BRP Mecha-Ideas?

[Charles Green]

I've always loved the idea of using mecha and other equipment from that particular brand of sci-fi, but have never really seen a rules system that handled them with the same level of intuitiveness and ease of use as BRP.

Simply treating them as vehicles with the appropriate stats doesn't feel right to me. It lacks a certain something.

Has anyone else given this any thought?

[tal]

I don't have BRP 0 and not a fan of mecha but could you build them using the super power rules? If not those included in brp 0 how about the rules from the superworld boxed set?

[Celhan]

I've always loved the idea of using mecha and other equipment from that particular brand of sci-fi, but have never really seen a rules system that handled them with the same level of intuitiveness and ease of use as BRP.

Simply treating them as vehicles with the appropriate stats doesn't feel right to me. It lacks a certain something.

Has anyone else given this any thought?

Well, the team that produced Les MeCHas pour BaSIC (that's "Mecha for BRP", unsurprisingly) have the germ of a system going there-- it's available (in French) in the downloads section here at BRP Central.

Under these rules, Mecha are designed something like characters-- they have a STR-equivalent characteristic, a SIZ-equivalent, a DEX-equivalent, and a couple of mecha-specific traits. These are on a different and only vaguely-defined scale-- deliberately vague, in order to make the rules work for as broad a range of backgrounds as possible. For some Mecha with a "synchro"-style interface, you use the character's agility skills with a mecha-specific penalty. Other mecha have a specific mecha piloting skill.

I had most of an English translation of this thing done. The problem is that it's still in the design phase, and the design is being done (if it's still an active project) in French. So there are only vague guidelines on how to do things like allocate armor or run combats. There are no fully-designed mecha there. No fully statted weapons-- or fully statted anything. It's very much a work in progress, hard-hat-required area.

I think the idea of modeling Mecha as characters, but on a different (mecha-specific) scale works rather well in the other games that have gone this route. I'd probably stress the analogy more than was done in Les MeCHas, giving them equivalents for CON, and maybe POW, INT, and APP too. I wouldn't mind some kind of RQ-like table for figuring out the structure and armor points, something along the lines of the table Battletech used.

Gosh, now I want to go and design a system. See what you did?

[Simlasa]

I've always wondered about mecha RPGs... they seem like they'd be so equipment/combat oriented that I'd wonder what the storylines would be like... they seem more suited to wargames to me...

Though I do see the attraction of playing something like Appleseed or Bubblegum Crisis... so...

[Celhan]

I've always wondered about mecha RPGs... they seem like they'd be so equipment/combat oriented that I'd wonder what the storylines would be like... they seem more suited to wargames to me...

Though I do see the attraction of playing something like Appleseed or Bubblegum Crisis... so...

This varies a lot by the game, really. Battletech is, as you say, very equipment and combat oriented. Most of the Mechwarrior campaigns I've taken part in are brief out-of-mech scenes spliced between episodes of the board wargame; this is because most people got into the RPG through the boardgame (and because of the sternly militaristic background they invented). Battletech is probably the least typical mecha game, though.

I've also played the Robotech RPG, which was a great deal more balanced between mecha combat and other stuff. In large part this was because the group I was playing with had seen the (Harmony Gold English dub) Robotech series, and were prepped for the sort of storylines we'd be seeing in the game. It was very Mospeada-like; rag-tag warriors fighting giant alien mechas (and dealing with their personal angst) in a post-apocalyptic setting.

I understand that the Mekton ruleset is geared toward creating a more authentically anime-esque mecha experience, more balanced between the character and giant robot sides of the equation. I've never managed to get a copy-- most of the people I game with aren't into the giant robot thing.

[Atgxtg]

THe question is do you want to do mecha on thier own scale and covert or just write them up at higher stat totals so they can inteergreate with PCs and tanks?

If you are going to scale them, I'd strongly suggest an 8-1 scale for most stats. That is the progrsssion that the STR+SIZ damage bonus follows.

In BRP 56 is a 2d6 damage bouns and each 16 points of STR+SIZ after than is another +1D6.

Aty 8-1 scale, a STR+SIZ of 7 id a 2D6 damage bonus and each 2 points above that is worth an extra damage die.

So

8-9=+3d6

10-11= +4d6

13-14=+5d6

and so on, making it easy to covert back to personal scale when needed.

Also at this scale a +4d6 damage bonus would be worth about +1D3 in mecha scale.

Depending on how you did this Armor Points could be treated as a stat, and people could build mecha using a point build character creation method.

That would force PCs to choose between more speed, durability, strength, or armor.

[Trifletraxor]

Well, the team that produced Les MeCHas pour BaSIC (that's "Mecha for BRP", unsurprisingly) have the germ of a system going there-- it's available (in French) in the downloads section here at BRP Central.

Actually, it's not there anymore, as the we did not have the authors permission to host it, and he had a copyright notice on his site. If you happen to translate it, and add to/improve upon the design, then we'd very much would like to host it though.

SGL.

[dracopticon]

I've always loved the idea of using mecha and other equipment from that particular brand of sci-fi, but have never really seen a rules system that handled them with the same level of intuitiveness and ease of use as BRP.

Simply treating them as vehicles with the appropriate stats doesn't feel right to me. It lacks a certain something.

Has anyone else given this any thought?

I own Fasa's Battletech RPG; Mechwarrior 2nd Ed. It's surprisingly good and has even game mechanics that you can adapt (with a little work) for BRP. Right now I can't give you an example, but I could look it up for you.

Try to find the rules and you'll have a lot of examples of Mech vehicles.

The setting is also very good. Five great houses that fight for the succession of Earth's old Imperial Throne. I recommend a read.

Erik Brickman.

[Atgxtg]

I've been working on some starship rules based on the ones we have on the wikii. And when I think about it, they would work okay for mecha. For the most part you selectect a SIZ and TEC (INT) rating and that gives you a certain amount of SPACE (SIZ+TEC)x5 to you can allocate towards the other attributes and things like weapons. Stats cost 1 SPACE a point, and Weapons cost 1 space per point of max damage. Weapons get a base range based on the damage, but can alter it with increased range costting more space, and reducing the range providing a discount. Some abilties are limited by the TEC rating of the craft.

The craft are handled with skill rolls for things like piloting and weapon use by the character operating the vehicle. I even got a Macross style movable shield option). A few terms get changed to make it sound more like machines than people, Hit Points are Hull points, Major Damage Level instead of Major Wound Level and so on. Ships can take System damage as well as Hull Point damage, and there are some guidelines for scaling them for character. A SIZ 13 on the ship scale is much larger than a SIZ 13 on the character scale.

Most of this would probably work for Mecha pretty easily too. For instance, if you designed a 1D10 damage weapon that would take 10 SPACE, and sold off the range down to 0 you could save 2 SPACE and end up with a 7 SPACE weapon that could be called a energy blade or battle axe or some such.

Most of the rules would port over as is, and I think I'd just need to add in something for ground MOV vs air MOV. Not tough, as it I can figure that out while typing, and something to handle variable geometry craft (a bit tougher, but certainly possible, mostly it would be some abilities that you can only use in certain modes and so get a break on the cost. Like a flying ability that can only be done in jet mode might give you 3 MOV for the price of 2 but wouldn't be usable in Battroid mode).

Do this sound like the right mix of vehicle and character to represent mecha?

[Conrad]

I've always wondered about mecha RPGs... they seem like they'd be so equipment/combat oriented that I'd wonder what the storylines would be like... they seem more suited to wargames to me...

Though I do see the attraction of playing something like Appleseed or Bubblegum Crisis... so...

I'd be inclined to agree that mecha games are on the cusp between wargames and roleplaying. However if you keep your mecha small, more like powered armour I think that you could keep the scenarios to a more human level.

You might want to check out Cthulhu Tech to see the background. It appears suitable for mecha and human scale scenarios, but it doesn't use the BRP rules.Which I consider a cardinal sin!

[Kloster]

...

I understand that the Mekton ruleset is geared toward creating a more authentically anime-esque mecha experience, more balanced between the character and giant robot sides of the equation. I've never managed to get a copy-- most of the people I game with aren't into the giant robot thing.

Mekton is quite good at recreating the atmosphere of Mecha Anime. It is using Talsorian games in house system (Interlock). I have it (in french, by Oriflam), but never enjoyed it.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

[Atgxtg]

Mekton is quite good at recreating the atmosphere of Mecha Anime. It is using Talsorian games in house system (Interlock). I have it (in french, by Oriflam), but never enjoyed it.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

I've got Mekton. It's good for the Giant Robot style from 70s anime, where the robots take several hits, but doesn't do stuff like Macross as well.

Dream Pod' 9's Silhouette system is another good mecha RPG, and Cthulhu Rising does seem to bear a few similarities to it in how it handles damage.

[dragonewt]

Is "Les MeCHas pour BaSIC" still available in any form? The mentioned site seems to be unavailable.

[Simlasa]

Since Dragonnewt did necromancy on this thread...

Has anyone done anything more with BRP mechas?

I was just looking at the sample one on pg. 276 of the BRP book...

That seems to be along the Battletech lines of mecha... walking gun platform.

I'm thinking that a fight between a couple of those would be like dueling artillery... a chase scene with tanks. Maybe with 'Heat' as an inverted form of Fatigue?

Personally I'm kind of curious how to do the wackier (sillier)... more fantastical... Kaiju level stuff... like Mazinger, Grandizer, Ultraman.

I'm guessing that when it comes to fighting such things against each other it crosses over into a different level... like battles between spaceships... and there's no real point in stating them out for interactions with regular PCs.

But maybe for superhero PCs...

[RosenMcStern]

I have statted the most classical Go Nagai Mechas in the thread below. Obviously everything is my personal view.

http://basicroleplaying.com/forum/basic-roleplaying/873-anime-superobots.html

Macross or Universal Century Mechas could be even more interesting, but remember there is a big copyright problem with this stuff.

[Ian Absentia]

I was working on just such a thing a while back, and what I decided on was really very simple: Stat the mecha out as a 2nd character on an enormous scale.

Assuming that the mecha is generally humanoid in outward morphology, it is defined simply by a STR, CON, and SIZ stat that are unique to its particular model, and a DEX modifier that works in conjunction with the operator's DEX; INT, EDU, CHA, and whatever all remain the same as the operator. Armor could be applied to individual hit locations as specified by the particular model. I was wrestling a bit over whether or not a mecha should have a POW stat, and if CON+POW or somesuch combination should provide the energy necessary for supercool guns, heroic leaps, and flight, and such.

By the way, the original concept that I was working from, à la Evangelion, was that the mecha was essentially a containment suit for a shoggoth, and that the operator was necessary to control it psychically (to the eventual detriment of the operator, of course).

!i!

[Simlasa]

By the way, the original concept that I was working from, à la Evangelion, was that the mecha was essentially a containment suit for a shoggoth

Oooo... I like that idea.

I always toyed with the notion that the DaiKaiju and giant mecha were not purely physical manifestations... that they were as much psychic emanations... ectoplasm... ether... as they were mechanical/biological... kind of like the Wraithbone of the Eldar in Warhammer 40K.

[Harshax]

Simply treating them as vehicles with the appropriate stats doesn't feel right to me. It lacks a certain something.

Could it be that the thing lacking is something simple, like accompanying illustrations?

As to mecha design: Are you looking for rules that you as GM will use to create a variety of mecha, or are you looking for something that players will use frequently during the campaign as they build bigger and better mecha?

Either way, I have a very radical idea:

Create mecha the same way you would create characters. (very *BIG* characters) They have attributes and skills, and maybe super powers, or just equipment bolted on. Their skills can improve, reflecting the character's experience with the mecha and the tinkering of dedicated engineers to improve the design.

They can even suffer major wounds, and be permanently injured.

[Harshax]

I was working on just such a thing a while back, and what I decided on was really very simple: Stat the mecha out as a 2nd character on an enormous scale.

I really should read everyone's responses before I post. I suggested the very same.

[Ian Absentia]

Nah, that's okay. I should have read the thread about the Superobots myself. In any case, modeling mechas as super-sized characters isn't too difficult, and there are some great ideas in the other thread.

!i!

[Kloster]

Is "Les MeCHas pour BaSIC" still available in any form? The mentioned site seems to be unavailable.

I still got it (in french), but the file is copyrighted, so I don't know if I can send it.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

[dragonewt]

I still got it (in french), but the file is copyrighted, so I don't know if I can send it.Kloster

Do you have the author's contact details (for example, listed in the file)?

[Kloster]

Do you have the author's contact details (for example, listed in the file)?

no mail, but a link that points to : gelweo at aol dot com for giving feedback.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster