Mecha RPGs

Pardon me: Wehrmacht

> Wehrmacht

Oooh! A mecha game I don't know about. Neato! Thanks for the mention.

>if you had a mega of all these OP

Goddamn, I wish. I've got some of 'em but far from all. Hell, now that I look at it, TITAN 2100 and Combat Armor Mecha are as-yet-unrealized kickstarter projects. There's also Mecha and Monsters, which was successfully funded on KS and is reportedly going into layout now.

Annnnnd crap! I didn't include "Infinity" nor "Relic Knights." Shame on me!

I guess I should make a Pastebin, huh?

Of the games in the list, I've read and/or played Adeptus Eva, Aeon Trinity, Armature, Armored Trooper VOTOMs, Backland Stride, Battlelords 23C (not even sure it belongs in the list, really), Battletech, Big Robots Cool Starships, Bubblegum Crisis, Cthulhutech, D20 Mecha and Compendium, GGG, Gurps Mecha, Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, Macross II, Maximum Metal, Mecha!!, Mechamorphosis, Mekton, Metal Wars, Rifts, Robot Warriors, Robotech, Tenra Bansho Zero, WH40K, and Warmachine.

>I've got a copy of Mekton but haven't had a chance to do much with it. I find their random character background generator absolutely fucking hilarious though and want to sit down with a few people, roll up characters in their entirity and see what happens.

Mekton has flaws, but it's still a fantastic game. Really fun, varies from simple to complicated, pretty comprehensive (though it leans a lot more toward Real Robots than Super Robots). Not only is the Lifepath a fantastic component, there's also the great "Parts Unknown" repair table, the ejection table (oh man), and plenty more great stuff.

Out of those, what are your favourite ones?

For some reason, this always reminded me of heavy gear.
youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_N9wGG4Q0

>Strike Legion (minatures wargame)

I'm liking this list, but Strike Legion is not a miniatures game, at least the RPG of it, there is a miniatures game of the same name though but that has little to due with mechs

Skiming the Preview PDF, saw this gem

>John Adams had a pet dog named Satan†
who slipped the Presidential pets into the line of succession by cleverly editing the text of a trade tariff bill

With this annotation on the bottom of the page

>† In real life. I am not making this part up

This has to be the best RPG I've ever seen.

bump!

>John Adams had a pet dog named Satan
>who slipped the Presidential pets into the
>line of succession by cleverly editing the
>text of a trade tariff bill

Man, I'd love to find corroboration of this. I'm open to believing it, but have yet to find evidence.

I'm actually having trouble coming up with a conclusion for my current Mekton campaign. It's a sequel to my previous campaign (and we've been calling it Mekton ZZ to boot).

After the end of the last campaign, where the villains attempted to push the Earth into a wormhole to a cthulian dimension, the world has rapidly gone into a new ice age. The planet was clearly going to be uninhabitable before too long, so the Earth's government decided to create a ship that would use the wormhole technology that almost destroyed the planet to travel to the nearest Earth-like planet to test its habitability.

So, at the end of things, the military base that the players were using has been overrun, the ship was damaged attempting to flee through a wormhole and is floating thousands of lightyears away. The party is split between the ship and the base on Earth.

It's the end of the semester and I'm moving out of state after this, so I need to come up with a decent conclusion. I was thinking something like Gunbuster, but I don't know how to get there.

Any suggestions?

You forgot Metallic Guardian RPG.

So which ones are any good?

>Metallic Guardian RPG

Ah! Great. Another one to add. Thank you!

>which ones are any good?

This guy here:
>I've read and/or played Adeptus Eva, Aeon Trinity, Armature, Armored Trooper VOTOMs, Backland Stride, Battlelords 23C (not even sure it belongs in the list, really), Battletech, Big Robots Cool Starships, Bubblegum Crisis, Cthulhutech, D20 Mecha and Compendium, GGG, Gurps Mecha, Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, Macross II, Maximum Metal, Mecha!!, Mechamorphosis, Mekton, Metal Wars, Rifts, Robot Warriors, Robotech, Tenra Bansho Zero, WH40K, and Warmachine

Well, Rifts and Robotech are shit. Votoms and Bubblegum Crisis are great sourcebooks but their "Fuzion" system rules are a baffling, inferior iteration of Mekton's rules. (Though at least Fuzion splits Mekton's Reflexes god-stat into two important stats.) Battlelords of the 23rd Century is shit. The D20 mecha stuff is, well, D20. Mechamorphosis is a GREAT read, I'll give it that. Metal Wars not so much. Tenra Bansho Zero is a great read, I'd love to play it. Heavy Gear and Jovian Chronicles are really well supported, and quality, but super dry to read and their Silouhette is a bit awkward. Personally I like Mekton Z best, but I modify it with quite a few house rules to fix its flaws.

Thanks! Have never known where to start with these - come from a roleplaying background, so didn't want to go full boardgame...mekton z, eh?

>mekton z, eh?

Yeah, basically. I mean... It's 20 years old... and a new edition was successfully funded through kickstarter but is over 2 years late to be delivered... And there are a lot of people on Veeky Forums who HATE it. It does have its flaws:

1. The Reflexes stat is god. This can be fixed with some house rules. I essentially use a different set of stats when I play.

2. Mecha construction can be very complex, if you go all-out. As the ref, I tend to cheat and just fill out the final numbers for the mecha without worrying about costs and space allocations. Any player building their own mek will have fun though.

The game plays really well, and is written really well. It leans much more toward Real Robots than Super Robots, but you can do Supers okay if you try.

Oh wait... Metallic Guardian RPG is Japanese language. I'm not gonna include it, then, since I'm shooting for English language only. Otherwise I'd include RuLiRuLa and a ton of others.

>Mekton ZZ

I like it already.

>black hole & colony ship backstory

Dramatic! Sounds like one hell of a campaign.

>at the end of things, the military base that the players were using has been overrun, the ship was damaged attempting to flee through a wormhole and is floating thousands of lightyears away. The party is split between the ship and the base on Earth.

Ah. Splitting the party is always a bitch.

>It's the end of the semester and I'm moving out of state after this

[sheds manly tear]

>so I need to come up with a decent conclusion. I was thinking something like Gunbuster, but I don't know how to get there.
>Any suggestions?

Hmmm, that's a toughie. Maybe something about quantum entanglement? Like, a quantum phenomenon occurs because of the wormhole(s) and the ship's crazy tech... It causes people with strong bonds to be able to reunite. Once. They must all decide together which end they'll reunite on; the ship side or the earth side.

If they reunite on the ship side, they'll escape Earth's destruction and the base being overrun, but will be wandering space looking for a new home for humanity, and the bad guys may have survived too. If they reunite on the earth side, they can stop the bad guys once and for all and ensure the ship's escape and survival, but will all die with Earth. Maybe?

Hmmmmm. Perhaps a little hackneyed. Perhaps pull something like the end of Interstellar? That was sorta Gunbuster-ish too...

I guess I'd need to know more about the situation and characters.

where people who

>where people who

Whoops. Forgot to edit that dangler off. Sorry.

Fucking ace user right here.
Thanks a lot, OP, once i get home i'm writing down all of these.
This will save a lot of time on this daily "mecha rpg pls help" threads.

You're missing BRP Mecha, a Mecha supplement for Chaosium's Basic Role Playing system.

Mechwarrior and AToW player here, MW is fine if you remember that you can spend Edge for rerolls in chargen so you don't get the "one-eyed sociopath generator" effect. AToW is less likely to fuck you over like that, but more complicated in chargen.

>Strike Legion is not a miniatures game, at least the RPG of it
>there is a miniatures game of the same name though but that has little to do with mechs

Ah! Great to know. Thank you!

>Fucking ace user right here.
>Thanks a lot, OP, once i get home i'm writing down all of these.
>This will save a lot of time on this daily "mecha rpg pls help" threads.

I'm creating a google doc for it. I'll post the link shortly.

>You're missing BRP Mecha, a Mecha supplement for Chaosium's Basic Role Playing system.

Wooo! Great, thank you. Will look it up.

>I'm creating a google doc for it. I'll post the link shortly.

Here it is:

tinyurl
period
com
slash
allmecha

[It seems the system thinks the URL is spam.]

I also added, to the bottom of the list, stuff that seems related, but not necessarily mecha-oriented. Mostly anime/manga-themed RPGs. I'm sure there's TONS more of these I've missed...

Anime Prime
BESM – Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Black Tokyo (hentai horror & ero-guro)
Bounty Head Bebop
Damage Control: The Advanced Disaster Department RPG (GMless)
Fantaji – Universal RPG
Fight! The Fighting Game RPG
Fight! Unlockables: Shonen
Kazei 5 (anime cyberpunk with mecha for Hero)
Maid: The Role-Playing Game
Monster Force Terra (play a kaiju!)
Musha Shugyo (another Fighting Game RPG)
Nova Praxis (post-singularity RPG with really fancy enhanced interactive PDF)
Open Anime
Otherworlds Zero (Maybe? Might be lame. Looks like “Destiny.”)
Panty Explosion
Shonen Final Burst
Sparks of Light (magical girls RPG)
Super Gachapon Fighter Omega Infinity!

It's a good system. Not a great one or anything particularly outstanding, but a good, solid system that does exactly what it set out to do.

Yeah, I checked online, saw it's outta print, but reviews were favorable. I certainly like it's cover.

I'm pretty sure you can get digital versions pretty easily though physical books are out of print.

The thing about doing a mecha game is that the blanket term "mecha" covers everything from a powered suit to a planet-sized fortress, but also includes wildly superheroic and/or magical powers. Plus there's sometimes cybernetics, psionics, video game ki-blast martial arts, time travel, alien races...

Basically, to make a mecha game that can handle ALL mecha fare, you basically have to creative a universal system. Like Hero or GURPs. And god knows Hero's mecha supplement was awful.

Whoops! Just found another Hero system mecha supplment. Specified for Champions, "Robot Gladiators." I'm seeing a pattern with these names.

Most of the games in OP's list are setting/style specific, only a couple of them are "universal" systems.

Oh, I see now. Robot Gladiators is a followup supplement to Robot Warriors. Much like how Battle Century Z is a followup supplement to Battle Century G.

Actually, OP's list includes "The Ultimate Vehicle," 5th ed Hero's supplement, which has a chapter dedicated to mecha. Not that you'd know from its cover.

Speaking of which, Battle Century G is a new iteration of Giant Guardian Generation.

Some user recommended adding the Project A-Ko! RPG to the list. I added it to the supplemental anime/manga games assortment that comes after the mecha games list, because it doesn't seem to be a "true" mecha game... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, adding to the anime/manga games list a recently-discovered homebrew shonen/fighting games RPG called "Thrash"

I think he meant the part about John Adams' dog being named Satan being true, not the part about the line of succession

it's currently not available for purchase in digital format either, due to some legal issues that emerged in the wake of Runequest becoming part of Chaosium again and Chaosium semi-retiring the BRP Gold Book edition

according to the author a new version that will be tied to one of the other versions of the BRP D100 system will be out in the next year or two though

which is probably why a lot of them stick to a narrower band of Mecha styles(and even the more universal ones tend to have certain types they handle best)

>it's currently not available for purchase in digital format either
So pirate it. You're not hurting anyone if they're not even bothering to sell digital versions.

Any recommendations for a fantasy mecha game? I'm looking for systems that have robust rules for human-scale activity, including the potential for some sort of magic or superpower abilities. Mechs should be on a scale similar to VOTOMS or Ryu Knight.

probably want a super's game with robot options/fluff at that point

I actually have a copy(not sharing cause it has a watermark with my name on it though, and I don't know how to remove those), just noting that it might not be easy to find

Iron Kingdoms?

There's also several D20 mecha games in the list.

Hmm. Actually, Iron Kingdomds/Warmachine should probably be in the list...

>I actually have a copy(not sharing

Aw. Meanie!

>cause it has a watermark with my name on it though, and I don't know how to remove those)

Just google "how to remove watermark from pdf".

Exalted has mecha, though the power level is probably a tad bit high for what you're looking for.

Also, what's a good, relatively easy to learn mecha system? (Exalted 3E level is my limit)

>Exalted has mecha

Interesting! I didn't know that. What do they call them? Do they have a supplement that focuses on them?

>though the power level is probably a tad bit high for what you're looking for.

Hey man, I'm always game for some godlike mecha.

>Also, what's a good, relatively easy to learn mecha system? (Exalted 3E level is my limit)

Try the base Mekton Zeta book. The construction rules aren't too complicated.

docfoc.com/176804387-mekton-zeta-core-rulebook-pdf

After you're comfortable with it, go explore Mekton Zeta Plus -- that's the advanced technical system that lets you do almost anything and is more complex.

They're called Warstriders, basically kind of like the mechs from Escaflowne. The 3e version isn't out yet but for 2e I think they're in Artifacts of the First Age.

speaking of Mecha in a fantasy context, Godbound has them, at least in the full paid version(they're left out of the free version, along with some other stuff and the art)

also the OSR games Colonial Troopers and Stars Without Number have mecha/power armor rules as well(in SWN's case once again it's specifically for the full paid version, free version leaves them out)

I don't think they're adding most of the really high-magitech 2e shit to 3e, because the devs hated it.

which would be a shame, as Exalted is a lot more generic in nature without it

Hey OP, you might want to check out Mobile Frame Zero as well. Miniatures wargame that's designed around the idea of building your mecha company (and terrain, and objectives) out of Lego.

It's also got a pretty cool setting, that's ripe for a good RP from one of the more generic books you listed.

>It's also got a pretty cool setting, that's ripe for a good RP from one of the more generic books you listed.

I do recall theirs a MFZ RPG coming out based of the Apocalypse world system

>PbtA
>Mecha
Oh for fucks sake.

Awesome. Never really had a chance to play Apocalypse World, but I hope it goes well for them. I would probably pick it up just to support them further.

I've thought about trying to knock something together in BESM before, but it's not my favorite system, and most of my friends are pretty indifferent on giant robots, sadly.

>Warstriders

Ah so. Looks like "The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I - Wonders of the Lost Age" might be a book that has a lot on them.

>Godbound
>Colonial Troopers
>Stars Without Number

Neat! I'll look into them.

Ah yes! Mobile Frame Zero. I knew I was forgetting one. Thanks!

>"The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I - Wonders of the Lost Age" might be a book that has a lot on them.

"Book of 3 Circles" too

Other than Tenra Bansho Zero, have any other Japanese RPGs been translated? I've heard good things about Tokyo Nova, and of course I'm super curious about Metallic Guardian. Wares Blade and RuLiLuRa also look really cool.

>Tokyo Nova

I was just listening to a podcast about Tokyo Nova Axleration [sic]

>PbtA

"PBtA"?

Powered by the Apocalypse.

Interesting. Sounds like it has promise. Thanks!

There's a fanslation of Tokyo NOVA the Axleration here:

mega.nz/#!oBABVIAQ!hF9D_ofyL_3T2wbgyD9ys6WbtHp_zeXynSUItDB1DvI

>Other than Tenra Bansho Zero, have any other Japanese RPGs been translated?
MAID.

There was this mecha rpg that came from the UK a few years back, but I can't remember the name anymore. Something about power armor pilots versus an alien invasion.

I found it. It's called Space Ninja Cyber Crisis XDO by Crucible Design.

>Space Ninja Cyber Crisis XDO

Wow. Now that's a deep cut.

>Infinite Mecha (rules for Infinite Frontier)
The fuck is this? There's not a single thing about it anywhere outside this thread that google picks up.

“A game set in a world filled with beautiful cyborgs, cute robots, superfast cyberbikes, powered exoskeletons, giant mechanoids, speed lines, comical pets, strange aliens, maniacal villains and demons with amazing groinal powers…..”

Sounds like a party

Your google-fu is poor.

drivethrurpg.com/product/91485/Infinite-Mechas

Groinal is my new favorite word.

>Infinite Futures is a Sci-Fi RPG geared to allow you to play any sort of Sci-Fi genre or game. Built from the Pathfinder game system
Nevermind.

MFZ is a base that really need some overhauling, as it is the rulebook is awfully layed out and there's a lot of unbalance since I last looked at it. Somebody was making a condensed version, but I don't know if it was ever finished

Man, I'd love to see a translation of Wares Blade someday.

bump

>Black Tokyo

no
stop
you fool
you'll doom us all (again)

I need a KOW designed tabletop wargame in my life.

thank you! i of course luv the idea of big mechs, but don't know where to start...

Okay, so I've thought some things out, and I think I can get myself there.

For reference, at the beginning campaign I made a wiki and it's got some info on it: mektonzz.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

It's got some neat lore stuff that was actually originally inspired by the Universal Century meets Occupy Wallstreet. I was actually planning on turning this into the setting for an RPG that was like a more streamlined version of Mekton that utilized 2d6 and had combat that played more like Dark Heresy than Battletech, but I never got around to it.

Relieving my Titanfall boner so I need an advice: what's simple to learn, pilot centred system that allows a degree of customization ? Real robot style, weapons wielded, not mounted.

what system does real robots the best?

Super robots are all well in good with their beam swords that can cleave through reality, but I personally love the feel of real robots the best , I love the fact that they require logistics and can breakdown and need to be repaired sometimes with scavenged parts due to long protracted wars,or the fact that mechs are another cog, a large cog mind you, in the war machine along with other things I love how they handle both in 8thMS team, I also love the geopolitical bullshit that comes with it especially if its set in ostensibly our world or a very similar world, like a setting that has the Federated states of America in border disputes with Neo-Germany all while trying to work with/against the Russian cooperative and the Democratic dynasty of Nippon. or like in front mission with the USN vs. the OCU is.

is there a system/setting that can capture that feel both in tone and in the rules?

I think Silhouette, the system for Heavy Gear, would work very well for something like Titanfall.

Honestly Silhouette and Battletech have the "realest" real robot rules of the lot.

>Honestly Silhouette and Battletech have the "realest" real robot rules of the lot.

What do you mean?

Because

>I love the fact that they require logistics and can breakdown and need to be repaired sometimes with scavenged parts due to long protracted wars,or the fact that mechs are another cog, a large cog mind you, in the war machine along with other things I love how they handle both in 8thMS team, I also love the geopolitical bullshit that comes with it especially if its set in ostensibly our world or a very similar world, like a setting that has the Federated states of America in border disputes with Neo-Germany all while trying to work with/against the Russian cooperative and the Democratic dynasty of Nippon. or like in front mission with the USN vs. the OCU is.
Describes Heavy Gear (Silhouette system) and Battletech exactly. Battletech even going into insane levels of details with logistics.

Most other "real robot" systems lean on the side of the cinematic, Silhouette and Battletech are the most "realistic barring the inherent unrealisticness of giant robot war vehicles" systems that don't suck.

Cool, I like your wiki! That Heaven's Gate incident sounds horrendous, yikes!

Mekton Z bro

Mekton Z can do you good.

Have you actually played Mekton Z or just built mecha and theorycrafted?

I'm not challenging you, I just find that a lot of Veeky Forums haven't actually PLAYED MZ and end up finding out the hard way that the actual play rules of MZ suck balls.

Has anyone here ever tried Giant Guardian Generation? Im interested in Playing or even GMing but I want to hear stories if people have any

>Have you actually played Mekton Z or just built mecha and theorycrafted?

I have played a metric shit-ton of Mekton. First edition, Mekton II, Mekton Z. Played 'em lots.

>I'm not challenging you, I just find that a lot of Veeky Forums haven't actually PLAYED MZ and end up finding out the hard way that the actual play rules of MZ suck balls.

I'd actually go the other way -- the construction rules need work, but the play rules are generally pretty terrific and fun. The biggest flaw of the play rules is well-known: the Reflexes stat is god. That's fixable with some house rules, and is in fact fixed (or at least addressed in Fuzion, the revision of Mekton's system). I'm actually not fond of Fuzion overall, but it does have some strong points.

Anyway, yes, I've played a lot of Mekton and I do not think the play rules suck balls. Me and my various groups have had great fun with it.

I don't think Mekton is perfect -- far from it -- but it's fun and it's got the right spirit. It's a shame Talsorian crapped out. They had a lot of great creations, but in the end they couldn't keep their shit together.

>Has anyone here ever tried Giant Guardian Generation? Im interested in Playing or even GMing but I want to hear stories if people have any

I haven't played it, but as I understand things the game's actual, official, for-sale version is called "Battle Century G."