, or for brevity, with a semicolon between.

  • Example:

    A3-C3
    C3xC4
        1xC4
    

  • Or: A3-C3; C3xC4

• Results of an action are listed under the action on indented new lines, or for brevity, in parentheses after the action with semicolons between each result.
  • Note that damages and status effects should be put before any pushes or other movement results.
• Damage is indicated as the amount of damage and the tile it is applied to with an x inbetween.
• Deaths are indicated as the tile of the unit that dies with an x preceding it. They are a result of damage.
• A push is indicated simply as a move. Pushed tiles that have no unit are omitted. If a push results in a collision ("bump") or environmental death, put the results of that collision in a nested indent or set of parentheses.
• A bump is assumed to move neither of the affected units.
• An environmental death is designated by the tile it's located on, not the inital tile of the unit that was pushed onto it. Notate this as Envx and the aforementioned tile.

  • Example (semicolons for readability): My Artillery Mech in C5 attacks C3, which does 1 damage to C3; pushes B3 to A3; pushes C2 (a non-flying unit) to C1 (a water space), killing it; and pushes D3 to E3 (which contains a unit already), dealing 1 bump damage to both.

    C5xC3
      1xC3
        B3-A3
        C2-C1
            EnvxC1
        D3-E3
            1xD3
            1xE3
    

  • Or: C5xC3 (1xC3; B3-A3; C2-C1 (xC1); D3-E3 (1xD3; 1xE3))

• Grid damage is appended to damage to a structure as xGr. If you wish to notate a game over, for some reason, put xGr on a new line.
• Boulders, mountains, dams, ice tiles, and so on are considered units with their respective amount of health. Ice tiles' destruction is not shown as a death, rather as an application of water as the result of damage (see "Status effects" below).
• Note that combat progresses as Enemy movement > Player movement & actions > Status/Environmental effects > Enemy actions. Therefore, notation is assumed to start during "Player movement & actions", and if you wish to notate any other states, put three hyphens on a new line (with the phase name in the middle if you want), or use a single pipe (|).

  • Example: I move my unit in C3 to C4 and end my turn. An enemy in G2 is killed by a satellite launch. An enemy in G7 attacks a structure in F7, dealing 1 damage to the structure and my Grid. Then, the enemy in G7 moves to F5. Then it's my turn again.

    C3-C4
    ---
    xG2
    ---
    G7xF7
        1xF7xGr
    ---
    G7-F5
    ---
    

Extended rules

Teleports and abilities that move a unit

• Any teleport, dash, or other moving ability is notated just like a push, and is the result of an ability.

  • Dash Punch example: A unit in E8 dash punches a unit in E4, dealing one damage and pushing it a tile.

    E8xE4
        E8-E5
        1xE4
        E4-E3
    

  • Aerial Bombs example: A unit in D4 flies over E4 and F4, applying 1 damage and Smoke to both, and lands in G4.

    D4xG4
        1xE4
        Sm-E4
        1xF4
        Sm-F4
        D4-G4
    

• Vice Grip is essentially a teleport ability.
• As for the "Teleporter" weapon that swaps two units, just take two equal and adjacent moves to mean a swap.

  • Teleporter example: A unit in A3 swaps with a unit in C3.

    A3xC3
        A3-C3
        C3-A3
    

Shields

• The application of a shield is notated as Sh and the tile it is applied to with a hyphen inbetween.
  • Example: Sh-C3 (My unit in tile C3 receives a shield.)
• The destruction of a shield is notated as Sh and the tile of the unit whose shield is destroyed with an x inbetween.
  • Example: ShxC3 (My unit in tile C3 loses a shield.)

Status effects

• The application of status effects is notated as Fi for Fire, Ic for Ice, Ac for A.C.I.D., Sm for Smoke, and Wa for Water (in the case that an ice tile is destroyed), with the tile it is applied to and a hyphen inbetween.
• Examples:
  • Fi-F8 (The unit in F8 is set on fire and/or the tile is set on fire.)
  • Ic-F8 (The unit in F8 is frozen.)
  • Ac-F8 (The unit in F8 is covered in A.C.I.D., or the tile has A.C.I.D. applied. I don't know if that can actually happen but let's roll with it.)
  • Sm-F8 (Tile F8 is now covered in smoke.)
  • Wa-F8 (Tile F8 is now a water tile. This should only be the result of damage applied to a tile.)
• Fire damage resolves in the "Status/environmental effects" section, and is prepended with Fi-.
  • Example: Fi-1xF8 (The unit in F8 takes 1 fire damage.)
  • The same holds true for other damaging status effects, such as the "Storm Generator" passive effect which is shown as Sm-1xF8.

Repairs and healing

• Repairs are notated just like damage, but with a + instead of an x.
• Example: 1+E5 (A unit in E5 repairs itself.)

Vek Emergence

• An emergence point should simply be shown as Em- and the tile it is on.
• If a unit is on that tile, show that it takes 1 damage and assume that the unit below does not emerge.

  • Example: Em-F2 (An enemy emerges from tile F2.)

  • Example: An enemy is emerging from tile A7. There is a unit standing on that tile, and takes 1 damage, killing the standing unit.

    Em-A7
        1xA7
            xA7
    

Attack cancels, flips, and misc. abilities

• An attack that's canceled (space is covered in smoke, unit is moved and target no longer exists, etc.) doesn't have to be notated. But, if you want to specifically show it, you can use Ca and tile of unit canceled with an x inbetween.
• An enemy attack that's flipped can be notated with, you guessed it, Fl and the tile of the unit flipped with an x inbetween.
• Targeted abilities (which can hit any space on the map) require no different notation from a regular ranged attack, just the tile they target.
• Untargeted abilities, when they need to be notated, can simply be the tile of the unit using the ability and an x - nothing else. Just list the effects as results like normal.

  • Missile Barrage example: A unit in H4 uses Missile Barrage, hitting enemies in A4, B8, and H2 for 1 damage, and killing the enemy in H2.

    H4x
        1xA4
        1xB8
        1xH2
            xH2
    

• If you pick up a pod... just say Pod.

---

Full turn example

Context: I'm using the Rusting Hulks, as you can see from the screenshot. Chen Rong is in the Jet Mech. Her ability allows 1 tile of movement after attacking.

F5-E4
E4xD4
    D4-C4
C5-D6
D6xF6
    1xE6
    SmxE6
    CaxE6
F6-F7
B5-D6
-Environment- 
Sm-1xE6
    xE6
EnvxC4
-Enemy actions-
C3xC8
Em-E3
Em-F1
-Enemy movement-
C3-D3
E3-F4
F1-F2

---

Thanks for reading. Let me know if I missed anything. When I get around to it, I'll attempt a guide to visual notation as well, an example of which I show here.

–Eden