What would be in your ideal mecha tabletop RPG? I'm working on designing one...

What would be in your ideal mecha tabletop RPG? I'm working on designing one, focusing on lightweight combat mechanics and high customization. Apart from those, what have you always wanted from a mecha system?

A Custom Robo based system? Sounds like an interesting project. I've mulled over this concept a few times in my head so I'll post the main points I keep revisiting to help establish a baseline for you OP

The system should be lightweight and fast like you previously mentioned. If a pilot or builder section of the game exists, they should utilize different stats from the mech all together. The builder could possibly have a "Creativity" or "Skill" stat that influences the degree of customization his mech parts can receive.

The system must either include a large Armory with preexisting parts of a large variety or a method of customization that does not bog down the core gameplay excessively. Maybe parts customization utilizes Traits or Effects that modify existing "template" parts. I've had experiences making a massive database like the Armory idea and overall lean towards freeform customization since it was a nightmare to type up but the option is still present and has it perks like ease of balancing options.

For example, a few baseline templates could be "Standard", "Close Range" or "Long Range." Applying traits like "Powerful" could lower range but up damage. Some other Traits could be akin to "Spread", "Freeze", "Angled", or "Rapid Fire". Cosmetic Traits such as "Dragon: could also exist

For core dice system, I never really settled for one, but it should involve contesting rolls of some kind. For a Metroid RPG I designed, stats influenced how many d6 you rolled like a d6 pool that was then compared to contesting rolls or DCs, so something like that could work. I'll attach it to give you an idea of what I mean.

Last up, I'd be happy to lend some more ideas over Skype or something. I design systems in my free time and am just finishing up another update on my Fire Emblem game so I'd be free to throw ideas out or refine existing concepts further.

I'd love to see a system for mecha within the same design niche as Legends of the Wulin, combining depth and good combat mechanics with a focus on the themes and style of the genre rather than getting into gritty details.

When it comes to Mecha RPG's, in my experience they're either so rules light the mechanics are unsatisfying for me, or they're pointlessly crunchy making it a chore to do anything.

>things are either too light or too crunchy
I think you're the problem, user.

I'm entirely self aware that I'm being picky, but OP did ask about our ideal mecha RPG, and mine lies in that specific Goldilocks zone. Although even outside of that, I like the idea of systems combining mechanical depth with more narrative focus. I dislike the false dichotomy that narrative games must be rules light and crunchy games must be realistic. Unfortunately Legends of the Wulin is the only system I've ever seen really execute it well, and even that has a boatload of problems.

You seem to have a clear idea of the sort of balance you want. Why not make a homebrew instead of being a fickle bitch?

Believe me, I'm trying, but good design is hard. Still, I'm putting things together bit by bit.

Aren't those Gunpla and Lego tabletop games like that?

Also fuck yeah Custom Robo.

Basically a more stream lined version of Mekton zeta +.

More emphasis on cool spergery like weapon building, gimmicks, and features of the mech

And less lame shit like everything involving flight from calculation of how many to slap on to reach X speed threshold, fuel amount, weight calculations for mobility penalties, etc.

When I run Mekton Zeta I drop the fuel rules and facing rules. It's so slow. Doing to calculations for multi-stage penetration is already enough of a time-killing pain in the ass.

I also make the mektons myself, so I don't really have to worry about shit going totally sideways. I fucked that up the first time I ran and let a player make a Valkyrie in a Gundam game. It wasn't a fun time for all of these people running around with beam guns when he was flying around at a third of the speed of light and had the ability to fire 200+ linked missiles in a single action.

OP here. Your second point is something I'm actively seeking to avoid, for sure. I've always thought that penalizing players for their customization choices is bad game design. It encourages players to stop focusing on having fun and instead go for powergaming and exploiting loopholes to build something overpowered.

My project isn't explicitly Custom Robo based, but it's definitely a big influence.

I've also been working on that relies only on d6s and has semi-autonomous units.

You assume the role of a commander of a unit of giant robot pilots and you relay orders for them to carry out -- their courage, discipline and intelligence will affect how well the orders are carried out, if at all. The pilots are also randomly generated, having differing backgrounds and traits. The results of battles also occasionally add on traits that can affect their discipline as well as courage, such as trust/respect in the commander or fear of combat.

I figured it wouldn't be Custom Robo based but there are still a lot of concepts I mentioned you could apply to a more generic system

Yeah but the thing is that second aspect of the building is there cuz it wanted to be a tacticool wargame/ strategy rpg with those "realistic" aspects

But I don't care about that wargamey tacticool shit and just want the indepth customization on the cool shit

Yeah I keep hearing that a GM should be very close in tthe bot making process as parity between players becomes difficult to have.

People always hate me when I say this, but whatever. My preferred mecha system is 4e D&D with a refluff paintjob. Short rest is time to recharge and reload. Long rest is time in a garage.

Granted, I specifically like heroic character-driven mecha media, and 4e is especially good at making the PC's feel like THE MOTHERFUCKING PROTAGONISTS. It works well if you're trying to play a game where the PC's are (for whatever contrived reason) the only people capable of piloting the ptototype supermechs (asside of course from the evil equivalents, that will be solo monsters.)

There's a clear distinction between mook opponents, soldier opponents, elite opponents, and MOTHERFUCKING KAIJU/Prototype-evil-mech.

Not everyone likes 4e, but half of them don't like it because it's "not D&D" but when you're explicitly running action-hero-mecha-anime, that's not really an issue.

I've wanted to play something like this for a long time. How does it work? Do you play with a group, or is it more of a player vs GM thing? Or some sort of solo game maybe?

Does this game have a name or any way I can keep up with it?

Have you ever looked at Battle Century G? It also pulls off the MOTHERFUCKING PROTAGONISTS thing and is actually designed as a mecha game in the first place. I get it if you just like 4e's mechanics though, do whatever works for you.

I knew it was just one fucking guy that keeps posting the 4e mecha meme.

>Have you ever looked at Battle Century G? It also pulls off the MOTHERFUCKING PROTAGONISTS thing and is actually designed as a mecha game in the first place. I get it if you just like 4e's mechanics though, do whatever works for you.
It's not just that I like 4e, I, and others, like 4e better for mecha than for fantasy adventure. For example, AEDU works better for ammo and heat synch than it does for diverse magic systems.
>I knew it was just one fucking guy that keeps posting the 4e mecha meme.
I've seen plenty of others posting it, though I'm often the first. I'd guess that about 50-60% of the posts suggesting it are me. I'd like to think the others are people who've tried it thanks to my suggestion, but then again people had been suggesting/trying it at my old college sinve 2009.

A system that allows a superior pilot in an inferior machine to beat an inferior pilot in a superior machine.

This.

>I knew it was just one fucking guy that keeps posting the 4e mecha meme.
Definitely not, as I'm occasionally one of those guys. Less now, as the campaign's currently mothballed for scheduling reasons.

Well, it's not 4e per se, but Gamma World 7e--but that is just a stripped down and streamlined 4e.

I don't have any sort of blog really, but I've been drawing inspiration from XCOM, Front Mission, Gundam, Mordheim and an indie game called Armello.

From how I perceive it thus far, it's a blend of a wargame and an RPG can that would likely be player versus player, but can also be player vs GM. I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse chase between White Base and Char's Musai cruiser at the beginning of Gundam, and how combat and character interactions might be with a motley crew, and drew inspiration from it.

Players have keep morale up of the pilots, have their mechs repaired, upgraded or get better mech units, and keep as many of them alive. Should pilots keep dying under your command, they would become more disobedient, there could be a mutiny from the squad, or your faction could disbar you from command. Total loss conditions would be disbarment, mutiny or commander death.

As long as it has rules for building bioengineered kaiju I'm game

Interesting read. Never would have thought to play a game as the guys who get killed offscreen in Prime 2 but I can dig it.

If you are still around and open to feedback might I suggest adding in bookmarks? I tend to jump around documents a lot and while you have links in the Table of Contents, bookmarks would make for faster referencing.

That pdf is actually just a quick copy I made for this thread. The old v1 has proper bookmarks and this v2 handbook hasn't had bookmarks added to it yet, but it is indeed on the list of things to do. Glad you liked it though

Something that balances a base rules-lite mechanic (like MiniSix or the Dark Heresey d100 or something like that) but also allows for a decent amount of mechabuilding so that you can, if you want, spend a lot of time building that perfect machine.

It has customization options that lets you play Mechwarrior-type slow and clunky robots to Zone of the Enders SPEED-y supermechs.

It also lets you play around with scale, so you can, if you want, play robots as big as Evangelions or as small as VOTOMS.

And, finally, characters and their skill-sets are important, so that it's possible for an amazing pilot in a poor machine to beat a shitty pilot in an amazing machine.

My ideal system would be involved as fuck, but built around an inherently simple base system so that it's easy to pick up and learn or teach.

Make sure to include super-light "Power Armor" type mechs, some folks like being in robot battle suits that aren't huge.

I'd recommend it too; was itching to play a game like that, but it fell through. I will be running a Strike! mecha oneshot based on Armored Core in the near future though.

However, neither system is exactly fitting for OP's purposes, if he really wants to go full Lego on building mechs, without homebrewing.

I've always wanted a system that would allow a master pilot in a crap mech get the better of an inexperienced pilot in a tooled up mech

I attempted to make a super quick mecha game based off the super-lite World of Dungeons rules. I also tacked a small one-shot mission to trial it

>A totally-not-patlabor-unit has been called in to deal with terrorists who have taken over a software building in the middle of the city

I was also working on a larger, more detailed game but then real life got in the way and its been in hiatus for months.

I visited the blog listed in the PDF and didn't find this document so I can keep up with the development. Is there a place I could go to do that?

Cthulhutech :^)

I haven't updated that blog in a while but this is something I've been meaning to put on it. It should be uploaded by the end of the day so just check back once in a while

Cool, thanks.