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Zahhak
2013-04-02, 06:11 PM
So, I was thinking of running a mecha RPG (something different, you know?), but I don't know of any. I know about universal systems like HERO, but I was hoping for one where all the work had been done for me. This is mostly because this wont be too long/intense of a campaign, which is also why I was hoping for something cheap/free.

And I'm fine with a system that is mostly something else, but has some good details on mecha or powered armor.

tensai_oni
2013-04-02, 06:20 PM
There are a few dedicated mecha RPGs, like Mekton Zeta or that one homebrew thing that was supposed to emulate SRW games.

And you know what they all have in common?

Mechanically, they all suck.

I am going to suggest Mutants and Masterminds 2nd ed, with the Mecha and Manga expansion. Yes, I know it's an universal system. It's not exactly cheap or free either (unless you borrow the books/pdfs from a friend or something). But to the best of my knowledge, it is not only the preferable way to run a mecha game, it's the only decent option in the first place.

Lupus753
2013-04-02, 06:20 PM
The anime RPG Big Eyes, Small Mouth once released a supplement called Big Robots, Cool Starships. Unfortunately, that game stopped being sold since 2006, and I don't know if any PDFs are available.

tensai_oni
2013-04-02, 06:23 PM
The sad thing about BESM is that it does a worse job at representing an anime/mecha setting than Mutants and Masterminds, which is a general comic book/superhero game. And both are point buy type games with a lot of options/powers available, so BESM doesn't even have the advantage of simpler rules. If anything, they're more complicated.

Zahhak
2013-04-02, 06:28 PM
Wow, surprised at how many results. Thanks guys.

I guess unless someone has something better, I'll probably just mod some DnD or HERO rules. :smallfrown:

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-02, 07:01 PM
I guess unless someone has something better, I'll probably just mod some DnD or HERO rules. :smallfrown:
You need to say more about what you want out of a Mecha RPG.

As far as flavor goes, not much beats Bliss Stage (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/BlissStage?from=Main.BlissStage). You can get it for $13 (http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16587) or $1 (http://swingpad.com/dustyboots/wordpress/?page_id=244)

If you want mechanical details then I'd say either Heavy Gear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Gear) or MechWarrior (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/MechWarrior_%28RPG%29). The most recent MechWarrior Edition seems to be A Time of War (http://www.sarna.net/wiki/A_Time_of_War) but you're on your own for finding copies of those games.

tensai_oni
2013-04-02, 07:03 PM
Don't get me wrong, I really wish I could recommend other systems I played. But they're simply... not good. I already described what's wrong with BESM - it's pretty much the same thing as Mutants and Masterminds, just done worse, with clunkier and more imbalanced mechanics.

For Mekton Zeta I have two words - Cyberpunk mechanics. Even people who LIKE Cyberpunk 2020 admit that its mechanics suck. Although I suppose that makes a decent UC Gundam system, if you want to simulate the "Strongest Newtype always wins" combat without any caring for game balance...

EDIT:
To comment on the post above. I have some issues with Bliss Stage, but it's workable enough. However it's not really a mecha system in that Bliss Stage is only really good for, well, Bliss Stage. Same for Battletech, although BT is way more mecha-like than BS (which is more of an Evangelion-inspired weird indie thing, although I mean that in a good way). It's also more western in style as opposed to anime aesthetics.

Lupus753
2013-04-02, 07:04 PM
I'm sorry, I just assumed BESM was good by glancing at the reviews on RPG.net.

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-02, 07:13 PM
To comment on the post above. I have some issues with Bliss Stage, but it's workable enough. However it's not really a mecha system in that Bliss Stage is only really good for, well, Bliss Stage. Same for Battletech, although BT is way more mecha-like than BS (which is more of an Evangelion-inspired weird indie thing, although I mean that in a good way). It's also more western in style as opposed to anime aesthetics.
Like I said, if you want a game that hits Mecha Themes (y'know, the Japanese stuff) then you can't beat Bliss Stage. It covers everything from NGE to TTGL.

Now, if you want to just play a system which focuses on the ins-and-outs of piloting an implausible robot with huge guns, either Battletech or Heavy Gear will do just fine.

BESM is terrible and should never be played, ever. I've crapped better systems than that :smallyuk:

Grod_The_Giant
2013-04-02, 07:32 PM
Mutants and Masterminds is good, and the 3e rules are available under the OGL (http://www.d20herosrd.com/). It can do mechas pretty easy-- just slap the Removeable quality on all the mech powers, and 4-8 ranks of Growth, and there you go.

If you don't mind homebrew, I wrote some spaceship rules for FATE (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268483)that have worked decently well to give the sort of David Weber style "ship's taking a pounding" feel. Just adjust the required technologies as you see fit and tell your players to draw stick figures instead of ovals. (Heck, the idea was first coined for a mecha RPG a friend was making)

Tengu_temp
2013-04-02, 07:43 PM
I third the recommendation for M&M. 2e has a dedicated book for mecha, but making them is really easy in both 2e and 3e anyway. The book just gives more options.


Like I said, if you want a game that hits Mecha Themes (y'know, the Japanese stuff) then you can't beat Bliss Stage. It covers everything from NGE to TTGL.


No, not really. Bliss Stage doesn't work for anything that's not Bliss Stage, its mechanics are too directly tied into its setting. Not to mention, they are extremely abstract and barely existing - even Fate is more meaty.

And "everything from NGE to TTGL" really isn't everything. It's just a small chunk of mecha - emotion-driven super robots.

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-02, 08:51 PM
No, not really. Bliss Stage doesn't work for anything that's not Bliss Stage, its mechanics are too directly tied into its setting. Not to mention, they are extremely abstract and barely existing - even Fate is more meaty.

And "everything from NGE to TTGL" really isn't everything. It's just a small chunk of mecha - emotion-driven super robots.
I, personally, can't find any mechanics I'd add to the basic Bliss Stage system that would make the game better. But then again, it isn't supposed to be a mecha-simulator -- it merely captures the essence of the genre.

And if you thing NGE to TTGL is a "small" chunk of the Mecha Genre, I'd like you to point out what it's missing. Even original Mobile Suit Gundam was more emotion-driven than tech-driven.

Lupus753
2013-04-02, 09:03 PM
NGE and TTGL are what we call Super Robots (though Evas are borderline). They are supernatural machines that are wildly impractical, only respond to certain pilots, are often vaguely sentient, have seemingly infinite energy, and are extremely tough. Gundams are Real Robots. They are much more practical, use up ammo, are mass-produced, anyone with training can pilot one, and are not nearly as glamorous as Super Robots.

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-02, 09:25 PM
NGE and TTGL are what we call Super Robots (though Evas are borderline). They are supernatural machines that are wildly impractical, only respond to certain pilots, are often vaguely sentient, have seemingly infinite energy, and are extremely tough. Gundams are Real Robots. They are much more practical, use up ammo, are mass-produced, anyone with training can pilot one, and are not nearly as glamorous as Super Robots.
Yes, "Real Robots" with NewTypes :smalltongue:

I'm aware of the distinction but most of the Real Robot shows pay lip service, at best, to those realities due in large part to the implausibility of giant robots.

My point here is that the themes of the Mecha Genre (e.g. horrors of war, fire-forged bonds of battle) found everywhere from Mobile Suit Gundam to TTGL are reflected with great fidelity in the rules of Bliss Stage.

If you want to ignore all that and do your best to figure out rules for skyscraper-sized railguns and beam cannons then Battletech is a better choice.

Tengu_temp
2013-04-02, 09:28 PM
I, personally, can't find any mechanics I'd add to the basic Bliss Stage system that would make the game better. But then again, it isn't supposed to be a mecha-simulator -- it merely captures the essence of the genre.

And if you thing NGE to TTGL is a "small" chunk of the Mecha Genre, I'd like you to point out what it's missing. Even original Mobile Suit Gundam was more emotion-driven than tech-driven.

Don't get me wrong, Bliss Stage is perfect at being Bliss Stage. No addition is necessary.

But it doesn't work for other things. Show me a mecha show where a mecha pilot's power is directly proportional to his intimacy with other people around him, and nothing else? Even Eva doesn't have that. Even Fafner doesn't have that, and it's the only mecha show I can think of that has an anchor the same way Bliss Stage does.

And that's just the biggest complaints, there's more smaller ones, like the rule that you can't accomplish anything without pilots leaving/dying/becoming NPCs. And the fact that a conflict is basically a single dice roll doesn't work for games where players want to have more room for cool maneuvers in combat. I'd never run my Mecha Sky Pirates game in Bliss Stage, for example.

Loki_42
2013-04-02, 09:58 PM
While we're on the subject, could I ask how good Adeptus Evangelion is? I've been considering using it for a project, but wanted to see if anyone had hands on experience. I know LawfulNice, from Dungeons: the Dragoning worked on it.

Waspinator
2013-04-02, 10:57 PM
Evangelions aren't actually robots. They're enslaved aliens in armor.

ngilop
2013-04-03, 12:17 AM
I secodn Heavy Gear it definately has that mecha feel to it.

though Mechwarrior is like big robots not so much mecha.. but then my defintion of mecha might be different.

to me its giant anime style robots, not so much the more eurpoean style.

TheOOB
2013-04-03, 01:44 AM
True20 by Green Ronin had a mecha system in the main book.

supermonkeyjoe
2013-04-03, 04:41 AM
Give Giant Guardian Generation (http://tk31.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/it-begins.html) a try, the rules are free and geared exclusively to anime-style mecha games, I haven't played it myself so can't comment on how it plays but it looks sound enough.

Lupus753
2013-04-03, 07:44 AM
Evangelions aren't actually robots. They're enslaved aliens in armor.

Doesn't matter. Their still considered part of a giant robot anime and have been used in Super Robot Wars.

Zahhak
2013-04-03, 09:57 AM
For the record: I don't care if the system is based on Anime or Western feel (some of my research is based on Western versions of Mecha and Anime), but the "Super Robot" genre can screw itself. My giant war machines will be Real Robot or nothing

Anyways, thinking I'm just going to port some DnD/HERO rules into a slim framework.

I am curious what some of the broader issues people have had with mecha game systems are though, so I can do my best to avoid them.

Tengu_temp
2013-04-03, 02:54 PM
I secodn Heavy Gear it definately has that mecha feel to it.

though Mechwarrior is like big robots not so much mecha.. but then my defintion of mecha might be different.

to me its giant anime style robots, not so much the more eurpoean style.

I understand what you mean. I don't agree with it, because all giant robots are mecha for me, but I understand. Mechwarrior has a completely different feel than most mecha anime - its mecha aren't giant soldiers, they're tanks on legs.

russdm
2013-04-03, 06:15 PM
Battletech/Mechwarrior is a system only really good at doing one thing: Having Mech battles. I have been a player in a game using the system and it doesn't rate very high to me. The battles take a while, and you really can't get away from the battles, because there is very little else to do in games. Seriously, the whole point of the game is to go around and have mech fights with people. Unless it directly affects how you approach combat, your character's goals, motivations, personality, are unnecessory. To me, Battletech/Mechwarrior was a rollplaying game more so than a roleplaying one.

vasharanpaladin
2013-04-03, 09:10 PM
While we're on the subject, could I ask how good Adeptus Evangelion is? I've been considering using it for a project, but wanted to see if anyone had hands on experience. I know LawfulNice, from Dungeons: the Dragoning worked on it.

For what it does, very. My group's had some complaints about the lack of variance with A.T. Field combat once you get into it, though.

snoopy13a
2013-04-03, 10:49 PM
Battletech/Mechwarrior is a system only really good at doing one thing: Having Mech battles. I have been a player in a game using the system and it doesn't rate very high to me. The battles take a while, and you really can't get away from the battles, because there is very little else to do in games. Seriously, the whole point of the game is to go around and have mech fights with people. Unless it directly affects how you approach combat, your character's goals, motivations, personality, are unnecessory. To me, Battletech/Mechwarrior was a rollplaying game more so than a roleplaying one.

The Mechwarrior universe has hundreds of planets and over a dozen factions. Its background has a large amount of tie-in novels, several different tabletop games, and a plethora of sourcebooks. A Mechwarrior game does not necessarily have to be small unit Mech combat only.

Mechwarrior was my go-to game back in the day and our campaigns were all over the map (or galaxy). We had campaigns where our characters weren't mechwarriors but rather intelligence agents performing James Bond-esque missions against enemy successor states. We'd did the whole Solaris VII deal where the characters attempted to gain fame and fortune both in and out of the arenas.

We've had characters work for a wealthy merchant in a secret war against a corrupt bandit king. We did the whole "Clan character wants to get a bloodname" routine. We had our characters fight space battles with Aerospace fighters, dropships, and warships.

So there's really a lot to do.

supermonkeyjoe
2013-04-04, 03:03 AM
For the record: I don't care if the system is based on Anime or Western feel (some of my research is based on Western versions of Mecha and Anime), but the "Super Robot" genre can screw itself. My giant war machines will be Real Robot or nothing

Anyways, thinking I'm just going to port some DnD/HERO rules into a slim framework.

I am curious what some of the broader issues people have had with mecha game systems are though, so I can do my best to avoid them.

Ahhh in the future you might want to refer to the style as mech, as far as I understand Mecha = Super robot Mech= more "realistic"

tensai_oni
2013-04-04, 08:01 AM
Ahhh in the future you might want to refer to the style as mech, as far as I understand Mecha = Super robot Mech= more "realistic"

It's just you as far as I know. Most people use the words mech and mecha interchangeably. There are also 'mechs, which is to say Battletech units - but the apostrophe is important!

Hunter Noventa
2013-04-04, 09:12 AM
Ahhh in the future you might want to refer to the style as mech, as far as I understand Mecha = Super robot Mech= more "realistic"

I also think at some point the folks who made Battletech had some form of trademark on the use of mech, so most other properties went with the use of Mecha to refer to any and all giant robots.

I too have been dismayed by the lack of good systems for giant robot combat. We actually did fairly well simulating mecha in pathfinder when one character took leadership and had a sentai team in golem-based robots as followers, but it's not for everyone.

Mecha and Manga is likely your best bet, the only other system I can think of that has lots of robot rules already is Palladium/RIFTS, and we ran a very enjoyable Macross-based game with it, but the system IS very clunky at best, possibly worse than Cyberpunk 2020.

Zahhak
2013-04-04, 03:53 PM
Ahhh in the future you might want to refer to the style as mech, as far as I understand Mecha = Super robot Mech= more "realistic"

Or "Mobile Suit", since I grew up on Gundam.

Mando Knight
2013-04-04, 07:26 PM
Ahhh in the future you might want to refer to the style as mech, as far as I understand Mecha = Super robot Mech= more "realistic"

It's just you as far as I know. Most people use the words mech and mecha interchangeably. There are also 'mechs, which is to say Battletech units - but the apostrophe is important!
Technically, the term "Mecha" can be used to refer to machines in general, not just giant robots, but is most commonly used in the US to refer to giant robots, be they "Real" or "Super" (though due to current levels of science and technology, all "Real" robots have some kind of "Super" tech... they just wouldn't work otherwise).

'Mech is a registered trademark (currently held by The Topps Company, Inc., which is the current owner of the BattleTech IP).

paddyfool
2013-04-04, 07:31 PM
The anime RPG Big Eyes, Small Mouth once released a supplement called Big Robots, Cool Starships. Unfortunately, that game stopped being sold since 2006, and I don't know if any PDFs are available.

We tried this for my friend's somewhat Robotech-inspired game based alternately around Mecha combat and intrigue... it didn't really work v. well, and we switched over to FATE Starblazer with some of this homebrew material bolted on (http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/?CDCookie=cubicle7&trk=cubicle7&showtopic=773).

illyrus
2013-04-05, 03:05 PM
Strands of FATE has mechs as an example under its vehicle rules and has the PDF for $10. Building some sample mechs were pretty easy for me and seems to play just fine (tested more in a ShadowRun setting). It does not have hit location combat but I actually don't care for it as it can turn a 15 minute combat into 4 hours.

Technically you could also use the vehicle/drone rules for ShadowRun (SR4A). Gives a bit more depth but combat doesn't take forever like Battletech. Also has some exoskeleton sized mechs in the base setting and the ability to mod out tank sized mechs. From what I remember of general vehicle and drone combat there is a thin line between shots not piercing armor and doing tremendous damage to the unit which may not be what you're looking for.

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-05, 03:05 PM
OK, this thread has provoked the Game Designer in me. I am now making a rules-light Real Robot Mecha RPG, but I have some questions:

(1) Do we want the game to be armies v. armies or Heroes v. Heroes?
Your traditional Mecha anime is typically a story of Heroes v. Heroes (or anti-Heroes, whatever) in which a few Pilots always carry the day. Rules for such a game would permit Mecha Mooks, of course, but focus more on the individual power of the Mecha.

However, if the OP actually wants an "army vs. army" game in which the individual heroism of soldiers is nice but doesn't win battles (or wars!) then we would need a very different rule set.

(2) How much do you want this to be a Tabletop Wargame?
Lots of mecha "RPGs" are little more than glorified wargames in which elaborate maps with rules for facing, terrain and ranges are the dominant feature. If this is the sort of game you want, then you should just play Battletech or Warmachine.

At the other end of the spectrum is Bliss Stage which has no maps or really any "rules" for the care and feeding of Mecha. I know you don't want that.

So how far away from being a Tabletop Wargame do you want it to be? Do we care what the Pilots do when they're not in Mecha? How much game-time do we want to devote to those exploits? How much "battlefield detail" do you want during the battles?
Once that's settled, I can really get down to work.

If you're interested in a preview, here's where I am now:

The basic mechanic is a dice-pool Success Test resolution with fixed Target Numbers and advantages/disadvantages add and remove dice from the Pool respectively.

Pilots have one dominant combat trait (e.g. Marksman, Brawler, Lucky) which informs their fighting style. They can purchase additional combat abilities via the advancement mechanism (Veteran Points) along Skill Trees (e.g. Sniper, Hand-to-Hand, Ambush).

Mecha range from 8' to 15' tall and all have a Longshot Shield. The Longshot Shield is a bit of Applied Phlebotinum (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AppliedPhlebotinum) to make Mecha Combat a reasonable feature of the setting. It only works on man-shaped figures within those size ranges and has the dual feature of providing perfect ECM for Guided Munitions and being able to "nullify" any incoming projectile that it can "see" from long enough away. This gives Mecha a benefit over tanks and keeps fighting within "reasonable" ranges for Mecha Combat.

The Mecha themselves will have Frame Ratings (how "advanced" the structure is), Durability (roughly analogous to HP), Armor and a series of Weapon Slots and weapons that can fit in them. I figure nobody really wants to deal with Fuel, so these guys get "long enough" batteries. Also I leave room for customization of Mecha with the possibility of "overclocking" them if they have more Upgrades than their Frame Rating can support.
So answer those questions and let me know what you think. You may be my future customers :smallbiggrin:

Zahhak
2013-04-05, 04:14 PM
Actually, I was thinking of doing something similar. I've had an idea in the back of my mind, largely undeveloped, for a "scalable" wargaming system that is meant to be able to be able to shift between the operational, strategic, tactical, and individual unit level. Wrap that idea in a sci fi coating, and you have a system that is atleast unique.

That was part of why I asked about the failings of other mecha systems.

Mando Knight
2013-04-05, 11:21 PM
Actually, I was thinking of doing something similar. I've had an idea in the back of my mind, largely undeveloped, for a "scalable" wargaming system that is meant to be able to be able to shift between the operational, strategic, tactical, and individual unit level. Wrap that idea in a sci fi coating, and you have a system that is atleast unique.
...You mean Battletech? It has its flaws, but has rules for all those levels.

Oracle_Hunter
2013-04-06, 10:32 AM
...You mean Battletech? It has its flaws, but has rules for all those levels.
Yeah, if Zahhak wants to make a rules-heavy mecha wargame that rolls from strategic to tactical views he's going to want to play the one that already exists first. That's basically Rule #1 of Game Design.

IMHO, such gaming is best left to video games (where the numbers are easily crunchable) or to tabletop wargaming (since there is no "roleplaying" to speak of). Best of luck though :smallsmile:

snoopy13a
2013-04-06, 11:59 AM
Yeah, if Zahhak wants to make a rules-heavy mecha wargame that rolls from strategic to tactical views he's going to want to play the one that already exists first. That's basically Rule #1 of Game Design.

IMHO, such gaming is best left to video games (where the numbers are easily crunchable) or to tabletop wargaming (since there is no "roleplaying" to speak of). Best of luck though :smallsmile:

Battletech/Mechwarrior, Battlespace/Mechwarrior, Aerotech/Mechwarrior, etc. is basically a tabletop roleplaying game outside of your 'Mech (or other vehicle) and a tabletop wargame when inside your 'Mech (or other vehicle). The balance of gameplay depends on the campaign. But even a lance-on-lance Battletech game takes awhile so if you want your Mechwarrior campaign to be more like a traditional role playing game then tailor your adventure so that 'Mech fights are one-on-one (e.g., Solaris campaign) or have your characters be spies, scouts, etc who are not mechwarriors. Or you simply just play another RPG.

Zahhak
2013-04-06, 06:39 PM
...You mean Battletech? It has its flaws, but has rules for all those levels.

Really? Because I spent quite a while trying to find a system that had rules for the operational to individual level and couldn't find one. That was a big part of the inspiration for the idea to even do this.


Yeah, if Zahhak wants to make a rules-heavy mecha wargame that rolls from strategic to tactical views he's going to want to play the one that already exists first. That's basically Rule #1 of Game Design.

Not strictly mecha focused in my idea, I just plan on focusing on individual mecha for now. Focus on one area at a time, and all. If Battletech is focused on mecha combat, or around mecha operations, that might be why I dismissed it, even if it does work on the whole scale.

I also have some other ideas for things I would like in wargaming systems that most don't strictly allow, even though it really wouldn't break anything.

Scow2
2013-04-06, 08:49 PM
D20 Modern's "D20 Future" supplement has rules for Mecha! I think they're functional, but not sure how good they are compared to other systems.

I think it runs into the d20 problem of having the mechs be worse than high-level infantry, though.

mabriss lethe
2013-04-06, 08:53 PM
Cthulhutech has integrated rules for Mecha. The system is..well... better than a good number of other big bot games.

NX_Phoenix
2013-04-15, 09:51 PM
Really? Because I spent quite a while trying to find a system that had rules for the operational to individual level and couldn't find one. That was a big part of the inspiration for the idea to even do this.

The new Battletech line scales with various books. A Time of War is a personal and small vehicle scale proper RPG. Total Warfare is the main Battletech 'mech and vehicle combat book with TechManual as rules for custom 'mech and vehicle creation. Tactical Operations covers advanced 'mech combat rules. Strategic Operations includes salvage and aerospace rules for conventional Battletech combat along with a more streamlined mass battle system. I have not actually played any of these so I cannot say on how well each book does at its own task.

On an unrelated note, if you'd like something a bit more narrative, military, and post-apocalyptic for a different game you may run in the future may I suggest The Aegis Project by John Wick. Three eras with very different styles, a variety of character types, and collaborative AIs to interface with the mech pilots.

CombatOwl
2013-04-16, 06:19 PM
FATE works well for mecha assuming you're wanting to go for a dramatic roleplaying sort of game. There really isn't much on the crunch-heavy side of things that does a truly good job at it.

Do yourself a favor and just skip BESM or the Palladium Macross game.

Kilbourne
2013-04-16, 06:56 PM
Give Giant Guardian Generation (http://tk31.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/it-begins.html) a try, the rules are free and geared exclusively to anime-style mecha games, I haven't played it myself so can't comment on how it plays but it looks sound enough.

I'm playing in a Giant Guardian Generation game right now, and I think the system is great. It is best used for more 'super robot' style games, and the more fanciful of the Gundam stuff, but with a quick re-fluff of some of the abilities you could easily run a more tech-based game.

It's well made, and you can easily contact the devs with questions if you have them, at #gggrpg on irc.rizon.net



While we're on the subject, could I ask how good Adeptus Evangelion is? I've been considering using it for a project, but wanted to see if anyone had hands on experience. I know LawfulNice, from Dungeons: the Dragoning worked on it.

Funnily enough, LawfulNice is working on GGG right now. I don't know how much involvement he's had with AdEva recently - he hasn't been in their development channel in ages.

As for how well Adeptus Evangelion works: it does Evangelion well, and that's all it does. If you're not playing an Evangelion game, I cannot recommend it. Even when playing Eva, it has some wonky rules, and can be over-complicated. However, it is completely playable, is extremely play-tested, and any rule questions can be answered by the devs on their irc channel, #adeptusevangelion on irc.rizon.net

NX_Phoenix
2013-04-17, 10:54 PM
Small, but potentially useful tangent: has anyone here tried the mech rules in the Core Edition of Stars Without Number? If so, how are they?

rabindranath72
2013-05-03, 02:52 AM
Look no further than here:
http://www.myheroicjourney.com/mecha/
one of the best Mecha rpg (if not the best.) It does well most types of Mecha (though I am partial to the Real Robots genre), has a very interesting tactical approach which however is not anal like many other games, allows for nice character and mecha customisation without being too crunchy, and is easy to prepare and run. It's now my go-to game for the mecha genre (and I have tried many games in the last 25 years!)
Note that a 2nd edition is in preparation, but the current version is quite cheap in pdf.

Man on Fire
2013-05-03, 04:04 AM
And if you thing NGE to TTGL is a "small" chunk of the Mecha Genre, I'd like you to point out what it's missing.

Armored Trooper VOTOMS.

My recommendation - Savage Worlds. You jsut make two sheets, one for pilot and one for mech. When you go into mech battle, you use the latter.

Hunter Noventa
2013-05-03, 11:58 AM
Armored Trooper VOTOMS.

My recommendation - Savage Worlds. You jsut make two sheets, one for pilot and one for mech. When you go into mech battle, you use the latter.

GGG works the same way from what I've read basically.

And yeah, it comes with a default setting, but that's easy enough to refluff.

I'm looking forward to my group giving it a try, but we just recently started on a PF game so it'll be months at the least.

Starbuck_II
2013-05-03, 12:13 PM
Dragon Mech is a D&D sourcebook that has "western" mech similar to Mech Warrior (as opposed to "Japanese" Mechs like Gundam)

Western mechs are usually bulky and more "realistic".
Japanese Mechs are more row row, fight the powa, drill that pierces the very heavens, and more fantastic. :smallcool:

Felhammer
2013-05-03, 01:50 PM
There was a d20 Mecha book that came out a few years back, which as a 3rd party supplement for d20 Modern/Future. There was another monster manual of sorts that supplemented the supplement. Since they were all d20 based, I bet you can find them on the net some where. :smallsmile: