Dudes, I need a system. A system for mechs!

So I'm planning to run my first game in the near future and could use some advice from you guys. Plan so far consists of:
>players are a rag-tag group of mech pilots and their support units (mostly maintenence vehicles and some light attack vehicles)
>a technologically advanced enemy has overrun the planet, placing the group's starting position far behind the enemy battle line
>luckily for the group, the enemy force's haste has left them strung out far and wide over the continent, forcing their pilots to operate in small, isolated groups or even alone in the case of larger mechs which are quickly outpaced by friendly support
>the campaign objective is the space elevator on the other end of the continent; they need to make it to the elevator before the enemy can break the friendly forces holding the evacuation point or else they're trapped on the conquered planet
>player mechs are analogous to HAWKEN-style small/medium frames; fast, lightly armored, zip around with their rocket/jet engines while taking snapshots with small cannons and missile/rocket launchers. Strong emphasis on minimizing exposure time and maximizing their maneuverability
>enemy mechs are going to be big stonkin' things. Plan for them to be roughly on the scale of Battletech, with even their lighter machines dwarfing the players.
>players will be able to pick and choose a bit on what they'll be encountering; satellite and other long range transmissions are spotty but they'll have intermittent contact with their commanding officer who will pass along intel on enemies in the area, locations to find supplies like ammunition or food, or nearby friendly units they can meet up with/rescue to increase their chances of not dying horribly

Cont. 1/2(?)

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The issue right now is I don't have a system. I'm digging through the Chromestrike system right now (as in it's open and I'm reading through it as I type this) but what I see so far doesn't really seem to match what I'm looking for. I've got the Mekton Zeta Plus PDF lined up next once I'm done digging through Chromestrike, but I wanted to ask if anyone had a system they'd like to recommend before I got stuck into a 300 page book about flashy robits.

Also general advice thread for anyone who wants it I guess. I'm certainly open for ideas and advice myself.

Battletech?

The thought occurred to me but isn't Battletech a wargame? Would I be able to reasonably adapt it for a campaign where everyone is playing something analogous to a 10 ton mech?

Mechwarrior is the Battletech RPG.

>>player mechs are analogous to HAWKEN-style small/medium frames; fast, lightly armored, zip around with their rocket/jet engines while taking snapshots with small cannons and missile/rocket launchers. Strong emphasis on minimizing exposure time and maximizing their maneuverability
>>enemy mechs are going to be big stonkin' things. Plan for them to be roughly on the scale of Battletech, with even their lighter machines dwarfing the players.
Heavy Gear, the game you just described is Heavy Gear.

Download "Silhouette Core" which is the system it runs on, enjoy.

Oh. I thought it was just the name of the video game series. I'll definitely look into it then.

Battle Century G.

any system for mechs that are heavy and slow?
i mena i enjoy fast mechs as much as the other guy, but i do have an exagerated love for slow moving bulks of armor and guns

If you want a comparatively rules-light one, I would suggest Wield by John Wick. With the Sentient Frames addition. Discovered it a couple of days ago, the link is still in the PDF Share Thread.

Most all Mecha systems do it, just don't give them fast speeds.

You could look at Heavy Gear, it has Votoms like mechs and Striders, than are more like battletech mechs (way smaller tough). It also includes lots of vehicles from space ships to APC, artillery, hovertanks, VTOL, aircraft, Landships etc.
The system they used was silcore, but it's ded now.
There is a guy than does a d6 version than it's quite good, you could look at it.
banzaidyne.wordpress.com/heavy-gear-d6/
Being d6 it's quite basic and easy to make shit for, there are quite a few games using it (like the old star wars).

>by John Wick
NOOOOOOOOOOOPE.

Probably Battletech/Mechwarrior.

The smaller mechs can be pretty quick but then you've got behemoths like the 100 ton Atlas stomping around being all menacing and shit.

Talking about size and tonnage, the striders are the mech in the far right, while a votoms mech it's the blue one under/next the Atlas.

So, because it will become the Mech general of today, what size do you like your mechs Veeky Forums?

>Mechs
>Styled after HAWKEN

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the mech on the far right a Locust from Btech? Or do you mean the suit beneath the Atlas is a Strider?

Everyone has they own taste user. I love Votoms/Knightmares like mechs, and I find Gundams sized ones silly(even when there are lots of cool suits). For some it's a pleb opinion, other agree, others lol they don't care. Let people enjoy things user, at least here in Veeky Forums. We can shitpost in /m/ if it's your thing.

I think he might be referencing the fact Hawken is a shitty game.

Well, I think this one actually has OK mechanics (surprisingly for this author). May be it's because this particular book was co-authored by Gillian Fraser. In fact, I don't like his systems either, but I lov his settings. There's only one other system he made or took part in making that I consider good. Wilderness of Mirrors. The rest are shit, yet the fluff part of his books is cool.

I like to powerslide my way to victory. Sue me.

Downloaded. Thanks user.

No you are right, I explained myself badly then, I mean strider sized (tough only the biggest ones get near that size).

Hey, I liked the gameplay in Hawken. It had a nice focus on maneuvering you don't see in most games.

Who's John Wick and why should I avoid his games?

He is making RPGs, mainly small and rules-light. Most of his systems are shit, although he has some cool settings and ideas for games. You don't have to avoid his games.

p.s. Just don't play the games as he suggests, i.e. dirty.

They remind a bit the VS from Lost planet.

So we let it die or we talk more about mechs?

You could try and convert the O.R.E. system, or just use the pre-made Mecha add-on.

Mutants&Masterminds

Has anyone here ran or played a fantasy mecha game? I'm thinking stuff like Galient, with stompy mechs supporting cavalry charges, huge siege ballistas shooting down metal behemoths and so on.

What are the two smallest power suits between the legs of that Atlas? What franchise are they from?

They seem to be the tipical Clan elemental power armor from battletech, the other it's an inner sphere one, I think the longinus.

Alright anons, since there is mech talk about, what would be the best system to run a game based off 08th MS team? No nonsense basic mechs behind enemy lines using wits and tactics to survive another day type shit

Jovian Chronicles or Heavy Gear. JC for Gundam-type mechs, Heavy Gear for VOTOMs.

>Votoms

For em they hit a fine line between looking real enough but also looking mecha enough.
If they only would go faaast, i would be too happy.

not op, but has HG rules for customizing robots ?
All i ever found were some statted out mechs.

It does, yeah, but if you're going for the "grounded and girtty" aproach you're better off going with pre-made mechs.

I like votomos sized one, large enough to carry weapons that give tanks and fortifications trouble but still small enough to have many advantages in urban or on
mountainous terrain.

actual OP here, how are modifications handled? Can PCs do in field stuff, like swapping up sensors/weapons or addiing armor?

Actually i was looking for a ruleset to play a mecha campaign in the fallout setting as a splintergroup of the brotherhood of steel strandet in europe.

So a ruleset where players can modify their scrap mechas or even desing those themselve would be a good start to capture the general rebuilding/salvaging feeling.

Yeah, they can.

That's more of a power-suit thing than mecha, really.

>That's more of a power-suit thing than mecha, really.

Ah no, that's a misunderstanding.
The general idea is that 50-100 years ago the BoS send a working cargo ship towards europe to find out what's the state there long story short: just as shitty and nuclear but different and the ship got damaged during the tour, why they stranded there on the coast of germany.

long story short, out of need those guys bonded with the locals, salvaged something called the: "Volkswagen Menschlicher Lastenträger" (Krautmecha) and broke their taboo about creating technology.

Now, a few generation later, they have created a shoddy settlement whit which they have pretty much a service for protection deal and duke it out with giant mirelurks, russian offbrand supermutants in east berlin and raiders who had the same idea as them.

>VOTOMS mecha
>go fast
Heavy Gear has what you need. Almost every Gear has retractable foot-wheels for when regular walking/running just isn't going to cut it.

>Heavy Gear has what you need. Almost every Gear has retractable foot-wheels for when regular walking/running just isn't going to cut it

Neato, so i can go fast with HG... but can i go FAST ?

Using the vehicle construction system you can go as FAST as you need to get off

>vehicle construction system
Very cool, where do i find that in the books ?
Also, is it supposed to be a GM tool or can i let my players on it ?

In 3e they're in the separate Silhouette Core book, in 2e they're just in the back of the book.

Thank you for doing the lords work user.

i found the Silhouette Core book, is there any difference between that and HG 3rd ?

HG3e actually actually requires the SilCore book, if you're not using the setting of heavy gear you honestly don't even need the HG3e book unless you want to crib some ideas from it.

DP9, the company that publishes it, had a number of RPG lines that all use the same basic system called Silhouette. Before "Core" was published the system was reprinted in the books for every game line with tweaks here and there.
So when they decided the rules needed an update they released Silhouette Core as its own "generic system," and released new editions of their game lines as setting books for SilCore.

Cyberpunk 2020 with the Maximum Metal supplement and Mekton Z would be the first games to come to my mind.

Men of culture have to band together.
Also if you want to go fast, you could use a mech used for speed like the ferret and incorporating some crazy stuff like propulsors or whatever. Simply swap the rocket pods for an actual rocket.

Jerboa is pretty fast.