By Chris Perrin

All Text with in is Copyright

Chris Perrin and Heroic Journey Publishing
All Rights Reserved
Written By: Chris Perrin with Additional Material
by Clint Krause
Art by Gong Creative Studios
Cover Art by Rick Hershey
Editing By Wayne Humfleet and Clint Krause
Layout: Mark Reed
Published By Heroic Journey Publishing

A Very Special Thank You to all our fans at RPG.net who were
gracious enough to point out our mistakes but not hold them
against us. This is better because of you guys.

ISBN# 978-0-9822849-3-3
 Dedication

This book goes out to my son. Youre small and youre stubborn,
but anything I ever create pales in comparison to you.

Love you booger.

A Big Thank You Goes Out To

This book owes to a lot to so many people. In no particular order,

these people include:

Clint and Aaron you guys are awesome. This game exists because
you believed in it. Same goes to Mark Reed at Heroic Journey
Publishing. Thanks for giving Mecha a home.

Master Miners Thanks for getting me through those first awkward

months when I was trying to figure this game design thing out.
You were there to hold my hand and tell me everything was going
to be okay. Matthew Gandy in particular, thanks for working on
Seiyuu. It made Mecha better. Also, Fred Hicks thanks for telling
me to shut up and write the game I wanted.

Thanks to all my Playtesters Amy Garcia, Julie Lower, Daniel Perez,

Josh Hoade, David Moore, Chris Norwood, Dane Black, Matt Gandy,
Lenny Balsera, Itamar, Andy Kitkowski, Robert Carson, Mike Silva,
Geoff Seutter, Cassie Krause and Tina Perrin.

My wife thanks for letting me shut the door and get some writing
done.

Lastly, Harmony Gold Three syllables: Ro-bo-tech.

Foreword
Table of Contents 10 Name: Hot Shot 26
Introduction 11 Name: Jackhammer 27
What Are Mecha? 11 Name: Jammer 27
What is Mecha? 11 Name: Prowler 27
A Role Playing Game? 11 Name: Ripper 27
Conventions Used in this Book 12 Name: Scanner 27
Definitions 13 Name: Slayer 28
How to Build Mecha and Generate Pilots 14 Name: Sniper 28
Step 1: Create the Pilot and Mecha Concept 14 Name: Stalwart 28
Step 2: Choose a Mecha Model 15 Name: Stonewall 28
Step 3: Select an Archetype 15 Name: Striker 29
Step 4: Spend Stat Optimization Points 16 Name: Supercharged 29
Step 5: Link Stats 16 Name: Transformer 29
Step 6: Purchase Skills 18 Changing Configurations 30
Step 7: Choose or Apply Mecha Configurations 20 Getting a New Mecha 30
Step 8: Choose Traits 20 Role Playing Configurations 30
Step 9: Choose Weapon Systems 21 Rules of the Game 31
Name 21 Going to Dice 31
Optimal Range 21 Margin of Success 31
Damage Type 21 Great Successes 31
Step 10: Give Your Pilot a Goal 21 Cut Scenes 31
Step 11: Give Your Mecha a Protocol 22 Types of Rolls 31
Step 12: Choose Your Pilots Equipment 22 Standard Roll 32
Step 13: Starting Overdrive 22 Contested Rolls 32
Configurations 23 Overdrive 32
Name: Analyzer 23 How to Gain Overdrive 32
Name: Assassin 23 GM Overdrive 32
Name: Berseker 24 Ally Overdrive 32
Name: Brawler 24 Play Structure 33
Name: Boomer 24 Scene Breakdown 33
Name: Booster 24 Declaring a Scene 34
Name: Bulwark 24 Types of Scenes 36
Name: Defender 25 Social Scene 36
Name: Disrupter 25 Field Ops Scene 36
Name: Ejector 25 Recovery Scene 36
Name: Engineer 25 Repair Scene 36
Name: Flanker 25 Not Sure What To Do On Your Scene 37
Name: Counterfire 26 Playing the Scene 37
Name: Heavy Metal 26 Multiple PCs in one Scene 38

6
 How do I Figure Out a Role Playing Objective? 38 Mooks 51
What to Do When Its Not My Scene 39 Character and Mecha Advancement 52
Why a Set Scene Structure? 39 Remembering a Fallen Hero 53
Mecha Combat 40 Losing Your Mecha 53
How to Fight 40 The World 54
A Quick Note on Narration 41 SRS Creation 54
Setting up the Bullseye Battlemap 41 The Setting Questions 54
Surprise 41 Setting Guidelines 55
The Tactical Waypoint 42 The Game Master (a.ka. the GMs) Section 56
Fighting Without a Tactical Waypoint 42 Know the Source Material 56
Spending Tactical Points 42 Story Structure 56
Initiative 42 A Few Common Tropes 57
Full Combat Actions 43 Real Robots 57
Holding 43 Super Robot Anime 58
Movement 43 Hybrid Anime 58
Strafing 44 Stories in Mecha Anime 58
Range 44 Preparing for a Game of Mecha 59
Dealing Damage 45 Campaign Prologue 59
Damage 45 How Did the Characters Meet? 60
Stability Phase 45 Establish the Story 60
Pilot Stability Rolls 46 Combat After the Prologue 61
Mecha Stability Rolls 46 What to Do on Your Turn 61
Severe Damage Phase 47 The Goal of the GMs Turn 61
Lethal Damage Phase 47 How to Start a Fight 62
Knockback 47 Bring the Pain 62
Damage Type 47 Sizing the Opposition 63
Weapon Cool Down 47 A Skirmish 64
Winning Combat 48 An Even Battle 64
Special Rules in Combat 48 A Desperate Battle 64
Taking the Bullet 48 The Role of Mooks 65
Combat Outside of Mecha 48 Turns In The Midst of a Battle 65
Personal Weapons 49 Splitting Combat 66
Unarmed Combat 49 Spending Overdrive 66
Boarding a Mecha 49 Revolution Deity Godblind: The Living City SRS 67
Buildings 49 Is This What Life Has Been Reduced To? 68
Let This Be Our Final Battle 49 The Living City 69
(Optional) Terrain 50 The Gods 69
Non-Player Characters 51 Liget 70
Soldiers 51 Khali 71
Aces 51 Yamaraj 72
Allies 51 Zanami 73

7
 Pentheus 74 Destiny III 92
Mammon 75 Abrax 93
Hinden 76 Elrand 93
Godseed 77 Gwandana 93
Armies of the Gods 77 New Medina 94
The Cancer 78 Nevia 94
The Godblind 79 The Two Sides 95
Mecha Models 80 The Arbor Defense Force 95
Model: Liberator 80 The Separatist Guard 95
Model: Male Warrior 81 Weapons of War: Steel Gunners 96
Model: Female Warrior 82 Models 98-100
The Gods Mecha 83 Archetypes 101
Archetypes 83 Hotshot Pilot 101
Archetype: Godblind 83 Mentor 102
Archetype: Godseed 83 Gearhead 108
NPC Archetype: Male Warrior 83 Dangerous Beauty 103
NPC Archetype: Female Warrior 83 Reformed Criminal 104
Sample NPC Enemies 84 Spec Ops Commando 105
Friendly NPCs 85 Noble 109
Nurse Dotte 85 Spy 106
Special Rules 85 Jaded Veteran 108
Starting Traits 85 Naive Cadet 109
Available Damage Types 85 Accidental Hero 110
Available Configurations 85 Media Darling 107
Repairing Mecha 85 NPCs 110
Swapping Mecha Systems 85 Nurse Dotte 110
The Sight of the Gods 85 Nobis Everway 111
Godblinds Range 85 The Raven 111
Communicating in the Living City 85 Dash Reinhold 112
Equipment from the Cancer 85 Donny Groceman 112
Unseating a God 86 Vehicles of War 115
Story Stages 86 Combat Motorcycle 115
First Stage: First Contact 87 Mobile Command Vehicle (MCV) 115
Second Stage: Unwanted Attention 88 APC 115
Third Stage: Deity Revolution 88 Tank 115
Fourth Stage: Heaven is Burning 89 Strike Fighter 116
Godblind or Godseed? 89 Helicopter Gunship 116
Whats Really Going On? 89 Heavy Lifter 116
Steel Gunner: Destiny Tomorrow 90 Space Vehicles 116
Destiny Arbor: What Were Fighting For 92 Dropship 116
Destiny Prime 92 Space Transport 116
Destiny II 92 Space Gunships 117

8
 Battle Cruiser 117 Hot Bot Models 132
Capitol Ship 117 Model: Quarterback 132
Space Stations 118 Model: Lineman 132
Special Rules 118 Model: Athlete 133
Mark II Intuitive Gunners 119 Model: Hooligan 134
Esper Training 120 Model: Mastermind 134
Revenants 121 Model: Cheerleader 133
Reapers 123 Model: Classmate 134
Gunner Chiefs 121 Character Archetypes 136
Story Stages 122 Archetype: Jock 136
Separatist Guard Stage One: Contact 122 Archetype: Geek 137
Separatist Guard Stage Two: Tragedy 124 Archetype: Teachers Pet 138
Separatist Guard Stage Three: Destiny 124 Archetype: Rebel 139
ADF Stage One: Contact 125 The People of Special Research School 140
ADF Stage Two: Reunion 125 Football Opponents 140
ADF Stage Three: Destiny 125 School Staff 142
Special Research School 126 Students 148
Welcome to Your First Day Class of 1966! 128 Citizens of New Edo 155
School Layout 129 Special Rules 159
Plenty of Activities 129 Available Damage Types 159
School Dances 129 Available Configurations 159
Mecha Football 129 Mecha Football 159
Clubs 130 Story Stages 161
School Cafeteria 130 Stage One: Freshman Year 161
Dont Cut Class! 130 Stage Two: Sophomore Year 162
Life Outside School 130 Stage Three: Junior Year 163
Rival Schools 130 Stage Four: Senior Year 164
Other SRS Schools: 131 Designers Notes 165
Other high schools 131 Why Mecha is the Way It Is 165

9
 Foreword
Mecha has been in design for at least two Battletech, so I wasnt new to role playing
decades now, even if I didnt know it. games. But this was different. This was a
giant robot role playing game that was based
There was once a younger Chris Perrin who on an anime series.
sat in front of a television and saw one,
exactly one, episode of the original Robotech, There Mecha was born. Once I got it in my
and knew that he was hooked. It took that head that a robot game could be written, I
Chris Perrin several years to watch another started writing. In particular, I remember one
episode, but there was just something about game called LaserTech which featured giant
watching a robot turn into an airplane and robots called Techs. /shudder
back again. I havent forgotten that day.
Bad memories. Anyway, I wrote this because
I think its also significant that the Robotech I think its important you know this book was
episode I saw featured a main character dying not merely a passing fancy. Mecha is the
and I remember thinking just how different game Ive always wanted to play. I have a
that was from G.I. Joe. No one ever died in deep passion for giant robots who walk
G.I. Joe. At least not anyone with a name. around and blow each other up (did I mention
That left me feeling like there was something I saw Robot Jox twice?). I also have a passion
better about Robotech. It dealt with real for mecha anime and I believe I have created a
issues in a way that wasnt as cartoony as book that is the ultimate expression of both.
what I had been used to.
Am I saying that this game is better than
In between the first episode of Robotech I Palladiums Robotech series or D20 Mecha
watched and the second was a span of about or Battletech or any other mecha game?
four years, give or take. During that time, I fed Certainly not. However, I will promise you that
on a steady diet of Transformers, Gobots, Mecha is the best possible game for stressing
and Voltron. So even if I wasnt watching any what I find phenomenal about mecha anime.
classic anime series, the love of giant robots
was only getting bigger. Anyway, put your mecha into overdrive, pick
up your visual scanning and get ready for
Then it happened. One day I walked into some awesome mecha anime action.
my local comic book store and happened to
run across Robotech the RPG from Palladium Chris
Books. I had already played Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, the
old Marvel Superheroes game, and probably

10
 Introduction
What Are Mecha? What is Mecha?
Okay, first things first. Before we go any further, Mecha is a role playing game.
lets define what were dealing with when we say
mecha. This game provides a complete set of rules for
players to come together and take on the roles
There are countless definitions out there about of mecha pilots who, by choice or fate, have
what is and is not a mecha. The definition in been given a mecha and are asked to take it into
Wikipedia, for instance, is six paragraphs long combat. They may or may not want to fight and
before it even gets to the table of contents. they may not even support the cause they are
Instead of trying to filter out the meat of those fighting for, but they fight anyway.
definitions, lets talk about a what mecha means
within the scope of this game Throughout the course of the game, players will
be forced to make tough decisions for their pilots.

A mecha
In return, the pilots will grow in ability, reputation,
and perhaps glory (or infamy.) Pilots will face

is a manned, challenges, some they will overcome and some

they will not. They will face change and become
humanoid war machine. different people, just like pilots in a mecha anime
series. This is at the heart of Mecha as a role
playing game.
Not too specific, huh? This definition of mecha is
left intentionally broad so that it can encompass a Mecha also provides all of the rules that players
number of different mecha anime styles. Mecha need to create a setting for the game (time period,
might be organic, robotic, or some crazy hybrid. types of mecha, etc.), create their own pilots, and
allow their pilots to interact with each other and
The important thing is that the mecha is separate with the rest of the world.
from the pilot/operator and that the mecha allows
the pilot to be better in combat then the he would
be without it. A Role Playing Game?
Role playing games are games in which players
Also, there is a great deal of debate over whether take on the roles of fictional characters, just like
mecha is plural and mech is singular or mecha can a seiyu (Japanese voice talent) would take on the
be used in both situations. The text will use mecha role of a character in an anime series.
for both one construct or many. Linguistically, I feel
justified doing this since the noun mecha stems Most people have been role playing their entire
from an adjective. It comes from the Japanese lives and not known it. If you ever played cops and
meka which refers to anything mechanical. This robbers, house, or doctor, you were role playing.
does not imply singular or plural and therefore we You took on a role that was different than who
use mecha to refer to either. you were and you did and said things different
based on that role.
That is, after all, the name of the book.

11
Of course, if your friends were anything like mine, one pilot. Instead, they play the world in which
things started to break down the minute the cap the players pilots live and all of the people in it.
guns came out. I know that whether I was the This means they play the pilots allies and their
cop or the robber, I never missed my target when enemies, make decisions for them, and roll dice as
shooting my cap gun. Somehow, my target never necessary. They are the stewards of the story.
seemed to agree. It was amazing how cap gun They get the story going by kicking off the action
fights turned into shoving matches and they keep the action up by picking fights and
then controlling the enemy force. There is a special
Anyway, thats why Mecha is a role playing game, section for how to do all of this (called running the
not an exercise in role playing. game) which gives lots of tips for being a GM as
well as some adventure ideas.
In Mecha, there is going to be conflict. Players are
going to be taking on the roles of pilots who may Oh, and one last thing. In order to play the game
have internal demons, enemies or other issues. you are going to need a lot of six-sided dice
Those pilots are going to get into a fight one (eight per player should be about right), pen and
way or the other. So there needs to be rules to paper, friends, etc. Snacks are always helpful, but
figure out if the internal drama is overcome or if an make sure they are not too messy.
attacking mecha hits its target. There has to be a
fair way to do that, and thats what the following
rules give the players of the game. Conventions Used
Also, in Mecha there is going to be story. Stories in this Book
arise from the conflicts. As pilots struggle with In order to help players new to the game, new
their own issues and as battles are won or lost, a terms will be presented in bold the first time they
tale emerges that stars each of the characters in are defined.
their own role. Obviously, with this games focus
on mecha anime, the story that gets told should Also, included in this book is a guide, so look out
include mecha in all their glory. The good news is for her. Her names Mara, thats Lieutenant Mara
that there are rules (or at least guidelines) for how Callahan to you, and shes been a pilot with the 91st
this story should emerge. Separatist Guard since the war broke out. She held
Brightan Pass against an ADF counterattack when
Of course, the rules are going to need a little help. everyone else was running for the hills. At the
Rules cannot cover every situation and the story battle of Grave Canyon, her team made it out alive
needs a narrator or a guide. Thats why we divide when half the other Separatist Guard units were
the players into two groups: the players and the blowing up around here. Command trusts her to
Game Master. take on the missions that cant fail. So listen up
when she talks and you might just stay alive She
Players are responsible for creating their own also knows shes in a game, so she can talk frank
mecha and pilot and understanding their strengths about the rules of the game.
and weaknesses. Throughout the game, they will
be responsible for adding to the story through In terms of gender, this book uses she to refer to
their pilot. They will make decisions for the the GM and he to refer to one or more players or
character, decide what the character is going to their pilots. This is intended to provide clarity and
do, and roll dice to see if the character succeeds should not be used to infer that men cannot be
or fails. GMs and that women cannot be players.
The Game Master (GM) does not create just

12
 Definitions
Here is a quick reference of a few terms that get Linked Stats Four stats which are used when the
used in the following section on creating pilots and pilot and the mecha are working together. They
mecha. All of the terms are explained in further determine how well the mecha attacks, defends,
detail below, but if you see a term in the pilot moves, and does in initiative rolls.
generation section with which you are unfamiliar,
check here first. Theres probably enough detail Model A mechas model defines its capabilities,
to get your through the pilot generation process. systems, and base stats. In game terms, the
model will define baselines for each of the mechas
Advancement Points (AP) Points awarded by the four base stats and may predetermine with which
GM for playing the game, good role playing and Configurations a mecha comes preinstalled.
for achieving goals. They can be spent to improve
the pilot. Movement Point Normally generated by rolling
successes in a Movement roll, it costs one
Archetypes - A framework for the pilots basic Movement Point to move one sector on the
profession, demeanor, and life experience. An Bullseye Battlemap
archetype helps determine the pilots strengths
and weaknesses. Optimum Range The range at which a weapon is
most effective. When a weapon is not at optimum
Base Stats Measures capabilities of the pilot and range, it suffers dice penalties to hit. Range is
his mecha. Base stats range from 1-6 and define measured in Movement Points.
how smart, strong, fast or willful a pilot is and how
well armed, fast, and well built a mecha is. Overdrive A resource used by the players and
GM alike to activate Configurations and buy extra
Bullseye Battlemap All combat takes place on a successes.
circular playing area called the Bullseye Battlemap.
It is made up of Quadrants and Sectors. Quadrant One fourth of the Bullseye Battlemap.
Each quadrant is roughly pie shaped. Going
Configurations - A Configuration is an on-board from one quadrant to the other requires extra
system that allows it to perform special actions Movement Points. The opposite Quadrant of a
in combat. given quadrant is the one directly across from it.
It is the only Quadrant with which it does not share
Damage Type The category of damage caused a side.
by an attack. The default types are missile, wave,
impact, and energy. Range The distance between mecha and its
target. It is measured in Movement Points.
Knockback The act of moving a defending
mecha after a successful attack. Sector An individual area on the Bullseye
Battlemap. Each Quadrant has three of them plus
Linking When a pilot is in a mecha, his base stats there is one sector shared by all quadrants in the
pair with the mechas base stats. For instance, the middle.
pilot may add his Agility to his mechas Speed stat
to determine the Movement linked stat. This is Setting Reference Schematic (SRS) The Mecha
called linking. term for a setting. The SRS defines the games
time period, type of mecha, major factions, and
Link Array Link Array refers to the specific way what the conflict is.
that a given pilots stats link with mecha that he
pilots. A pilot and a mechas stats always link the Stat Optimization Points Points granted by a
same way. The link array records how they link. mecha model or pilot Archetype which can be
The link array is tied to the pilot and is consistent used to increase a base stat.
regardless of what mecha he is piloting.

13
 How to Build Mecha
and Generate Pilots
In Mecha, pilot generation and mecha generation Step 1: Create the Pilot and Mecha Concept
are done simultaneously. This is because in many Before you build your pilot and the mecha he
examples of great mecha anime, the machine is the operates, you need to know what you are building.
reflection of pilot who commands it. In some cases, Do you want a hot shot egomaniac or a quiet
the mecha reflects the strengths and weaknesses force of destruction? Did you see a character
of its pilot. In others, the two form a symbiotic in a television show (mecha anime or not) that
relationship where the mechas strengths make up you would like to play in this game? This is the
for the pilots weaknesses and vice versa. characters concept.

Building your mecha and your pilot is a multi- Mecha anime protagonists tend to fall into five
step process, but most of the steps are fairly easily recognizable categories including:
short. However, before you can being character The Arrogant Hot-Shot who thinks he
generation, discuss with the GM and your fellow knows everything about fighting and
players about what type of game you want to probably does
play and which SRS you are using. These decisions The Warrior Seeking Atonement who did
will influence the character generation process. something bad in the past and is seeking
to make up for it

TO CREATE YOUR
The Spiky Haired Emo Teen who has been
thrown into battle against his will

MECHA AND PILOT:

The Rookie Phenomenon who shows up in
episode 1 with no battle experience and by
the end of the episode 3 is in charge of his
1. Create the Pilot and Mecha Concept
squad
2. Choose a Model The Not-So-Phenomenal Rookie who shows
3. Select an Archetype up in episode 1 and remains terrified of
battle for the rest of the series
4. Spend Stat Optimization Points
5. Link Stats And of course, there are combinations of these
6. Purchase Skills concepts and many more to boot. You can start
7. Choose or Apply Mecha Configurations to get an idea of your concept from this list.
8. Choose Traits Also, each SRS has a list of pilot Archetypes which
9. Choose Weapon Systems reflect what types of pilots you can play. These
10. Give Your Pilot a Goal can help you create a concept as well.
11. Give Your Mecha a Protocol
If you still have no idea what you want to play,
12. Pick Equipment you can always ask the other players or the GM
13. Receive Starting Overdrive for ideas. If you are still stuck, you can always use
this questionnaire to help you flesh out the type of
pilot you want to be:

14
 paired with another stat to determine
1. Do you like piloting a mecha? Engineering.
Why or why not? Speed- How fast the mecha moves.
2. Why do you fight and how do This stat is always paired with another
you feel about the cause for which stat to determine the Movement linked
stat.
you fight?
3. Do you want the fighting to end? Some models will define which weapon systems a
4. What do you value more than your mecha comes off the assembly line with and may
mecha? also determine which Configurations the mecha
has. However, this is entirely dependent on the
5. If you were not fighting, what
SRS.
would you be doing?
6. How do you feel about your fellow To complete this step, review the list of SRS-
teammates? specific models and select one. Write it down
on your character sheet, note the starting levels
for each of your mechas base stats and record
This should give you a general sense of who your anything else the Model confers.
pilot is. If you have only a vague sense, dont
worry. The concept will be refined throughout the Step 3: Select an Archetype
rest of the pilot generation process. Every SRS has a list of pilot Archetypes which
defines the characters innate or inborn attributes.
Step 2: Choose a Mecha Model Each Archetype gives you a starting value for
Each SRS has a list of mecha models for you each of the pilots base stats and will specify a
to choose from. A mecha model is a factory number of Stat Optimization points you can spend
standard version of the mecha and defines its to improve your pilots base stats.
basic capabilities. A mecha model gives you the
starting level for each base Stat and a number Pilots also have four base stats which range from
of Stat Optimization points you can spend to 1-6, though the highest a base stat can start at is
improve your mecha. 4. A pilots base stats are:

Mecha have four base stats which range from 1-6, Strength- How physically strong the
though the highest a base stat can start at is 4. character is and how well he can resist
The mecha base stats are: damage.
Agility- How graceful and dexterous
Weapons- The number of weapons the character is. This stat is used most
systems the mecha starts with. This often in combat outside of a mecha.
stat is always used to determine the Intelligence- How fast the characters
Attack linked stat. mind works. This is used for book
Armor- A measure of the mechas smarts.
resistance to damage. This stat is Will- The characters determination and
always used to determine the Defense social acumen.
linked stat.
Technology- A measure of the Many Archetypes define which Traits a character
sturdiness and efficiency of the mechas starts with and may provide some general role
internal systems. This stat is always playing hints.

15
 they can start is 8. The linked stats are:
To complete this step, review the list of SRS-
specific Archetypes and select one. Write your Attack- The mechas offensive strength.
selection down on your character sheet, note the Defense- The mechas defensive
starting levels for each of the pilots base stats and strength.
record anything else the Archetype confers. Engineering- The mechas initiative
Movement- The mechas speed
Step 4: Spend Stat Optimization Points
As noted above, every mecha model and pilot Linked stats are determined by taking one of
Archetype specifies a number of Stat Optimization the mechas attributes and adding them to one
points which can be used to increase the mecha of the pilots stats. The mecha stat is always
and the pilots base stats, respectively. When predetermined for each linked stat, but it is up to
spending stat optimization points, it costs 1 point the player to determine which of his pilots stats is
to raise a base stat by 1. linked to which mecha stat.

In other words:
For Example: the base
Weapons stat for a Liberator Attack = Weapons + Pilots Stat
Defense = Armor + Pilots Stat
class mecha from the Godblind Engineering = Technology + Pilots Stat
SRS is 1. If you wanted to Movement = Speed + Pilots Stat

increase this to 2, you would Conceptually, this makes sense. The number of
weapons a mecha has impacts its ability to attack,
spend 1 optimization point. not its ability to move. Armor is used to defend
If you wanted to increase the mecha, not improve its technology. Of course,
the mechas stats are only half the equation, the
the total to 3, you would other half being the pilots stats.
spend 2 points.
Any of the pilots base stats can contribute to a
To complete this step, spend all stat optimization linked stat. For instance, one pilot may choose
points and record their final levels on your to link Intelligence to Attack while another may
character sheet. Note: you can only spend Stat choose to link Strength to Attack. How the base
Optimization points from Archetypes on pilots stats are linked is completely up to you, however
and Stat Optimization points from a mecha model you have to link every one of your pilots stats to
on the mecha. a mecha stat and you cannot link any base stat
more than once.
Step 5: Link Stats
The order in which mecha and pilot base stats are
Something special happens when a pilot enters his combined is called the link array.
mecha. The two become one, each greater than
they are alone. What this means in the game is Mara sez: Okay, link arrays. Theyre important,
that any time a pilot is controlling a mecha, their so pay attention. Let me give you an example.
stats are add together to determine how many Take my Howling Dragon. The basic model,
dice to roll. out of the factory, has 3 weapons (Weapon
Stat 3). Two of the bad ass field guns and a
Linked stats can range from 2-12, but the highest chain gun, but thats not good enough for me.

16
 I like to lower the boom a bit, so I bump up the Agility 4
Weapons Stat to 4 and give myself a nice little Intelligence 2
rocket pod. Will 2
Now, theres something you should know
about me. Ive seen the brass personality file And he hops into a mecha with:
on me. It says Im stubborn. Can you believe Weapons 4
that? I guess that means I have a Will 4. Armor 3
Now, for me, lining up the perfect shot is about Technology 2
wanting it more than the other guy. I find my Speed 3
bad guy and I hunt him until hes dead. I guess
that means my Weapons and my Will are linked For this example the pilot links Strength to Armor,
to make my Attack stat. So I get eight dice Agility to Weapons, Will to Speed, and Intelligence
to try to bring down the other guy. Pretty to Technology. This would mean that as long as
sweet huh? they two are acting together, the mechas stats
are:
Linking Weapons and Will is just one example of
linking attributes. Here are a few others: Attack 8 (4 Weapons + 4 Agility)
Defense 6 (3 Armor + 3 Strength)
Linking Weapons and Intelligence. The pilot is Engineering 4 (2 Technology + 2 Intelligence)
technical and strives for the shot that will do Movement 5 (3 Speed + 2 Will)
maximum damage, find a chink in the other
mechas armor, or has the perfect angle to do This is for example only. Each player may chose
score the perfect hit. to link stats as he sees fit.

Linking Technology and Intelligence. The pilot is Mara sez: There is one important thing to note.
a master tactician. Instead of wading into battle, The decision of which basic character stat
the pilot strikes where the enemy is weakest links to which mecha stat is made at character
and most vulnerable. The opposite would be generation and is the same for every mecha he
linking Technology and Will. In this case, the pilot pilots. Once play starts, the link array cannot
would wade into combat, hoping that the sudden change and they are the same for all mecha he
appearance of an enemy would strike surprise or might jump into.
fear into the enemy.
Also, the mecha cannot take advantage of
Linking Armor and Strength. In this case, the pilot linking if it has been destroyed.
and his mecha are tough. The pilot is not going
to run or even do very much to dodge, choosing The question is always asked Can I link my
instead to take the hit so they he can hit right back. stats however I want? Yes. You can choose
Linking Armor and Agility is just the opposite, any character stat to link to any mecha stat as
where the mecha relies on dodging and not being long as you only link each of your pilots stats
where the enemy is attack to avoid damage. once. So with one character, you may link Will
to Speed. With your next character, you might
Its also important to note that the link array stays link Strength to Speed.
the same for every mecha the pilot enters.
Mechanically, this means is that you add the
Heres a full example: two stats together to figure out how many
Pilot A has: dice to roll. When role playing, you should
Strength 3 describe your actions based on how you link

17
 your stats. For instance, if you linked Strength To complete this step, create your link array by
to Defense, you should envision that when pairing each of your pilots base stats with your
your mecha is attacked, you slough off the mechas base stats and record the resulting level
damage because of your size and toughness. of your linked stats.
If you linked Agility to Defense, you should
describe your mecha has nimbly dodging Step 6: Purchase Skills
every incoming attack. In addition to determining the minimum level of
each of your base stats, your pilots Archetypes

Configuration Bonuses Conferred Character Traits

Analyzer The player may spend one Overdrive to give another Analytical
player 2 dice on their next attack or defense roll. Oblivious

Assassin Spend 1 Overdrive to deal damage directly to the pilot Stealthy

instead of the mecha Brutal

Berserker Spend 1 Overdrive to attack twice with weapons of same Explosive

type. The attacker rolls separately for each attack. Calm
You cannot fire the same weapon in the same turn.

Boomer Spend 1 Overdrive to simultaneously attack all targets in Loud

a sector. The attack roll is made only once, but all targets Quiet
(enemy and friendly) must roll defense against that number
of successes.

Booster Spend 1 Overdrive, the player may allocate any number Optimistic
of dice from Defense to Movement. Pessimistic

Brawler Spend 1 Overdrive to treat any weapon as a range Gruff

0 weapon. Delicate

Bulwark Spend 1 Overdrive to allocate as many dice as desired Caustic

from Movement to Attack. Supportive

Counterfire Spend 1 Overdrive to allocate any number of dice from Focused

Attack to Defense. Scattered
Defender Pick a damage type. Spend 1 Overdrive to take Foolhardy
no damage from that damage type this round. Protective
Must be declared on your turn.

Disruptor If an attack does damage, spend 1 Overdrive to Dynamic
prevent the mecha from moving on its next turn. Static

Ejector Spend 1 Overdrive to activate Ejector. Once active, Prepared

if the mecha becomes junked, the pilot will eject Cowardly
and can be placed anywhere on the battlemap.

Engineer Spend 1 Overdrive to heal 1 box of damage on another Self-Centered

mecha. May only spend 1 Overdrive per mecha per turn. Helpful

Flanker Spend 1 Overdrive to shift to the same sector to in Lumbering

any quadrant. Fast

18
will have minimum levels for each of the pilots Here is the list of skills in Mecha:
skills. No matter what, every pilot has at least a 1
in every skill. This goes back to the idea that this Mecha Combat How well the character
is mecha anime and there is little in mecha anime can fight in a mecha. This covers both
that a pilot cannot do. However, some pilots are movement and making attacks.
better at certain things than others so different Personal Combat How well the
Archetypes start with more levels in some skills character can fight outside a mecha.
than others. This covers the pilots movement and

Configuration Bonuses Conferred Character Traits

Heavy Metal Spend 1 Overdrive to reallocate any number of Movement Flighty
dice to Defense. Stout

Hot Shot Spend 1 Overdrive to allocate as many dice as desired Cool

from Defense to Attack. Brash

Jammer Spend 1 overdrive to grant +2 Defense dice to all mecha Open

in the same sector. Confused

Jackhammer Spend 1 Overdrive to double the amount of Knockback. Pushy

Pushover

Prowler Spend 1 Overdrive so that the mecha cannot be hit Obvious
with range 1+ weapons. Sneaky

Ripper Spend 1 Overdrive to cause a successful Attack to Peaceful

inflict two points 2 of damage. Violent

Scanner Spend 1 overdrive to negate the effects of Jammers, Curious

Prowlers, Flankers, Healers, Brawlers, Snipers and Boomers, Oblivious
Analyzers for all mecha in a target sector. May know all
of the weapon types on a mecha.

Slayer Spend 1 Overdrive to give a successfully damaged target Lover

-1 on its stability roll Fighter

Sniper Spend 1 Overdrive to treat any weapon like a range 4 weapon. Direct
Indirect

Stalwart Spend 1 Overdrive to receive +1 to all stability rolls. Tough

Weak

Stonewall If an opponents attack does damage, spend 1 Overdrive Open

to move a maximum of 1 Movement Point. Stony

Striker Spend 1 Overdrive to treat any weapon like a range 3 weapon. Sharp
Blunt

Supercharged Spend 1 Overdrive to fire a cooling weapon. Energetic

Lazy

Transformer Spend 1 overdrive to swap out this Configuration for any other Flexible
Configuration. Steadfast

19
 attacks outside of his mecha. character is Stealthy or Brutal because of
Social The characters ability to Assassin and whether her character is Static or
interact with others in order to charm, Dynamic because of Disrupter.
persuade, or anger them.
Field Ops A skill which governs a range To complete this step, check your mecha
of skills from espionage, recon, stealth, model. If it specifies one or both of the mechas
breaking and entering and theft. It can Configurations write them down and then
confer a tactical advantage in combat. consult the following table to pick one of the
Repair A characters ability to repair two Traits associated with that Configuration.
damaged mecha If the model does not specify, then use the
Medic A characters ability to heal following table to select two Configurations
wounded pilots. for your mecha and then select one of the two
Traits associated with each Configuration.
Along with the minimum level for each skill, your
archetype will also grant you a number of skill By the end of this step, you should have two
points you can use to increase your skills. These Configurations and two Traits.
work exactly like Stat Optimization Points with 1
skill point raising a skill by 1. No skill may start For more detailed rules on Configurations, see
higher than 3 and no skill may ever go above 5. Page 23.

Step 7: Choose or Apply Mecha Configurations Note: Your SRS will determine exactly which
Every mecha has two Configurations. A Configurations are available for Mecha in the
Configuration is a package of related systems setting.
that help the mecha operate more efficiently or
do fantastic things like transform into a jet. More Step 8: Choose Traits
importantly, Configurations offer mechanical Pilots have Traits, which are short, one or two word
advantages and rules exceptions to the mecha descriptors that determine how the character
during combat. should be played. Traits do two things. First,
they define how a pilot is role played. If your pilot
However, Configurations are more than just a way is loud, quiet, flighty, sharp, or tough, then during
to do cool things on the battlefield. They also role playing scenes, it is to your advantage to role
affect who your character is and how he sees the play to those Traits.
world. Because of the synthesis between pilot
and mecha, your choice of Configurations helps Traits are also how you, as a player, can earn
define your pilots personality. Advancement Points for your pilot. After each
session your pilot gains one Advancement Point
This means that when you select a Configuration for each of his traits that you have incorporated
(or when you choose a mecha model with a into your role-playing.
Configuration built into it), you must also choose
one of the Traits associated with that Configuration All pilots have exactly four Traits. At this point
for your pilot. In other words, the way the mecha in the pilot and mecha generation process, you
is used on the battlefield is a reflection of, or has should already have two of them. Now, you can
shaped, the pilot who commands it. select the other two.
Mara sez: For instance, a player chooses the
To complete this step, look at your pilot Archetype.
Assassin and Disrupter Configuration for her
It may dictate how you choose one or both of
mecha. She must now choose whether her
your other two Traits. If you are given a choice

20
make it or just write down the Trait choices given Damage Type
to you. If your Archetype did not specify or if The other important part of a weapon is its damage
dont have four Traits, create your own. type. The basic damage types are Impact, Missile,
and Energy. Unless the rules explicitly state, all
To create your own, think of adjectives that can damage types work equally well against all targets.
describe your character. If the word has more than
one meaning, so much the better. You can also To complete this step, select one weapon system
select from the list of Traits shown above in the for every level of the mechas Weapons base
Configuration section. stat. Selecting a weapon includes giving it name,
choosing a range, and giving it a damage type.

Step 9: Choose Weapon Systems All Mecha also gain:

A mecha has to fight and it does it with weapons. Physical Attack (0/Impact) which reflects the
mechas ability to kick, punch, dropkick or ram a
All weapons have three important characteristics: target. However, when using the Physical Attack,
name, optimal range, and damage type. you can only roll a number of dice equal to your
mechas Weapons stat rather than your linked
Name Attack stat..
The name of the weapon system gives it flavor.
Mara sez: Some models will come with a
The name can be anything as long as it fits in the
preset loadout which should be noted on
SRS. Examples include:
the character sheet. If a mechas Weapons
stat is higher than the number of standard
Sonic flail issue weapons for the model, the player
Mini-missile launcher may choose additional weapon systems so
Gatling gun that the number of weapons on the mecha
PX-341 Tactical Shotgun is equal to its weapons stat.

The name of the weapon will help the players Step 10: Give Your Pilot a Goal
and the GM visualize the battle and narrate what Pilots begin the game with a goal, which is exactly
happens during combat in more detail. what it sounds like. It is a burning desire of the
character that is achievable throughout the course
Optimal Range of a game. Goals in Mecha do not have to be
combat related, they can be as diverse as the
Every weapon has an optimal range which is
goals people have in real life.
the range at which it is most effective. This is
covered fully in the Combat section, so for now all
Throughout playtesting, we have seen a number
you need to know are two things:
of interesting goals:
1. Ranges go from 0 (same sector) to 6 (all
Prove to the world Im better than my brother
the way across the board)
Impress my commanding officer
2. Because weapons have a range at where
Bring the walls down (this one is specific to the
they work best, its often a good idea
Godlblind SRS)
to have weapons with a variety of
Get a girlfriend
different optimum ranges.
Survive to fight again

21
The important thing is that these goals are all situations which could lead to trouble.
achievable in the game and that they hint at some
sort of conflict, tension, or strife that must be Once you think that the mecha has reached its
overcome to achieve them. Protocol, inform the GM. Again, as long as the GM
agrees, you will earn 1 AP for each session that
Once you decide that you have met your goal, you have had the Protocol. Then you will select
you inform the GM. As long as the GM agrees another Protocol and start over again.
that the goal has been met, you will receive one
Advancement Point for every game session that To complete this step, choose a protocol for the
you had that goal. So if you achieve the goal after mecha and note it on the character sheet.
one night of play, you get 1 AP. If you do not
achieve it until you have played 5 times, you get Step 12: Choose Your Pilots Equipment
5 AP. There are two types of equipment: weapons and
armor.
To complete this step, find your pilots goal and .
write it down on your character sheet. Your pilots weapons function just like mecha
weaponry. This means they have a name, an
optimal range, and a damage type.
Step 11: Give Your Mecha a Protocol
This is one more thing that makes this your mecha Armor protects the wearer from damage. A pilot
special. There may be many mecha of the same may wear one piece of armor which grants the
model, but there was something, call it fate or wearer a bonus die when making a Defense roll in
kismet or karma, that linked this one mecha to personal combat.
your pilot. Even if the mecha is not sentient, there
will be something that the mecha wants. Perhaps To complete this step, decide whether your pilot
the mecha wants revenge on those who forged it carries two weapons or one weapon and armor.
or perhaps the mecha wants to protect its pilot When choosing weapons, create a name, range,
or go down in history. This is called the mechas and damage type (or select them from those
protocol. listed in your SRS).

Again, through playing the game, a number of Step 13: Starting Overdrive
interesting mecha protocols have been created: Overdrive is a special power-up that fuels
Configurations and can be used to purchase extra
I will protect my pilot from himself successes. All characters start the game with 1
Bring the pain! Overdrive.

I am an artificial construct, Okay, thats it. Now get to playing!

I want to be alive!
To be a legend
To kill my pilot

Like a characters goal, the mechas goal should

be achievable and lead the character and the
mecha into conflicts, tensions, and or put them in

22
 Configurations
Configurations are the special systems and pilots identification number. There are no secrets
equipment that give mecha an edge in combat. from the P114.Captain Myron Tarawaza, Leader
Using a Configuration requires that the player spend Beta Recon Platoon, Steel Gunner
an Overdrive before they make the appropriate roll
(Movement, Attack, Defense, or Stability.) Unless Traits: Analytical, Oblivious
otherwise noted, once the Overdrive is spent, the Description: Analyzer mecha are the command
effects of the Configuration are active until the and control units of the modern battlefield. More
start of the characters next turn in combat. than just a collection of scanning equipment, their
tactical computers are able to analyze a mecha and
The listings that follow describe all Configurations determine the most efficient way to defeat it.
available to the basic SRSes. Each listing Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the
presents the important information about the player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to active
Configuration. This includes basic information like Analyzer. They then choose an enemy mecha to
the Configurations name, a quote from a famous scan and an ally to receive battle information. On
mecha pilot about the Configuration, a brief that allys next Attack roll against the analyzed
description, and rules on how to use it in the game. mecha they roll 2 additional dice. Also, the entire
The listing also includes the Trait choices that the squad can know the weapons carried on the mecha
Configuration confers to the pilot. and how many boxes were marked out on the
mechas Stability Track at the time of the analysis.
Mara sez: Some of the rules below mention
that dice may be allocated from one Linked Name: Assassin
stat to another. What this means is that the Kururugis reports are most distressing.
player may choose to subtract dice from Apparently the opposing Gladiators missiles had a
one Linked Stat and add them to another. design enhancement we never anticipated. If they
This effect is always temporary and will last got past his armor, they released an energy field
until the start of the players next turn. which caused his synthetic heart to stop beating.
If he hadnt torn the poor bastards mechas head
When allocating dice, no Linked stat can off, Kururugi might have died along with his
drop below 1 so if a player has Movement mecha.Stablemaster Thomas Quinto, Fire Lion
5, Defense 4 and the Heavy Metal Stables, Neoborn Battle Slave
Configuration, she could allocate up to 4
of those Movement dice to Defense. That Traits: Stealthy, Brutal
would mean for the turn, she would roll 1 Description: Assassins are equipped with special
Movement dice and 9 Defense dice. two-stage weapon systems, that when activated,
are capable of damage not only a targeted mecha,
That makes her hard to shoot. but also the pilot inside.
Game Effects: After making a successful Attack
Name: Analyzer roll, the player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to
The P114 tactical computer is one of the most active Assassin. If the Attack is successful, the
advanced pieces of technology on the battlefield. target must check off damage from both the
It needs only 4.198 seconds to scan an enemy pilots and the mechas Stability Track. Both then
mecha and it knows everything. Weapons load must make a Stability Roll.
out, damage mix, special equipment, even the

23
Name: Berserker day First Lieutenant Paul Waxer Wannamaker,
Yes, I fight angry. I am the GOD OF ANGER. Alpha Attack Squad, Steel Gunner
But make no mistake. My rage serves a higher
purpose. Yamaraj, god, Godblind Traits: Loud, Quiet
Description: Boomers deal damage over a wide
Traits: Explosive, Calm area. They are able to scatter, spread, or spray
Description: Berserkers are able to effectively their attack over an entire tactical area rather than
fire multiple weapons in salvos which can be concentrate on one target. However, they attack
devastating to a target. There are limits to the everything in that sector, even their friends.
berserkers ability and many find themselves Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the
without a weapon to fire in the heat of battle. player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the Boomer. The attacking player then selects a
player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate Sector and makes an Attack roll. Every mecha,
Berserker. This allows the player to attack using pilot outside of a mecha, mook, and terrain (if
two (and only two) weapons of the same damage using the optional rules) is hit with a number of
type. The attacking player rolls two separate successes equal to that Attack roll. That includes
Attack rolls and the Defending player rolls two friendly, neutral, and enemy units.
Defense rolls. Both of the Attackers weapons
must cooldown as normal. Name: Booster
Battles are not won with defense, but by holding
Name: Brawler the high ground.Calph Antonio Ricard, Battle
I want to see the enemy, to stand near him and Leader, Silent Sultanate
lash out with hands and fists. The might of the
gods does not concern me, only seeing the fear Traits: Optimistic, Pessimistic
in their eyes as they die. Max, Godblind, Godblind Description: Boosters throw caution to the wind.
They trade their ability to defend themselves for
Traits: Gruff, Delicate the ability to get into the perfect tactical position.
Description: Brawlers excel at close-in combat. Game Effects: Before making a Movement roll, the
They are able to take any weapon system and use player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate
it in close quarters combat, ignoring the standard Booster. The player may choose to reallocate any
suboptimal range penalties. number of dice from Defense and add them to
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the their Movement stat until the start of their next
player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to active turn.
Brawler. The attacking player may choose to have
one weapon of their choice have an optimal range Name: Bulwark
of 0 until the beginning of the players next turn. I cant say where I first got my hands on this
baby. In my business, its not good to reveal
Name: Boomer ones sources. I can say that once I plugged this
Yeah it was weird, we end up chasing after this little glowing box into my primary fire control I
mecha and no one knows whos piloting the damn suddenly got to live my dream. No moving, all
thing when all the sudden this ADF patrol arrives. shooting. Second Lieutenant Liam Sanchez, Beta
And it was a big one, too. Tanks, infantry, a couple Assault Squad, Steel Gunner
of steel gunners. So I bring the pain and three
shots later all thats left are the two gunners and Traits: Supportive, Caustic
neither of them look like theyre having a good Description: Bulwarks are slow and lumbering, but

24
the pack a deadly punch. They are able to trade use Configurations which take dice from or add
their maneuverability for offensive strength. dice to the Movement stat, or use the Flanker
Game Effects: Before making a Movement or configuration on its next turn.
Attack roll, the player may spend 1 point of
Overdrive to activate Bulwark. The player may Name: Ejector
choose to reallocate as many dice from Movement Playing football outside your mecha is against
to Attack until the start of the players next turn. official JMSA rules, but thats why my school ride
doesnt have this baby. See, the ejection seats
Name: Defender for street ball when things get a little rough. Todo
Nope. Jorge, son of Mammon, Godblind Ito, starting back, Special Research School

Traits: Protective, Foolhardy Traits: Cowardly, Prepared

Description: Defenders carry countermeasures, Description: Pilots love Ejectors. Every Ejector
shields, and other tools to prevent damage from comes with a special cockpit that can safely get
certain types of weapons. However, a Defender the pilot out of harms way and keep them in the
cannot protect against everything at once. fight.
Game Effects: Before making a Movement or Game Effects: Before making a Movement roll, the
Attack roll, the player may spend 1 point of player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate
Overdrive to active Defender. The player chooses Ejector. Until the start of the players next turn,
one damage type. No attacks from weapons that if he fails any Stability Roll, his mecha still suffers
use that damage type will cause damage to the the consequences of failing the roll for its current
mecha or its pilot until the start of their next turn. Damage Phase. However, instead of taking pilot
The Attacker may still roll normally and count damage or dying, he is placed in a sector D3
successes. The Defender can roll Defense if they Movement Points from his mecha. He is then able
want to earn Overdrive or a Cut Scene, but it is to carry on the fight on foot.
not required.You may also spend 2 points of
Overdrive to activate Defender anytime. Name: Engineer
We are trying to rebuild our world. We need all
Name: Disrupter the mecha we can get.Victor Brand, leader, Dirge
Something just happened. I took a hit, but the of the Dying Earth
battle computers say it was minimal. Still, I cant
move my legs. Joints inoperative. Help! Im a sitting Traits: Helpful, Self-Centered
duck out here. Second Lieutenant Thomasina Description: Engineers are able to perform quick
Deville, Alpha Recon Squad, Steel Gunner battlefield repairs during the heat of combat.
Game Effects: At any time during the players turn,
Traits: Static, Dynamic he can spend Overdrive to repair (see page 32)
Description: Disruptors have the ability to wreak one box of damage on any mechas Stability Track
havoc on their opponents mobility. Their special in the same tactical sector. It costs 1 point of
weapons can prevent a mecha from being able to Overdrive to repair one point of damage and only
move. 1 point can be spent per turn per mecha. A mecha
Game Effects: After making a successful Attack may not strafe and use Engineer in the same turn.
roll, the player may spend 1 point of Overdrive
to activate Disrupter. If the attack is successful, Name: Flanker
a point of damage is checked off the targets Im always where you least expect me. Nick
Stability Track and the mecha is unable to move, Nova, quarterback, Special research School

25
Traits: Fast, Lumbering Traits: Scattered, Focused
Description: Flankers are excellent at tactical Description: Flakers are built around the principle
positioning. Their special gear allows them to that a good offense is a great defense. They
dive, dodge, roll, and move into an advantageous are able to fire short controlled bursts, counter
position nearly anywhere on the battlemap. missiles, and point defense weapons which assist
Game Effects: Before making a Movement roll, the in their defense.
player may spend 1 point of Overdrive. The player Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the
then rolls Movement normally. Either before or player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to active
after moving, the mecha may move to the same Counterfire. The player may then allocate as many
Sector in the opposite Quadrant. A mecha cannot of her Attack dice to Defense. The dice remain
move, then Flank and the move some more. See allocated until the beginning of the players next
the illustration below. Mecha A starts on the lower turn.
right hand quadrant and then moved to the upper
left hand quadrant. Mecha B starts in the lower left Name: Heavy Metal
hand quadrant and Flanks into the upper right hand I may be slow, but you cant hurt me. Hinden,
Quadrant. god, Godblind

Traits: Stout, Flighty

Description: Heavy Metal mecha trade
maneuverability for defense. They may be fast or
slow, but when they need to hold a position they
become very stout, almost rooted to the ground.
Game Effects: Before making a Movement roll, the
player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate
Heavy Metal. The player may then allocate as
many Movement dice to Defense as he would like.
These dice remain allocated until the start of the
players next turn. Using Heavy Metal prevents
strafing.

Name: Hot Shot

It dont matter that my rig gets shot up I come
home. The bad guys dont. Claire Torinaga,
Alpha Assault Squad, Steel Gunner

Traits: Brash, Cool

Name: Counterfire Description: A Hot Shot mecha throws caution to
the wind. Instead of playing it safe, they want to
In a normal mecha fight, the chances of shooting
pile on the damage and hope they dont get hit
down an incoming missile or successfully deflecting
in return.
a precisely targeted laser is 781 to 1. Thats why I
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the
invented this little baby. Now I can make my guns
player may spend 1 point of Overdrive to activate
stop their guns. Second Lieutenant Josephine Joe
Hot Shot. The player may then allocate as many
Cooper, Bravo Assault Squad, Steel Gunner
Defense dice into Attack as he would like. These

26
dice remain allocated until the beginning of the They are able to move around the battlefield with
players next turn. impunity, safely knowing that their equipment
prevents all but the closest mecha from targeting
them.
Name: Jackhammer Game Effects: Before making a Movement roll, the
Sometimes you want to push the other team a player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Prowler.
little bit and sometimes you want push them way Once activated, the mecha cannot be targeted
the hell over. Mike Sanders, fullback, Special by any mecha who are more than 1 Movement
Research School point away. This effect lasts until the start of the
players next turn.
Traits: Pushy, Pushover
Description: Jackhammers excel at controlling
tactical waypoints. Any enemy that tries to take Name: Ripper
the high ground may find that a barrage from a Dont worry, its just a flesh wound.last
Jackhammer moves them halfway across the recording of a Male Warrior after dying of massive
battlefield. internal injuries, Godblind
Game Effects: If a player makes a successful
Attack roll, the player may spend elect to spend Traits: Violent, Peaceful
Overdrive to double the amount of Knockback Description: Rippers equip special ammunition
he earned as a result of a successful Attack. This which, though generally less effective against
Overdrive must be spent before the player moves armor, can cause grievous damage if they come in
the target mecha as a result of a successful Attack. contact with internal systems.
Game Effects: After making a successful Attack
Name: Jammer roll, the player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate
Just try to see past my jamming. Just try. Go Ripper. The successful attack counts as double
ahead, I dare you.Mara, Godblind, Godblind successes against mooks and check off two
boxes on an enemys Stability Track.
Traits: Confusing, Open
Description: Jammers are masters of Defense.
Any friendly unit who enters the same sector as a Name: Scanner
Jammer will find that enemies have a much harder The worst things when you have someone on
time targeting them. the other team whos good at hustling, you know
Game Effects: Before then of the players turn, the getting to where you want be before you or just
player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Jammer. getting good optimum range. Thats why I like
Once activated, all friendly mecha in the same one of the linemen to have good sensors. That
sector gain 2 dice to all their Defense rolls until the way we know whats up.Nick Nova, quarterback,
beginning of your next turn. Special Research School

Traits: Curious, Oblivious

Name: Prowler Description: Scanners mount specialized combat
Now you see me. Now you dont.Captain hardware which counteracts the enemys special
Seamus Edney, Alpha Recon Squad, Steel Gunner hardware. When a Scanner enters into the same
sector as enemy mecha, those mecha cannot take
Traits: Reserved, Boisterous advantage of their Configurations.
Description: Prowlers are masters of invisibility. Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the
player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Scanner.

27
The player chooses a target mecha and until the Name:
start of the players next turn, that mecha loses the
ability to activate all Configurations. All currently
activated Configurations no longer grant their
bonus.

Name: Slayer
Now, I aint suppose to talk about this but, I gotta
say something. Intel showed footage of a trail
they ran using a prototype of some weapons
they borrowed from an ADF convoy. This arming
cannon looked normal cept when it open up, the
enemy gunner started freaking out, shaking, pieces
falling off. I swear that thing was hit once and it
just shook itself apart. Ejection seat didnt even
work. Count me out, boys. Count me out.
Captain Hohiro Boiler Kuzikawa, Bravo Assault Name: Stalwart
Squad, Steel Gunner
Yeah, the weapons we use in football dont really
Traits: Fighter, Lover hurt. Football launches, spit wads, dirty jokes,
Description: Slayers mount weapons and whatever. But sometimes out in the street, it
ammunition which can greatly, though temporarily, gets real and I dont know about you, but I like to
reduce the stability of an enemy mecha. This can come home with my ride.Theodore Yu, SRS East
take out a mecha which might otherwise have only student, Special Research School
minor damage. Traits: Tough, Weak
Game Effects: After making a successful Attack Description: Stalwart mecha are built a little
roll, the player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate tougher than the rest. They are able to wade into
Slayer. The targeted mechas player must subtract battle, knowing their mechas engineering will keep
1 from their Stability roll. them in the fight.
Game Effects: If the mecha takes damage from
an attack, the player may spend 1 Overdrive to
Name: Sniper
activate Stalwart. Until the start of the players
If I can see it, I can kill.Khali, god, Godblind next turn, the player may add 1 to any Stability roll.
This ability can only be activated once per turn.
Traits: Direct, Indirect
Description: Snipers can make a shot well outside
of the range of most mecha weaponry. They can Name: Stonewall
reconfigure any weapon system so that it can
strike from halfway across the battlefield. Scoring a touchdown is getting into the end zone
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the and staying in the end zone. I dont want to knock
player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Sniper. on the door, only to get pushed out.Tucker
The player then chooses a damage type. All Keller, lineman at SRS West, Special Reseach School
weapons of that damage type are treated as Traits: Stony, Open
though they have an optimum range of 4. This Description: Stonewalls are great at maintaining
lasts until the start of the players next turn. tactical positioning. Even if they take a direct hit
that would knock a mecha around, a Stonewall
mecha barely moves.

28
Game Effects: If the mecha takes damage from Name: Transformer
an attack, the player may spend 1 Overdrive to My mechas conversion into jet mode allows me
activate Stonewall. Until the start of the players free travel from the Living City back up to Heaven.
next turn, any time the mecha is successfully Its also useful when those fool Godblind blow up
attacked, it is only moved by 1 Movement Point. the elevator.Geoff, son of Mammon, Godblind
Each successful hit may move the Stonewall 1
Movement Point. Traits: Steadfast, Malleable
Description: Transformers are the most versatile
mecha on the field. They are able to reconfigure
Name: Striker themselves at any time in order to take advantage
To get too close to ones foes is to invite disaster. of any other mechas special equipment.
However, to stay back is just not fun at all.Liget, Game Effects: Before making an Attack or
god, Godblind Movement roll, the player may spend Overdrive
to activate Transformer. The play then chooses
Traits: Sharp, Blunt a Configuration which his mecha will gain until the
Description: Strikers excel at medium range start of the next turn. It still requires Overdrive to
combat. They are able to adjust their weapon activate the new Configuration.
systems so that anything in their arsenal can make
a successful attack at medium range. Unlike other Configurations, the effects of
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll, the Transformer do not end at the beginning of the
player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Striker. players next turn. In fact, that mecha is considered
The player then declares a damage type. Until to have its new Configuration until another point of
the beginning of the next turn, all weapons of that Overdrive is spent to change it. All other rules of
damage type are considered to have an optimal the Configuration apply.
range of 3.
A mecha is considered to be in its based non-
Transformed mode at the start of a battle.
Name: Supercharged
Mara sez: Okay, lets be absolutely clear
My mecha has a 98% capacity for storing energy. I about this. If you have a mecha with
can then send that energy directly into the cooling Transformer and you decide you want to
systems which allows me to do pretty much turn it into Prowler, thats fine! Do it. Spend
anything I want to when I help my brother out on your point of Overdrive and your mecha
the field. You didnt know I was a jock did you? changes so that it has Prowler. Now your
Yep, I play all the time. And I score, too. Do you mecha will have Prowler until you decide to
like to score? How about a date?Melvin Dunkard, change again.
student at SRS East, Special Research School
Traits: Energetic, Lethargic However, any time you choose to activate
Description: Supercharged mecha carry special Prowler, you still have to spend a point of
equipment, capacitors, and cooling devices which Overdrive and you only get its effects until
the start of your next turn. Transformers
allow them to fire their weapons at a faster than
effects last indefinitely, but the effects of
normal rate. your new Configuration only last a turn.
Game Effects: Before making an Attack roll,
the player may spend 1 Overdrive to activate Got it?
Supercharged. The player then chooses a weapon
which may ignore the rules for cool down on that
turn. That weapon may be fired immediately.

29
Changing Configurations Getting a New Mecha
Configurations make a mecha far more effective A characters mecha is a part of who they are. It
in battle, but they also have a profound impact is created at character generation along with the
on the pilot who selects then. Each Configuration character, it can be improved by spending AP,
offers two Trait choices to the pilot, one of which and the choices that players make about their
her player must select. characters mecha affect who that character is.

Because of the natural linkage between With that being said, there may come a time when
Configuration and pilot, it is not recommended a better ride comes along and the character would
that Configurations be changed quickly or on have significantly improved stats because of it.
a whim. There may be certain situations in the In this case, the character may discard his own
course of a game where technology shifts or new mecha for the new one. However, doing so will
Configurations become available and it may be that cause the character to change.
a player chooses a Configuration at the start of the
game that they just do not like. In this case, rather By accepting the new mecha, the character must
than ruin players fun, GMs should consider allowing immediately replace both his Traits that came
the players to change their Configurations. from the previous mechas Configurations. The
player must replace the discarded Trait with
If this happens, the player should lose the Trait one of the Trait choices from the new mechas
associated with their old Configuration and choose Configurations just as if the mecha were selected
a new from the Traits listed in the Configurations during character generation.
write up. If the player no longer has the Trait

Role Playing Configurations

associated with that old Configuration, they
should lose their oldest Trait and replace it with
one of the Traits listed with the new Configuration. The question inevitably arises, If I choose
Transformer, can I turn into a jet plane? My
answer to this question has always been yes. In
fact, during non-combat scenes, I try to weave in
the effects of the Configurations into the games
fiction. Prowlers turn invisible, Flankers move
quickly, Heavy Metal mecha shake the earth with
their steps. However, this narration should always
be SRS-specific.

In general, GMs should use the Configurations to

flavor the narration of the game. As you read
through the rules for the various scenes, youll see
that bits of color like flight or invisibility make the
game more interesting to play while rarely having
any sort of mechanical impact outside of combat.

30
 Rules of the Game
The following section discusses the basic spent a point of Overdrive and get your point
concepts of how the game is played. At its heart, back. However, if you roll 5 Successes and spend
Mecha uses dice to provide dramatic tension and a point of Overdrive to make it 6, you do gain a
make things unpredictable. The following sections point of Overdrive. As long as your roll gains you
will tell you what and when to roll. a minimum of 5 Successes, youve earned yourself
a point of Overdrive.
Going to Dice Also, you cannot spend Overdrive on the same roll
Mecha uses six-sided dice exclusively, in which you earn it.
(abbreviated D6). Mecha has fairly specific rules
about when dice get rolled. In combat, dice are
rolled often. Outside of combat, they are rolled
far less frequently. Cut Scenes
If the player rolls 8 or more successes, hes earned
However, certain things remain the same in all
rolling situations. First, you always roll a number a Cut Scene. Remember the really cool scenes in
of dice equal to whichever stat is relevant. For mecha anime where the speed lines get going, the
instance, when shooting, the Attack linked stat pilot says something cool and then makes their
is used. When trying to figure out a puzzle, the mecha do something awesome? Thats a cut
pilots Intelligence is used. scene.

Secondly, you are always rolling against one of When a player rolls a cut scene, he should describe
your skills. Once you roll the dice, check to see his character doing something amazingly cool,
which dice are equal to or lower than your skill something that defies physics, something that
level. For instance, if your Social Skill is 3, all dice makes the fans cheer.
which show 3 or less are Successes. All else are
Misses. The player earning the cut scene describes what
her character is doing and then gains a half combat
Lastly, 1s explode. This means that if you roll a 1
on any die, you may reroll that die until you stop action. This half action can be used for strafing,
rolling 1s. Add the successes you roll on exploding even if the mecha has moved that turn. If the
dice to your total successes. half action is used for attack, the attack ignores
optimum range penalties and the weapon fired
does not need to cool down.
Margin of Success
In some situations, it is important to note if the Similar to a Great Success, you cannot roll 7
roll succeeds and by how much. The difference Successes and spend a point of Overdrive to
between the roll and the target number is the earn a Cut Scene. However, if you roll 8 or more
margin of success. successes and then spend Overdrive, you still earn
the Cut Scene.
Great Successes
If the player 5 or more successes, the roll is a Great Types of Rolls
Success and the player gains a point of Overdrive There are two types of rolls in Mecha: standard
(see page 32). You cannot roll 4 Successes and and contested.

31
Standard Roll again. This time Bob rolls a 2 which means he gets
3 Successes.
A standard roll occurs when you are rolling against
a passive opponent: be it fate, a door, your body
as you try to heal, etc. Contested Rolls
In a contested roll, two players choose one stat
To make a Standard Roll, roll your dice as described and one relevant skill and roll. Once they have
above and then note your number of Successes. added up their Successes, whoever has the higher
As long as you any 1 Successes, you have passed number of Successes wins the roll.
your roll, but there are times when rolling more
Successes will grant additional benefits in the All combat rolls are Contested Rolls. The Attacker
story. wants to hit her target. The Defender wants to
avoid damage. They both roll and the player with
For instance, Bob is trying to pass a Field Ops the higher number of Successes gets what they
scene. His Intelligence stat is 3 and his Field Ops want.
skill is 3. This means he rolls 3 dice (Intelligence 3)
and is looking for 3 or less on the dice (Field Ops
3.) He rolls 1,3,5. Because 1s explode, the 1 is rolled

Overdrive How to Gain Overdrive

Overdrive is gained in several ways:
Overdrive may be the most important resource 1. When you create a new character, he or
available to players and named NPCs in the game. A she starts with 1 point of Overdrive.
point of Overdrive can be spent at any time to gain 2. Making a successful Social roll during a
a success on a roll. There is no limit to the number Social Scene (see page 36) is another way
of overdrive that can be spent on a given roll. to get a point of Overdrive.
3. The most common way to get more
Even more importantly, all Configurations cost Overdrive is by rolling a Great Success on
1 Overdrive to activate. The rules for when any roll.
Overdrive can be spent to activate a Configuration 4. Before the beginning of play, 2 Overdrive
are listed in the Configuration descriptions. can be purchased for 1 Advancement Point.
See page 52.
Use beads, tokens, or something else non-edible
to represent Overdrive in the game.
GM Overdrive
GMs start each session with a pool of Overdrive
equal to the number of player minus 1. They,
too, earn Overdrive when NPCs roll 5 or more
successes and GMs can take advantage of Cut
Scenes. Mooks do not earn overdrive.

Ally Overdrive
An ally is an NPC who fights on the same side as
the PCs. Allies do earn Overdrive, but it can only
be spent to buy successes on their own rolls or
activate their own Configurations.

32
 Play Structure
Mecha breaks down game play into this structure. table until each player has had a Scene
The largest, least specific unit of play is called a 3. The GM gets a scene
campaign. 4. Then theres the inevitableFight!

A campaign is roughly analogous to a mecha anime Starting with the player to the GMs left and going
series, season, or in some cases a movie. It defined clockwise around the table, each player will get a
by as a single story that has a beginning, a middle, Scene. For the players Scene, he may choose one
and an end. Typically, this story is played out over type of scene which will require a specific Skill roll
the course of several nights of play, which are to achieve a desired outcome. The player may
called sessions. Campaigns typically begin with a also declare certain story objectives (see page
Prologue, which sets up the action and provides 35). All of this is discussed in greater detail below.
any useful back story before play begins.
At the end of the scene, the player makes a skill roll
A session is a single instance in which a group of to see if he achieved the objective of the scene
players gets together and plays the game. Sessions and story objective. The types of Scenes and
are one of the most meaningful divisions of the the rewards for passing them are discussed below.
game because they have a definitive start and end
(when the game starts and when the group breaks After the player makes his skill roll, there may be a
for the evening.) Sessions are important because bit more role playing describing the aftermath of
advancement points are awarded at the end of a the roll. Then the next player gets his scene. That
session. player decides what type of scene he wants, there
is some role playing, and then the player rolls to
A session is composed of one or more Episodes. see if he achieved the scene and story objective.
An episode consists of one Scene for each player,
a Scene for the GM, and one combat. Episodes are Play continues around the table until every player
explained in greater detail below. has had a scene. Then it is the GMs turn to have a
scene. On her turn, the GM has two very important
The final unit of Mecha is called the Scene, which jobs. First, she has to set up the reason for the
can be compared to a scene in an anime or movie next fight. There are many reasons why a fight
scene. might break out ranging from a random encounter
to a battle which will be a major turning point in
Scene Breakdown
the game.

Mecha formalizes scenes into a set structure, Of equal importance, the GM is still responsible for
which helps the players and GM to pace the moving the story along. The players, through their
games story. This structure works a lot like the scene selection and the choice of story objective,
round/turn structure used in combat. will take a greater hand in driving the story forward
then they, or the GM, may be used to. However,
The Scene Structure works like this: the GM is still responsible for weaving together all
1. The player to the left of the GM gets the different plot elements to create a cohesive
a Scene story.
2. Play progresses clockwise around the

33
Some thoughts on how to do this are included in aftermath. If the players win the combat, they can
the GMs section. In brief, the GM has at least four suggest a positive outcome of the battle. If the
tools at her disposal: GM wins, she can determine what happens. Most of
the time this should not make the characters lives
1. The meta storyline. Every SRS has any easier. This ends the Episode.
at least three, if not more, storypoints
which can be used to provide major Then a new turn is begun starting with the player
turning points in the story. to the GMs left.
2. The GMs own story. The GM can, at her

Declaring a Scene
leisure, use some, all, or none of those
storypoints to tell her own story.
3. Loose threads from player scenes. If On the players turn, he must declare his scene. To
the player suddenly brings up his long do this, the player must:
lost sister, theres no reason not to
incorporate her into a GM scene at some 1. Choose what type of scene he wants
point during the game. 2. Frame the scene
4. The Random Event table. Need an idea? 3. State his role playing objective (if any)
Roll D66 and consult the GM Random
Event table and let your imagination fly. Choosing a Scene
Look over the list of scene types beginning on
Once the GM has had her turn, its time for combat, page 36 and decide which scene you want to play.
either in mecha or out of them. But rest assured,
there will be combat. Framing the Scene
Next, frame the scene. What you, the player, needs
After the combat is over, the GM should take to do give an introduction to the scene. Decide
the results of combat into account to narrate the where it takes place, who might be there, what

Mecha Personal Natural Technological Short Term Long Term

GM Chart 1 2 3 4 5 6
Weapon NPC Bad Storm Enemy Unveils Minor Endless
Minror
Malfunction Relationship New Weapon Offensive Patrolling
1
Changes Nearby
Arm falls off New Enemy Natural Disaster Enemy Makes Major
Major
NPC emerges Technological Offensive Parts Shortage
2
Breakthrough Nearby
Legs fall off NPC Disease/Plague Technological Destruction Major
Severe
Relationship Shortage of Famous Campaign
3
Dies Landmark
Repair Crew New Friendly Storm Clears Technological
Helpful Supplies Arrive Training
Visits Team is An Obstacle Improvement
4
Created
Mecha Moves NPC is Born Seasons New Manuals/ Spring Cleaning DrillLots of
Neutral
By Itself Change Schematics Are Drill
5
Released
Power New Rival Storm Unveils New An Enemy
Wild Card
Fluctuations Team is a New Prototype is Makes a Reroll Twice
6
Created Discovery Released Discovery

34
time of day it is, etc. Do not discuss any actions Use the following chart for guidelines to help
or say what the people in the scene might do. All determine the TN in a number of different
you are doing is providing a starting point. situations.

Stating a Story Objective These are just guidelines. The GM should raise or
Lastly, the player will state if he has a story lower the Target Number based on how well the
objective. A story objective is a secondary goal players role played the Scene.
in the scene. It gives the PC the opportunity to An example of story objectives: Major
play to his Traits, accomplish his Goal, and generally dArtangan desperately wants to take over
do things which advance the story. Remember, in his brothers unit and gains an audience with
anime, each Scene exists to develop the character. the regimental CO. After a short discussion
Use your story objectives to show more about on dArtangans plans for rebuilding the unit,
the character and add more detail to him. the CO seems generally in favor of the idea,
but he will have to pull a few strings to
Players may know their objective before they make it happen. The GM decides to set a
start a Scene or they may figure it out along the TN of 2 to meet the Story Objective.
way. Either way, the GM should know what it is
before the roll is made. DArtangans player rolls four dice for his
Will and compares to his Social Skill of 2.
Right before the roll, the GM should assign a target However, he only rolls 1 Success so he
number (TN) based on the story objective. The passes the Scene, but does not roll well
TN reflects the number of Successes the player enough to achieve his story objective.
rolling will need to meet his story objective. For Because this is a Social Scene (more on that
instance, if a rolls TN is 3 and you roll a total of 2 below), DArtangans player earns 1 point
Successes, you will still fail the roll. However, if roll of Overdrive, but will not be getting that
3 or more Successes you will pass the roll. promotion after all.

Situation Difficulty Target Number

Asking a girl who likes you to go out with her
Impressing the rookie pilot
Hacking a non-military computer Normal 1

Asking a girl out at a bar

Impressing your CO
Hacking a military computer Tough 2

Getting a girl to cancel her plans and go out with you

Impressing your tough as nails ex-drill sergeant
Hacking into an enemy computer Hard 3

Getting the head cheerleader to break up with the jock

Impressing a General
Decoding secured enemy communications Very hard 4

Getting the head cheerleader to go out with your friend the uber-nerd
Impressing an enemy ace
Understanding the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion Only in Anime 5

35
Types of Scenes clever, cautious, or sneaky. Use Field Ops Scenes
whenever a character likes to have the upper hand
in battle by spying, hacking, or preparing defensive
Social Scene positions for an upcoming battle. The actions the
Objective: To gain 1 point of Overdrive character takes during a Field Ops Scene will tell
Governing Skill: Social describe the character on their own, however, do
Description: During Social Scenes, players put their not be afraid to invite other characters into the
characters into situations where they have to Scene and interact with them.
interact with other PCs or NPCs. Social scenes are
also the most likely scenes to have role playing Field Ops Scenes have been used for
objectives due to their typically heavy use of interrogations, building devices to listen in on
role playing. This type of Scene is Pass/Fail. If enemy communications, doing recon on an area, or
the player rolls 1 success, they get the point of talking with natives about how best to defend their
Overdrive. city. (Somehow the mayor or barkeeps daughter
Sample Role Playing Objectives: Get the girl/boy always finds her way into these meetings)
to go out with you, Play a prank without getting
caught, convincing the rebels to join your cause Recovery Scene
Suggestions for Character Development: Social Objective: To heal one or more pilots
Scenes are the primary vehicle for building Governing Skill: Medic
character through interaction with other characters. Description: Hospital scenes involve one or more
Use Social Scenes when a character want to tell pilots undergoing treatment, receiving first aid,
another character how she feels (whether its love, seeking counseling or resting in order to heal mind
hate, disgust, loyalty, or apathy). These are also and body. The Medic roll can be made by the
good for when a character is trying to persuade player or by another player if their PC is brought
his boss another for a promotion, his friend to into the scene (see page 38.) Successes can be
share his favorite mecha, or the local misfit to join spread across multiple players without bringing
the team. them into the scene.
Sample Role Playing Objectives: Get Nurse Dotte
Social Scenes have also been used for to go out with you, Work with a therapist to quiet
interrogations, flashbacks, family disputes, and those nightmares
convincing the guards to slip the characters a key. Suggestions for Character Development:
Recovery Scenes provide opportunities for
Field Ops Scene character development through social interaction
Objective: To gain the upper hand in the battlefield and personal introspection. If a character is being
by gaining 1 Tactical Point (see page 42.) tend to or helping heal others, it makes a great
Governing Skill: Field Ops time to talk with other characters about the last
Description: Field Ops scenes cover a number battle or their hobbies. Its also a time to sit in
of different criminal, covert, recon, or below the a hospital bed and wonder about why they got
board activities which, ultimately, will gain the PCs injured and worry that they failed their team.
an advantage in the next battle. Should the players
be successful, they will earn a Tactical Point which Recovery scenes have been used for a little comic
can be used to move the Tactical Waypoint or any levity after a battle (primarily because of Nurse
mechas starting position by 1. This type of Scene Dotte) and for quiet wondering why the pilot was
is Pass/Fail. If the player rolls 1 success, they get knocked out when their teammates needed them.
the Tactical Point.
Sample Role Playing Objectives: Uncover Repair Scene
information about a captured friend, See if an ally Objective: To repair one or more mecha
is really an enemy spy Governing Skill: Repair
Suggestions for Character Development: Field Description: Repair scenes are to mecha what
Ops Scenes build a character by showing them be

36
Hospital Scenes are to pilots. They give the Also, characters can make Repair rolls to work on
PCs the chance to patch up the mecha, restore special pet projects, tinker with their mecha, and
Configurations, change weapon load outs, and generally do what gearheads do. Special projects
very, very rarely, change Configurations. and tinkering will not have any mechanical effect
beyond repairing damage, but it is a good way to
Successes must be spent to repair damage. It show the characters interests.
costs 2 Success to bring a Configuration online
and 1 Success to repair (uncheck) one Stability Box. Repair rolls have been used to hit on the repair
Weapons can always be changed for free as long chief, improve the efficiency of a mechas guns,
as one success is rolled. Changing Configurations and working on building whole new mecha from
and restoring them is Pass/Fail. the ground up.

Like healing, one PC can make a Repair roll and

repair another PCs Configurations or spread out Not Sure What To Do
the Successes to other PCs mecha. On Your Scene
Sample Role Playing Objectives: Making the repair There may come a time when you, the player,
crew see that you know your way around a mecha, have no idea what to do with your turn. If so,
hitting on the repair crew chief thats okay. You can always ask other players for
Suggestions for Character Development: Repair ideas, let another player go before you, or you can
Scenes also provide opportunities to develop consult the table below for ideas.
character through social interaction and by doing
interesting things with mecha. Oftentimes one
or more characters will work together to fix the Playing the Scene
teams mecha, this provides the character making What, exactly, does it mean to play the scene?
the Repair roll to opportunity to talk with other
player characters, the team doing the repairs, or The exact definition will vary from group to group.
others in the unit who might be in the repair bay. For players who really like to get into character,
Mecha Personal Natural Technological Short Term Long Term
Player Chart
1 2 3 4 5 6
Weapon Relative is The Character One piece of The after-action A love interest
Minror
Malfunction Injured Gets Sick Equipment is reports from the reveals herself
1 last battle are in
missing
Arm falls off Distant Relative The Character One piece of The enemy is The enemy launches
Major a campaign targeted
Passes Away Contracts a Bad Equipment sighted near a place the character
2
Disease degrades home loves
Legs fall off Close Relative The Character One piece of The Enemy A favorite NPC
Severe
Passes Away is Poisoned Equipment is Attacks home is reassigned
3
junked
Repair Crew Relative Visits/ Extra R&R Time One piece of The Goal is The Goal is
Helpful
Visits Makes Contact Can Heal Equipment right in front of
right in front of
4
improves their eyes their eyes
Mecha Moves NPC Team Character is One piece of Your mecha is You are
Neutral sunburned, frost bit, Equipment
By Itself Member Wants windblown, etc. malfunctions for a
repainted assigned a
5
to Talk second patrol
Power A New Friend The character A package A friend is Youve been
Wild Card
Fluctuations Enters the is caught in a arrives caught up in volunteered
6
Picture natural event battle

37
examine character issues, and talk about what their Bob about the last battle or I go meet with the
characters are doing, playing scenes will be more Captain are both pretty good ways to invite
like impromptu acting. Players may speak using another player into the scene. The other player
accents or make jokes. may refuse.

Other groups may be much more barebones. On the other hand, another player may ask to
There will be little acting or examining character be included in the scene. The active player can
issues. Instead, scenes will be declared only for always opt out of the players request if they think
their tactical value: get Overdrive, fix the mecha, it will interfere with their objective for the scene.
get Tactical Points, etc. Thats fine, too. It is always the active players decision to allow
another player into his Scene.
Most groups use a mix of these two approaches.
Some players will just want to fight it out, while The thing to remember about being in other
others want to talk in character and look at issues. scenes is that you only may roll for scene and
Thats also great. As long as everyone gets at role playing objectives once per round. So if you
least some of what they want. have your scene, then you are invited into another
scene, and then you ask your way into a third, you
The GMs section has tips for how to handle both can still only roll once. However, when you roll,
extremes, but generally players will role play their you may make whatever type of roll you wish.
scene. Once actions have come to a head (or the
action starts to trail off and playing gets boring), This means that if you are asked into a Social
its time to roll the dice. All players who are rolling Scene, you may make a Repair or Acquire roll. You
in the scene (see below) will make the appropriate just have to explain what you were doing so you
skill check. get to make that roll.

If Successes are rolled, then the rules for the Scene Traditionally, if you have already rolled for a scene
Type are consulted and the appropriate actions are objective before your turn, you forfeit your turn in
taken (Overdrive is handed over, a Tactical Point the round. However, if you have some role playing
is earned, mecha are repaired, etc.) Also, the GM you would like to do (and dont need to make a
should have a TN in her head using the guidelines role playing objective roll) you are still permitted
above. This is the number of successes the players to do so.
need to meet their role playing objective.
It should be noted that for groups much larger than
This TN should be determined over the course of 4 players, the GM may ask that multiple players
role playing. If the player did things which would take their scene together.
help them achieve their goal, the TN should be
lower (as low as 1). If the player did things which
hurt them, the TN should be higher. How do I Figure Out a Role
If the player rolls a number of successes that Playing Objective?
matches or beats the TN, the player also achieves Role playing objectives are optional for a player
their role playing objective and the GM should when he decides what he is going to do in a scene.
take that account into future role playing. They provide an extra objective to achieve which
will drive the story forward in ways that are
interesting to the player.
Multiple PCs in one Scene
On a players turn, he can invite other players Each Scene Type suggests what is going to
into the scene. This is a fairly informal process happen in the Scene. During a Repair Scene,
and usually happens when the player announces chances are you are going to be either pouring
what he wants to do. I want to go to talk with over technical manuals or working on mecha with

38
tools that probably have futuristic names or are their characters into the scene, which usually
huge versions of standard wrenches, hammers, and makes for better role play.
screwdrivers. During a Hospital Scene, chances are
the scene is going to take place inside of a medical Also, the GM may request that other players
area of some sort. And it will involve healing. can take on the roles of NPCs in the Scene or to
otherwise help in the narration.
However, within that broad suggestion, there is
still the possibility for a lot of character interaction On the GMs turn, as she is setting up the combat
and smaller actions which serve the story. Maybe for this episode, feel free to suggest bits of
while waiting for the doctor, the character can be narration or recommend the outcomes of winning
sifting through intel documents looking for traces or losing a battle. This will make winning that much
of his father. During a repair scene, a rookie pilot more important.
can talk about the last battle with a veteran pilot
and ask for tips.
Why a Set Scene Structure?
Failing a roll should never cause the player any
Let me start off by saying that when I
serious damage. In fact, sometimes failing the
first heard about turn-based games like
role playing objective roll is more fun than actually
what I designed for Mecha, I hated the idea.
making it. (Try watching Melvin hit on a girl. Thats
Absolutely hated it. (Kind of like games
not a roll that should passever.)
where all PCs can only take a set amount of
damage before blowing up Hrmm) So, I
Mainly, the role playing objective exists so players
am writing this section mainly to the myself
can guide the story. GMs should note if a player
of yore.
asks for something to be a role playing objective,
it is important to him. Also, role playing objectives
As late as the v0.8 of the game, which
are great ways to earn AP by using Traits and
included Traits, Goals, and mecha Passions, I
meeting Goals.
was still getting the question What do you
do in this game? And I was like You fight
What to Do When in Mecha and try to meet your goals and
stuff.
Its Not My Scene
During another players scene, non-active players Granted, I think its a fine answer and it
have several things they can/should do. Most would have worked. I think its way more
importantly, the non-active players need to advice than what you normally get from a
pay some attention to what the active player is lot of games, ESPECIALLY those dealing
doing. The storytelling in Mecha can really go with mecha combat. However, in the end it
into overdrive when players start riffing off one wasnt enough.
another.
My playtesters came to me with the idea
Mecha is also more fun if the players are helping of having set scenes and I was pretty
to tell the story, so if one player isnt sure what he resistant. But I gave it a try nonetheless and
should do for his scene, this is the time for non- it worked. The players had fun, I was able
active players to make suggestions. Also, there to work off their ideas, and everyone at the
are many times when the active player will declare table was able to work under the same set
his scene and then other players will say Wouldnt of expectations. This meant I knew how to
it be cool if? which leads to a better overall game guide the story and the players knew how
experience for everyone. they could affect the story and when they
had the most control.
This can also lead to players asking to incorporate

39
 Mecha Combat
Mecha Combat occurs on the Bullseye Battlemap.

To have a Bullseye Battlemap of your very own,

I suggest drawing one on a dry erase mat. There
is also one included in the back of the book or
available for download on mecharpg.com.

The Bullseye Battlemap is not supposed to

represent a set number of meters or any concrete
distance. Instead, it is an abstract measure of
the relative positions of the various mecha,
infantry, tanks, and buildings that are found on
the battlefield. This allows combat to scale from
the smallest unit to the largest and for battles to
occur over a few meters of turf or hundreds of
kilometers.

The Bullseye Battlemap is laid out as follows:

Using this scheme, random positions can be
determined by rolling 2 D6s. The first determines
the A (roll of 1-3) or B (roll of 4-6) half. And the
second roll determines which sector in that half.

How to Fight
Every combat starts off with the players and
the GM working together to set up the fight.
Together, the GM and the players do the following
two things:

1. Place units and buildings on the Bullseye

Battlemap (also called setup)
2. Determine initiative
As you can see, the Bullseye Battlemap is divided
into four quadrants which share a center sector.
Note, the area outside the outermost circle is also Once the combat is set up, it can begin in earnest.
considered a sector and mecha may line up, move Combat is broken up into rounds with each player
and fight in these areas. getting a turn. During their turn, each player may
The sectors are numbered like this: take a full combat action. Once all players have
had their turn, a new round begins.

40
 The sequence looks like this: Bullseye Battlemap. In a typical two-sided battle,
1. The mecha or pilot with the highest each side must set up on half (so quadrants 1-2 or
initiative may take a full combat 3-4) of the battlemap on the outermost sectors.
action or choose to hold and act at a
later point in the round Here is an example of a starting placement for two
2. The next highest initiative may take mecha that have decided to square off.
a full combat action
3. And so on until all units have taken
their full combat action
4. Combat goes back to the top of
the order with the highest initiative
getting another full combat action
5. Combat will continue until one
side starts their turn in the Tactical
Waypoint, one side is totally junked
or the other side has completely
retreated

A Quick Note on Narration

Part of the mecha anime genre involves visuals of
the mecha running across terrain, dodging missiles
and laser blasts, and using a variety of amazing
weaponry to bring the pain on their foes. Mecha In a three- or four-sided battle, each side may
can be more for many players if they narrate their choose one of the quadrants. Any more than four
mecha doing these actions during combat. and the sides will have to start doubling up.

As such, it is highly encouraged that instead

of just rolling dice and comparing numbers,
Surprise
players narrate how their mecha is moving. Is Some battles may begin in an ambush. This means
the mecha crashing into buildings, leaving a trail that one side was unaware of the other. When
of destruction behind it or is slowly advancing, this happens the side that knows of the other
using the surrounding buildings as cover? Either is called the ambushers. They may choose to
way, the mecha will still move the same number of setup anywhere on the Bullseye battlemap while
Movement Points, it should still help create a more the other side lines up on the far edge as normal.
enjoyable mecha story if the whole table gets a Also, depending on the GMs call, it may mean the
visual of how the mecha operates. ambushed side cannot act for an initial surprise
turn.
The GM is primarily responsible for narrating what
happens in the battle, but the players should feel If there is a surprise turn, for the first turn of
free to add their input as necessary. combat the side being ambushed does not roll
Initiative. The ambushers roll as normal and may
act as normal. All the surprised side can do is roll
Setting up the Defense and activate any allowable Configurations.
Bullseye Battlemap After the all of the ambushers have had their
turn, the surprised side rolls Initiative and battle
Opponents usually start at opposite ends of the proceeds as normal.

41
Note: if a mecha is surprised/ambushed, it cannot Fighting Without a
act. This means that the surprise round does not
count as any ones first turn. The surprise round Tactical Waypoint
must be played out and then another full round If the player wants to fight a battle to the death,
is played before a mecha can control a tactical usually in a duel against an enemy ace, the players
waypoint. can opt to not use the Tactical Waypoint. This
makes the battle last longer, but it is more dramatic
It is up to the GM to determine when one side is and more suited to the climatic final battle of an
being ambushed. anime story arc.

Also, during this step, the GM will place buildings in If this is this case, simply do not place the Tactical
the various sectors if any buildings are to be used. Waypoint on the battlefield.

The Tactical Waypoint Spending Tactical Points

The Tactical Waypoint is a single sector on the The last thing to do for set up is to for players
Bullseye battlemap that represents the tactical to spend their Tactical Points. The players do
high ground. It might be an escape route, a mobile not have to spend their Tactical Points in a battle
headquarters, or a strategically advantageous and multiple players can pool their Tactical Points
position which, if held, will lead to the certain together.
destruction of the other side. If any mecha starts
their turn in this square (except for the very first Tactical Points can be used to do two things:
turn), that mechas side wins the battle.
1. Move the Tactical Waypoint
To determine where the Tactical Waypoint lies, 2. Move enemy or friendly mecha around
roll 2 D6s. The first die will determine on which the board
half of the battlemap the Tactical Waypoint will
lie. The second die determines the actual sector Tactical Points can move the Tactical Waypoint
(see above for how to read the various rolls.) Place or a mecha 1 Movement Point per Tactical Point.
a marker in that sector to represent the Tactical It still costs 2 Movement Points to move a mecha
Waypoint. or the Tactical Waypoint across a straight line.
Multiple mecha can be moved this way, but it still
The group should decide together what the costs 1 Tactical Point per Movement Point.
Tactical Waypoint represents. If no other
Initiative
justification can be found, the Tactical Waypoint
simply represents the possibility of victory
through superior tactics and maneuvering. To determine initiative, make a normal roll and
count Successes. The player with the highest
There is one thing the Tactical Waypoint is not. total goes first, the second highest goes next, and
It is not an overwhelming victory. If the players so on. If there is a tie, the player that rolled the
take the Tactical Waypoint, the GM can determine fewest number of dice goes first. If there is a still a
which of the enemies survive. If the GM takes tie, roll 1D6. Highest roll goes first. You can spend
the Tactical Waypoint, the players are roughed Overdrive on this roll if you would like.
up, they take 1 point of damage, but they are not
destroyed. If a player rolls a Great Success, the player gains a
point of Overdrive as normal.

42
If a player rolls a Cut Scene, the player may take to-sector (cross a curved line) and 2 movement
a half action as normal. This half action is treated points to cross a straight line (go from one
like a surprise round. This means that any dice quadrant to another). There is one caveat: a
earned during strafing last until the beginning of mecha cannot cross two quadrants in a row in the
the players next turn. If the player moves into the same turn. So on turn one, if the player crosses a
Tactical Waypoint, they must still wait until the quadrant, she must then cross a sector or wait until
start of their second turn to win the game. turn two to move across another quadrant.

Full Combat Actions

Also, it is not possible to move farther out than
the outside of the outer edge of the Bullseye
In combat, every player gets a full combat action, Battlemap.
which consists of one Movement roll and one
Attack roll. A player cannot move or fire twice Here is an example of movement. The two sides
in the same turn unless they get a Cut Scene (see start out opposed. Note that mecha A and mecha
page 31.) Players can elect to neither move nor fire B cannot move farther way from the Bullseye
at their discretion. Battlemap than they are in this illustration.

In some places, you will see the term half combat

action. This refers to either moving or firing,
but not both. When sacrificing a half action, the
choice is typically left to the player whether they
choose not to move or not to fire.

Holding
Holding refers to waiting to take your full combat
action. Mecha that have high Engineering may find
it useful to not move or fire until some or all of
the other combatants have had their turns. In this
case, the player can declare that they are holding
and not take either of their half combat actions.

The player may take their turn after any other

players turn has completed, but may not act in
the middle of another players (or the GMs) turn. On their separate turns, the mecha moves as the
arrows indicate (below). It will cost mecha A 2
Movement movement points to cross the quadrant. It costs
mecha B 1 point to change sectors.
In order to move a unit across the Bullseye
Battlemap, the player makes a Movement roll
based off the mechas Movement Linked stat and
the characters Mecha Combat skill as their target.
Each Success grants the player one Movement
Point for the turn.

It costs 1 Movement Point to move from sector-

43
 Range
All weapons have an optimum range which is a
number between 0 and 6. If the target is that exact
number of Movement Points away, the weapon
attacks at full strength. This means that the player
attacks with a number of dice equal to the mechas
linked Attack stat. However, for every movement
point difference from the optimum range, the
attacker subtracts one die from their Attack pool.

To determine range, use the most direct route.

This is how the mecha end up after the Movement:

In this example, mecha A is at range 5 to mecha B.

If mecha A tries to fire a weapon with an optimum
range of 3, the attacker will roll two fewer Attack
dice. If mecha B has a weapon with an optimum
range 5, it rolls a number of dice equal to its Attack
Strafing stat.
If the player so chooses, the mecha may stay in
the same sector for that turn and strafe instead of
moving. This means that any successes gained in
the Movement roll will form a pool that remains until
the beginning of the players next turn. The dice in
this pool can be split across several Defense rolls,
but they can only be used once. In other words,
they can be split up during the turn, but go away
at the start of the players next turn.

44
Other examples of range: If the attacker rolls more Successes, the target
marks off a point of damage on its Stability Track
and must follow the rules for damage.

Damage
There are three phases to damage in Mecha:
Stability phase, Severe phase, and the Lethal phase.

Stability Phase
Undamaged mecha start in the Stability Phase and
will stay there until they fail a Stability Roll. Then
they may move to the Severe Phase.

In the Stability Phase, all damage is recorded on

one of two Stability Tracks. Both pilots and mecha
have their own Stability Tracks, each of which are
six boxes long. If an Attack is successful (meaning
The mecha in this example are at range 2. that the attacker rolls more successes than the
defender), the defender marks off one box on the
appropriate Stability Track.

Which Stability Track is marked off? If a pilot is

in his mecha, then the mechas Stability Track is
marked off. If the pilot is outside his mecha, the
pilots Stability Track is marked off.

Mara sez: The game does not have different

damage scales. If a mecha is shooting at a
pilot, the mecha will still only do 1 point of
damage. On the other hand, if a pilot draws
a pistol and fires at a mecha, if the pilot rolls
well enough he can inflict 1 point of damage
on the mecha.

The mecha in this example are at range 0. Designers Note: While at first glance, this
may not sound very logical, but hours of
Dealing Damage watching mecha anime have shown that a
mecha might be able to shoot a weapon
To deal damage, the attacker rolls dice equal to its big enough to shatter a mountain, but that
Attack linked stat minus any dice for range. The same weapon against one of the of the
skill used in this roll is the pilots Mecha Combat stars of the show is usually good enough
skill. The target rolls dice equal to its Defense to throw the poor guy in the air and land
rating against their Mecha Combat skill. him in the hospital with a bandage on his
cheek.

45
 Mecha Stability Rolls
This rule doesnt apply to mooks, obviously,
If the defending players mecha had to mark off
as anime directors tend to love to show
a damage box, he must then make a Stability Roll
mooks dying in massive numbers from
for the mecha. The defending player rolls 1D6. If
even the smallest of wounds.
the result is higher than the number of damage
boxes checked off, the mecha continues to fight
Still, thats why we have mook rules, isnt it?
as normal. If the result is less than or equal to the
number of boxes checked off, the defender has
Pilot Stability Rolls two options. First, they can accept they have
If the defending players pilot had to mark off a been knocked out of the battle, remove their
damage box, he must then make a Stability Roll. mecha from the Bullseye Battlemap and sit out the
The defending player rolls 1D6. If the result is rest of the combat.
higher than the number of damage boxes checked
off the Pilot Stability Track, the pilot continues to Or second, the defender can chose to fight on. In
fight as normal. If the result is less than or equal this case, the mecha enters the Severe Damage
to the number of boxes checked off, the pilot is phase. The defending player must immediately
knocked out of the fight and must be removed choose one Configuration to go offline. This means
from the combat. However, the pilot is not dead, that the Configuration can no longer be activated
rather he is out of the fight and wakes up in the during battle and must be repaired before any
hospital on his turn. Stability Track damage (see the section on repairs
on page 36.)
If the pilot fails a Stability Roll while piloting a
mecha, the character must face the consequences For example, Jones escapes the prison
of his current damage phase. hospital and manages to steal a Ghost Fox
Steel Gunner. He is quickly pursued by an
enemy ace in a Howling Dragon who fires
For example, while attempting to infiltrate one of her field guns at Jones and rolls 5
a base, Sergeant Jones is attacked by two Successes. Luck is not with Jones and he
guards on patrol. The guards roll higher on rolls only 1 Success for Defense and takes a
the initiative and go first. The first guard point of his mechas Stability Track. He rolls
attacks and gets 3 Successes, while Jones a 1D6 and gets a 1.
only rolls 1 Success. He has to mark off a
point on his pilot Stability Track and make This is not Jones lucky day! However, he
a Stability Roll. He gets a 5 which is higher does not want to end up back in prison, so
than 1. He keeps fighting. he chooses to go into the Severe Damage
Phase. He selects his Prowler Configuration
A few turns later, the same guard rolls to go offline which means he cannot use it
4 successes to Jones 3, which means he until he gets it repaired, which wont be until
must mark off a second box off his pilot after the battle
Stability Track. Again, Jones player has to
make a Stability Roll. He gets a 2, which There are two exceptions to when a player can go
is not higher than the number of boxes into the Severe Damage Phase.
checked. Jones has been taken out of the
combat and will likely find himself awake in First, if the mecha only has one Configuration
an enemy prison. remaining, it goes offline and the mecha instead
goes to the Lethal Damage phase.

46
Second, if the mecha has no Configurations The mecha explodes in a fiery, yet dramatic
remaining, the defender cannot choose to go to explosion and the pilot inside dies, immolated by
another Damage phase and is instead removed the death throes of the mecha he piloted into
from combat. many glorious battles. Teammates will wail, villains
will laugh and somewhere a beautiful maiden (or
The GM or other players may never force this shonen) falls to her knees shedding first one tear
decision on the defending player. The defender and then many. Haunting music plays.
must make the choice alone.
Its time to roll a new character. However, the

Severe Damage Phase

good news is that new characters usually take
mecha anime in new directions. However, your
In the Severe Damage phase, the mecha continues new character gets to start with the same amount
to operate as normal. However, if the player fails of AP as the old one.
another Stability Roll, the player can decide to be
knocked out of the battle or the player can choose
to go the Lethal Damage phase. Mooks
Damage against mooks works differently. When
To go to the Lethal Damage, the players other attacking a mook squad, the player makes an
Configuration goes offline and must be repaired Attack roll. For each success rolled, one mook is
and his pilot Stability Track must be completely destroyed in that squad. There is no defense roll.
checked, but the pilot gains a free point of The Attacking player must choose which squad
Overdrive because hes going to need it. This is they are attacking and if that squad is eradicated,
because if the mecha fails a third Stability Roll, the the damage does not carryover.
pilot dies.
Knockback
Back to Jones. That Howling Dragon ace
If a mecha takes damage, it also suffers knockback.
has his number and she scores a second hit,
For every success the Attacker rolls in excess
this time with a flak cannon. Jones marks off
of the defense roll he may move the targeted
a second box on his mecha Stability Track
mecha or pilot 1 Movement Point on the Bullseye
and rolls 1D6 for another 1! He managed to
Battlemap.
fail his Stability Roll again.

Jones player thinks for a second and Damage Type

decides its do or die time. He is going to
All weapons have a type: projectile, energy,
the Lethal Damage Phase. This means that
plasma, missile, melee, etc. This comes into play
all of Jones pilot Stability Track boxes are
when using certain Configurations and when using
filled and he loses his other Configuration,
optional rules.
but he also gains 1 point of Overdrive.

Lethal Damage Phase Weapon Cool Down

One weapon and one weapon only, can be fired per
This is it. By entering the Lethal Damage phase,
turn unless a Configuration is used. It is the players
the player is signaling to the GM that its okay to
choice which weapon is used with the caveat that
kill this character. The mecha may fight on as
a weapon cannot be fired on successive turns. If
normal, though without use of its Configurations,
a weapon was fired the previous turn, it cannot
but if the mecha fails a third Stability Roll, thats it.
be fired again until next turn without the use of a

47
Configuration. This is commonly referred to as the
weapon needing to cool down.
Situational Rules
The following rules cover a variety of special
circumstances that can occur in combat, etc
Winning Combat
Combat will continue with all players taking turns Taking the Bullet
with the GM, mecha fighting mecha, mooks
If two mecha are in the same sector, one may take
fighting and dying, bantering going back and forth
the bullet for the other. Taking the bullet costs 1
until one of three victory conditions occurs.
Movement Point and once one mecha is covering
the other, neither mecha may move, strafe, or use
1. All but one side is completely junked.
Configurations which prevent strafing.
If all of the sides in a battle but one do
not have a functioning mecha and all
Both the covering and the covered mecha may
mooks are destroyed, that side wins
still Attack. However, whenever an Attacker
the conflict.
targets the covered the mecha, both the covered
2. Any unit begins its turn (after the first
and covering players roll Defense and the higher
turn in which they can act) in the same
result is used. If the Attack is successful, the
sector as the Tactical Waypoint. The
attacker determines which mecha takes damage.
side to which that mecha belongs wins
the battle. The other side is forced to
Any mecha in the same Sector may dislodge the
retreat or be destroyed. In doing so,
covering mecha by making a successful Attack.
they take 1 point of damage on the
The Attack does damage as normal and means
appropriate Stability Track and must
that the covering mecha cannot take the bullet
make a Stability Roll.
until it spends a Movement action again to do so.
3. All but one side leaves the battlefield.
This is essentially the same condition as
Pilots and characters outside of mecha may also
#1. But if no mecha or mooks exist on
take the bullet. The rules work the same, though
all but one side because they retreated,
using the pilots stats only.
that is a win for the remaining side.

There should be story ramifications for winning Combat Outside of Mecha

or losing a combat. After a battle is won or lost, Combat outside of a mecha follows the same basic
the GM should narrate the aftermath of combat. It rules as fighting in mecha. The main difference is
can be as simple as the enemy commander (or the which stats are used for various actions. Linked
PCs) getting captured, a narrow escape, or if the stats are not available, so the player must make
battle takes place in a larger conflict, this one key rolls using the characters stats only. However,
battle may decide the fate of the entire struggle. even though a character cannot use his linked
Stats, the effect of linking still remains.
In terms of how to narrate the aftermath of combat,
the GM should narrate outcomes favorably to the Outside of a mecha, when a pilot wants to attack,
players if they win and not-so-favorably if they his player rolls the Base Stat he has linked to
lose. The GM can involve the players in a little role Weapons to find the Attack Linked Stat. When
play after the combat, but nothing that should he wants to move, his player rolls the Base Stat he
require a skill roll. assigned to the Movement Linked Stat. When the
pilot wants to roll Defense, he uses the stat that is

48
Linked to his Defense stat. Finally, for determining
Initiative, the pilots player uses the same Base Stat
Boarding a Mecha
that is linked to Engineering. Should the need arise: it requires 1 Movement
point to board a mecha. Conversely, if a character
For example, lets say Major DArtagnan has starts in the same sector as an unpiloted mecha,
the following Link Array: the player may choose not to roll Movement and
may enter the mecha automatically. (In other
Will 4 Attack 8 Weapons 4 words, because Movement rolls are supposed to
Intelligence 4 Defense 7 Armor 3 represent combatants positioning themselves on
Agility 2 Engineering 4 Technology 2 the battlefield, they should be able to board their
Strength 1 Movement 3 Speed 2 mecha.)

In his mecha, the major rolls 8 dice to Attack,

7 to Defend, adds 4 to his Initiative, and 3 Firing it Up
rolls 3 dice for Movement. Outside of his It requires one half action to activate a mecha
mecha, he will roll 4 dice when he Attacks which becomes fully active. Unless a pilot started
(because of his Will of 4 which is Linked his turn in the mecha, during the turn the mecha
to Attack), 4 dice to Defend (because becomes active, the player will not have a action
of his 4 in Intelligence which is Linked to until the start of the players next turn.
Defense), he adds 2 to Initiative (because of
his 2 Agility which is Linked to Engineering),
and rolls 1 die to move (because of his 1 in
Buildings
Strength which is Linked to Movement.) Any structure, be it a tent, a gun emplacement,
or sky scraper is considered a building, though
Just like in his mecha, the major uses his buildings that exist only for story purposes (i.e. the
willpower to make furious assaults and his players are not using the optional rules for terrain
smarts to keep him safe from harm. Then and the buildings do not have weapons with which
he uses his agility to get the drop on his to attack) should not be placed on the Bullseye
foes while his meager strength keeps him Battlemap.
barely moving along.
Those buildings that affect combat have the same
four stats as mecha with the personnel operating
Personal Weapons the building as their pilot. Like mecha, their
Personal weapons have an optimum range and a Linked stats are capped at 12. Buildings may also
damage type just like mecha weapons. They also have Configurations. The one major difference is
cannot be fired in subsequent turns, meaning that that buildings do not make Movement rolls. Their
once a weapon has been fired, it must cool down Movement stat is always at 0.
and cannot be used until the next turn. Weapons
are described in greater detail in the Character Buildings also have a Stability Track with 6 boxes
Generation section. on it. If the building fails its Stability Roll, it
crumbles and is destroyed
Unarmed Combat
Characters can always make an unarmed combat Let This Be Our Final Battle
Attack. This is a 0/Impact attack that doesnt Sometimes the battle is lost and discretion
need to cool down. becomes the better part of valor. To retreat
from battle, the player must wait until his turn

49
and declare that he is retreating instead of rolling units away are at -1 Attack Dice.
for Movement. As long as no opposing player Example terrain: Hills
protests, the mecha may attack and then is taken Hills are tall earth formations that provide any
off the Bullseye Battlemap for the rest of combat. mecha on top of them excellent line of sight over
the entire Bullseye Battlemap. They also make the
However, any opposing player can declare Let mecha easier to spot and shoot.
this be our final battle! If this happens, the
player who wishes to retreat makes a contested Bonuses and penalties:
Movement roll against all opposition players who It costs two Movement points to enter a sector
wish to block the retreat. If the retreating player with Hills
wins the retreat roll, she retreats as normal. If the Hills grant +1 Attack Dice to anyone in the same
opposition players win, the player can use any sector as the Hills.
successes in the Contested roll to move as normal, Any mecha on the Hills are at -1 Defense dice when
but the mecha does not leave battle. attacked by mecha not at range 0.

Once a pilot has retreated, he and his mecha Example terrain: Mountain
cannot enter the battle again. Mountains represent very tall rock structures that
are impassible and too tall to see over.

(Optional) Terrain Bonuses and penalties:

Terrain represents features in the environment Mountains are impassable. Mecha cannot enter a
which make it harder to move, block line of sight, sector with mountains.
and make it easier to shoot, or make it more Mountains block line of sight. This means any
difficult to be shot. This includes things like mecha in the same quadrant cannot see the mecha
buildings, large trees, and hills. if they are on the opposite side of the mountains.

The following are some examples of terrain which Example terrain: Office Building
can be included in a game of Mecha. An office building is a typical, non-descript
building found in suburbs and cities everywhere.
Example terrain: Copse of Trees
This represents a dense group of trees that a Bonuses and penalties:
mecha can enter. The trees slow down the mechas It costs 2 Movement points to enter a sector with
movement, but help protect it from enemy fire. Office Buildings.
Office Buildings have an Engineering rating of 2,
Bonuses and penalties: which gives them 4 damage points. They are
It costs two Movement points to enter a Copse destroyed when their Engineering drops to 0.
of Trees They may also have a Defense rating as well.
A Copse of Trees grants +1 Defense Dice Impact weapons do double damage against
Any weapon of type wave, fire, laser, plasma, etc. buildings.
will set the trees fire. Any mecha entering a sector
with trees on fire must defend against a level 4 Any of these examples can be used as a template
Attack rolled by the GM. for other types of terrain.

Example terrain: Fog Terrain should be placed on the Bullseye Battlemap

Fog is an atmospheric condition that makes it very during the setup phase. The GM should choose
difficult to see and target enemy mecha. which terrain or terrains inhabit a sector. The
bonuses and penalties for different types of terrain
Bonuses and penalties: stack. Also, if a sector has terrain, the entire sector
All mecha who fire at targets more than 2 range has the terrain.

50
 Non-Player Characters
An SRS is peopled by more than just the player
characters. The GM controlled characters are
Allies
Named NPCs can also be allies. If they are fighting
called Non-Player Characters, or NPCs. In a game for the players, to assist them, or help them
of Mecha, there are four types of non-player achieve their goals, then the NPC is an ally. Allies
characters: solders, aces, allies and mooks. have names and relevant stats just like other
Soldiers named NPCs, but they do not earn Overdrive for
the GM. Instead, they earn Overdrive that can
A soldier is an enemy NPC important enough to
be piloting a mecha, but not important enough be spent only to improve their own rolls and to
to be an ace. They are the rank and file of the activate their own Configurations.
enemy army, though they are basically nameless
and faceless soldiers doing their duty. It is not
Mooks
The other type of NPC is the mook. Mooks play
important to know their name, the Traits, or their two very important jobs in mecha anime, and
goals. All that matters is the Mecha or Personal hence, in Mecha. Their most important job is to
Combat skill and their final Linked Stats. explode as the main characters dissolves into a
blur of awesome and speed lines and missiles and
Soldiers do earn Overdrive if they roll 5 Successes bullets.
and they can get a Cut Scene if they roll 8+
successes. However, they are removed from the Their other, far less important job is to provide
covering fire and support to the soldiers and aces.
battlefield if they fail a Stability Roll. Both jobs are important, though they seem to be
better at the whole exploding bit.
When looking at NPC write ups in the various
SRSes, any NPC that is not specifically noted as an Mooks travel in squads because it only takes one
ace may be played as a soldier. success on an Attack roll to kill a mook. Typically,
squads come in multiples of five.
Aces
An ace is distinguished by their importance in the Mooks come in three varieties: Base 2, Base 3, and
scope of the campaign; hence the GM should give Base 4. This determines how many dice they
them a name. (Hint: think of something better than have when rolling Movement and Attacking. It also
Bob or Dave. Though I suppose Bob the Barbarian determines their skill in Mecha Piloting and Mecha
or Dave the Destroyer is okay if a bit uninspiring.) Combat.

Generating NPCs should be done like generating Base 2 3 4

player-characters. They will have a set of linked Movement 2 3 4
stats fed by character and mecha stats. Their
mecha have Configurations and they have Traits. Attack 2 3 4
In combat, they will try to fight their hardest Mecha or Personal Combat 2 3 3
and then retreat before losing so they can fight
another day.

Also, aces earn Overdrive for the GM in the same Mooks come armed with two weapons, however,
way PCs earn Overdrive for their players. Anytime the GM may feel free to change the weapons load
an ace rolls 5 Successes, it earns one Overdrive. out as needed.
When looking at NPC write ups in the various Mook Cannon (3/Impact*)
SRSes, some NPCs will be specified as aces (the Mook Sword (1/Impact*)
gods in Godblind for instance.) Other NPCs that
do not specify may be played as soldiers or aces. * GMs should feel free to change these damage types to fit the SRS.

51
 Character and Mecha
Advancement
Throughout the course of a campaign, characters 6. End of a story arc (GMs discretion) 1-5
will grow and advance. This is represented by AP
players gaining and spending Advancement Points 7. Helping the GM to recap the story or
(AP). AP is awarded at the end of a session by the refresh players memories about the
GM using the chart below and can be spent by the previous session: 1 AP (must be done
players before the start of the next session. before the start of a new session)

At the end of every game session, players

should go around the table and describing how
they role played to their Traits. As long as the
players description makes sense, the AP should be
awarded. However, if description is too much of
a stretch or if the player is obviously just making
things up to gain the extra AP, the GM should feel
free to veto it.

Players can also decide whether or not they

achieved their characters goal or their Mechas
Protocol. However, the number of AP earned is
equal to the number of sessions the player has
pursued that goal.

AP can be spent in one of three ways. First, they

can be spent to increase a mecha or character
stat. The cost is 2 x the new level desired. So, for
instance, if a player wants his character to go from
3 to 4, this will cost 8 points.

AP is awarded by the GM using the following Secondly, skills can be improved or purchased
criteria. new. To increase a skill, the cost is 5 x the new
level. So to increase ones Mecha Piloting skill from
1. Playing in the session: 1 AP 4 to 5, the cost is 30 AP. Opening a new skill is 5
2. Playing to Character Traits: 1 AP per Trait points (1x5).
3. Making the table laugh: 1 AP
4. Introducing intense emotion because of Lastly, before a session starts, 1 AP can be used to
the story, not by being a jerk: 2 AP purchase 2 Overdrive.
5. Achieving a major goal or passion
varies* AP

52
 Remembering a
Fallen Hero
In Mecha, every character lives, but not every Also, if the previous character had a Goal that
character truly dies. In fact, character death in dealt with them dying (for instance Go down in
Mecha is a very rare occurrence. Even failing a a blaze of glory or Return to civilian life) the new
Stability Roll means that the characters mecha is character can have the AP from accomplishing
junked, not destroyed. that Goal. If the previous characters Goal had
nothing to do with dying, then the new character
There are two cases in which a character can does not gain the AP.
die. The first is failing a Stability Roll in the Lethal
Damage phase. Though for a character to even
be in the Lethal Damage phase, the player has to Losing Your Mecha
make the decision to put his characters life in The way character generation works, the mecha
danger. Again, looking to mecha anime, characters and the pilot are tied together from the beginning.
rarely die on the battlefield. Even as their mecha is
However, there may be a time when the action
being shot into a million pieces, they still manage
to eject and escape to safety. of the story makes it so that mecha is somehow
lost. In this case, there will be another of the same
The second way a character can die is what we type and with the same stats waiting for the pilot
call the dramatically significant death. This means on their turn.
that the character leaves the anime series for
reasons which further the storyline. Sometimes The GM can never take away a players mecha in
this means that the character passes away or a story.
suffers a significant injury which forces them to
leave active duty or the get their chance to retire
or the stay behind to help the natives rebuild their
destroyed village, etc., but its all done in service
to the story.

In Mecha, players may request that their character

suffer a dramatically significant death. If the GM
feels that it would be dramatically significant,
then character dies/retires/transfers at the end
of the fight round. The GM then can determine
if the character falls on the battlefield, retires, or
is transferred to another unit. In some cases, the
GM may ask if she can use the character as a NPC,
though its the players option to allow this.

No matter how the character leaves the story,

via failing a Lethal Damage phase Stability Roll or
through a dramatically significant exit, the player
can create a new character that has earned the
same amount of AP as the previous character.

53
 The World
Every player is going to create a character,
is the players alter ego in the world. While
who
you,
SRS Creation
the player, may not own a mecha or pilot it in Mecha comes with three different SRSes that you
to combat, you can still experience doing that can use to begin play immediately and more will be
through the eyes of the character. coming from Heroic Journey Publishing. However,
there are many more settings and conflicts that
However, before creating that character and can be found in mecha anime than we can ever put
playing the game, you should have a pretty good into words.
idea of what the world looks like, the nature of the
mecha that can be piloted, the factions who vie We highly encourage fans of the game to create
for power, and the government and major religions their own SRSes and have provided the tools to do
of the world. In some cases, these details may be so. We also hope you drop us an email and tell us
superfluous, but in some cases they will make a about your creations.
major difference.
To create a setting, start by answering the
In Mecha we refer to all of this information as the following questions. This will give you a general
setting of the game. Mecha packages all this idea of what happens in the setting and what
information into a setting reference schematic players should expect.
(SRS). This document is the master reference for
all things related to the setting. The Setting Questions
The core Mecha rulebook has three SRSes in 1. Time period. Is it modern day, the far
the back of the book, each portraying a totally future, the past, an alternate history.
separate set of setting details. However, you may
wish to create your own setting. Thats awesome! 2. The Nature of Mecha. Are mecha
Do it and feel free to drop me an email about the technological, flesh and blood, are
setting you create. they alive? How did they come
to be? What type of equipment
To generate your own setting, this book presents
does a standard mecha have?
a series of questions which flesh out the world and
its inhabitants. Some of these questions will be
fairly simple to answer (What is the time period 3. Availability of Mecha. Does everyone
of the game?) Others will be tougher (What have a mecha? Are they military
characters archetypes and models of mecha are equipment only? Are they rare? If
available?) The setting questions themselves are theyre rare, how did the PCs find them?
included in the World Building Chapter and are
listed in the Setting Guidelines section. 4. Models of Mecha. You should create
between 5-8 mecha models. You can
Whether you pick a premade setting or build your repurpose any mecha used in this book
own, all players should agree on which SRS to use or any supplement or create your own.
Typically, mecha are built with 8 stat
before stating MechaGen/CharGen.
points distributed amongst 4 stats with
3 bonus points.

54
5. Archetypes Available. Next, you should 11. Theme. A theme for the game.
create 5-10 character archetypes. What are some of the major
Again, feel free to repurpose any of messages in the game? Is there a
the Archetypes in this book or any message? Is it only about mecha?
supplement. You can also create your
own by allocate 8 stat points amongst 4 12. Conflict. Whos fighting? Mecha are
stats with 3 bonus points. Again 8/3 is the kind of boring if they stand there. There
standard for Heroic Journey Publishing. need to be at least two (though more
is good, too) factions battling it out for
6. Determine Traits. Every character victory.
starts with two Traits from their
Put all of this together and you have the start of
mechas Configurations. Now, every
pretty cool SRS.
SRS has different ways to figure out
from where the other two come. In
Godblind, the players choose their last Setting Guidelines
two. In Steel Gunner, the Archetypes There are a few other things that an SRS must
dictate the final two Traits. In SRS3, the have.
final two Traits are selected from two
Answers to all of the questions above,
lists. All approaches are valid as are
especially the Classes and Archetypes
any other ways for determining Traits.
A list of allowable damage types. Some SRSes
7. History. Outline at least a few may want more or fewer damage types.
major events of the worlds
history, especially those which A list of Configurations. SRS creators
are welcome to make up their own
have lead to the upcoming conflict.
Configurations, though we have
worked pretty hard to balance
8. Religion. Monotheistic, Polytheistic, the Configurations in game play.
None, The Force, Gaia, etc. This
may or may not have an effect The Story Stages. An SRS should consist
on how the game is played. of at least three Story Stages with their
Initial Conditions, List of Actions, and Story
Milestones. We highly recommend that
9. Political Units. Major Nations, Space even for SRSes that you create, still have
Colonies, Tribal Governments, etc. Story Stages. They will make your job as
These political units will form the factions the GM much, much easier.
for which the PCs will eventually fight.
Beyond that, an SRS will benefit by the amount of
10. Economy. Feudal, Corporate, Class work you put into it. Good luck!
Division, All Share, Haves/Have Nots.
This may describe why the PCs fight.

55
 The Game Master
(a.ka. the GMs) Section
This final section is full of as much advice about reason Mecha features the turn-based approach
how to run the game as I could determine from to scenes is to emulate this very fact. Let the
numerous play tests. Mecha is a more formal role players help tell the story they want and then use
playing game than many with its turn structure and the mecha fighting to be a fun diversion or let it
its source material. That is not to say that there is build on the storyline.
any one definitive way to run the game, but there
are things that may make the game more fun. There are a few differences between Mecha and
mecha anime. Its worth pointing out that mecha
Know the Source Material
anime is usually centered around one primary
protagonist (normally its a teenaged boy) and
Watching hours of mecha anime is not required his adventures. Mecha is very much a team game
to enjoy Mecha. However, watching anime is fun with the Scene economy best suited to player
and it can help you understand why the game is character parties of three or more.
structured the way it is. It also will give you ideas
for storylines in your game. What we found in playtest is that the Scene
structure allows each person to be in the spotlight
If you dont have time to delve deeply into mecha on their own Scene. We have found that this is a
anime, heres a brief summary about what I think very good thing because it creates dynamic stories
mecha anime is about: with multiple threads going at once. Although, this
is not always the case, sometimes one characters
First and foremost, mecha anime is not about story becomes the dominant storyline, but every
mecha fighting. Watch Gundam Wing and time this happened in playtesting it was because
notice how much of the battle footage is reused the players made the decision to use their Scenes
over and over. A fight is just a fight. It is the supporting the other character and were not
circumstances surrounding that fight that make forced by the other player or the GM.
mecha anime interesting. Mecha, then, become
double edge swords. On one hand, characters are Also, because combat is such a part of Mecha,
tested, beaten, nearly broken, and being forced to the opposition levels in the game tend to be
make terrible decisions because they are mecha higher than the opposition levels in many mecha
pilots. On the other, they are given the power to shows. In anime, its not atypical to see one of
change the world because of their mecha. the protagonists mecha to take on hundreds of
nameless, faceless mecha and come out without a
Mecha fighting is cool, though. Lets face it, scratch. While that makes for good anime, its not
theres just something fun about watching giant as much fun in the game and as a result, the enemy
robots blowing each other up. The missiles and opposition in Mecha tends to be a bit sturdier.
explosions and crazy laser swordsits fun. And it
both builds tension and breaks it up.
Story Structure
Which brings us back to the scene structure. The Most mecha anime follows a similar set of story

56
arcs. For series where the main character(s) begin understand these tropes better, its important to
the story as civilians or soldiers, but not mecha realize that mecha anime tends to break down into
pilots, a series tends to look like this: two major classifications. According to tvtropes.
1. Character is chosen to be a pilot by the org, mecha anime can be divided into Real Robots
military/fate/creepy father. and Super Robots.
2. The series has a relatively uneventful
period where the mechas capabilities Real Robots
are displayed. The main character(s) will Real Robots, as their name suggests, takes a
either learn to love or just accept the more realistic view of mecha, if such a thing can
burden of piloting the mecha. be said of ten meter tall walking tanks. With Real
3. Something goes horribly wrong and Robots, mecha are mass produced and are virtually
piloting a mecha becomes a lot less indistinguishable from one another. In Real Robots,
fun and a whole lot more like a terrible the pilots are usually just soldiers, no matter how
burden skilled they are, they have no super powers or
4. Main character(s) suffer injury, doubt, special abilities. Fate has not granted them the
pain, loss of loved ones, etc. power of the king or anything, they just happen
5. Main character(s) persevere and defeat to be in the right place at the right time.
main enemy, often at the cost of further
injury, pain, loved ones, or even at the In Real Robot mecha, the robots follow the laws of
cost of his life. physics. Their weapons are often limited to bullets
and missiles and the types of weaponry that one
Mecha series where the main character starts out could find the military using. (In fact, because of
as a mecha pilot tend to skip step 1 and sometimes their age, most modern armies field equipment
2. Sometimes steps 2-4 are repeated several more powerful than what you can find on a Real
times. Robot except for the technology to make the
mecha itself.) In Real Robot mecha, pilots often
You should consider using this outline to begin have to worry about real world things like how
with as its familiar, but at the same time flexible many shots they left in their rifles or how much
enough that any number of stories may arise out fuel they have remaining. Mecha rarely do flips,
of it. avoid swarms of missiles, or transform unless the
mecha is piloted by a main character.
A Few Common Tropes
Typically, Real Robot stories deal with the pilots
If youre still stuck about what type of game to
who are forced to fight, whether they want to or
run, first consult the SRSes directly. All three
not, and how they deal with combat. For the most
SRSes in this book, and any to come, have a fairly
part, you could pluck a Real Robot storyline out of
distinct flavor and should come with several
the mecha genre and plop it down into a World
stages of play. These should give you the seed
War II or Iraq war storyline and tell roughly the
of your campaign.
same stories. In many of these cases, the mecha
are largely used for visuals rather than for their
Face it, the Godblind wont be singing much
combat abilities.
karaoke nor will the students at SRS East be
fighting many invaders from outer space!
This is not to say that there is anything wrong
or intellectually dishonest about the Real Robot
If you want more ideas, mecha anime tends to
genre. I have watched a number of these series
have a number of tropes that run through it. To
and have enjoyed them, though usually its for

57
different reasons than I enjoy Super Robot-style They may be trained at birth to fight against
mecha. In most cases, Real Robot anime is far more an oppressive government or a witch may have
serious than Super Robot and deals with real world granted them special powers, but the stars of
problems without only the thinnest amount of mecha anime tend to be superhumanly agile and
dressing to make it feel like a story. perceptive and a natural in a mecha cockpit even if
they have never piloted one before.
The poster child for Real Robot mecha, as far as
I am concerned, is Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th In terms of tone, Super Robot anime is rarely as
MS Team, even though it, technically, is not pure serious as Real Robot anime. While there may
Real Robot because it features a sort of reality- be poignant moments in Super Robot anime, for
defying super mecha at the end and the surreal the most part, Super Robot anime is more upbeat
final ending with the strange children (who many (and often funnier) than Real Robot anime. Its hard
have identified as the type of super human pilots to stay dark and moody when you have mecha
featured in Super Robot mecha.) jumping through the air hacking at each other with
magical beam swords.
Super Robot Anime
Super Robot, leaves reality behind in a cloud of That is not to say that the themes in Super Robot
hyperbooster equipped, megacannon armed anime are not as serious. In fact, Super Robot anime
mecha dust. Super Robot anime has been likened covers the same themes a Real Robot anime, but
to comic book superhero stories where everyone using more fantastical elements to tell its stories.
drives around in mecha, which is fairly accurate. This can make the stories more approachable,
though it has the side effect of sometimes hiding
In Super Robot anime, there is a fair amount of what the show is really getting at behind a swarm
hand waving that goes on to bring these mecha of mini-rocket explosions.
into the world. For instance, Super Robot anime is
normally dependent on some substance which has Hybrid Anime
not been discovered yet, or cannot possible exist, The distinctions above are useful when approaching
such as sakuradite, Protoculture, or gundanium. the genre; however, they are largely artificial as no
These mysterious substances allow Super Robot mecha anime being produced today is purely Real
mecha to transform into jets, tanks, or animals, fire Robot. Most of the anime series coming out tend
weapons which can destroy cities in a single burst, to lean towards Super Robot style. I think its safe
and normally render them impervious to damage to say that most mecha anime produce is really a
from weapons fired by mooks and pilots who are hybrid, taking the best elements of both styles
not enemy aces. and telling the stories they want.

Even more impressive, Super Robot mecha are Stories in Mecha Anime
more agile than a gymnast. Normally, they can What kinds of stories get told in mecha anime? The
gracefully leap through the air, doing circles and simple answer is that just about every story type
pirouettes while accurately slicing the bad guys, is represented in mecha anime, and usually three or
then landing on both feet and walking away before four stories are blended together into one series.
the debris of the dead enemies. Its the kind of For instance, the driving theme behind many of
thing that even as an adult sometimes makes me the Gundam series is War is hell. However, under
sit up and go Whoacool! this overarching theme, there is also subthemes
of Technology as a destroyer of hope and the
Many times in the Super Robot anime genre, human condition, Pleasing a father figure/mentor,
the pilots themselves are also super powered. Coming of age and even Redemption.

58
 Normally, what I do is ask the players to create
War is hell characters. With the combination of player Traits
Can pacifism work? and Goals, you should have a good idea of what
Were alike if only we could talk it over the players want from the game. Obviously, if
The older generation has ruined it for a player has the goal Get a girlfriend they want
the younger their character to take the steps necessary to find
a girlfriend. Its your job to lead them down this
Technology as a destroyer of hope and
path so that they can try to win a girls affection.
the human communication
Perfection of the individual (usually to Its also your job to make sure the player doesnt
that persons detriment) get oneat least not easily. (See Bring the Pain
Pleasing a father figure/mentor below.)
Revenge
How far are you willing to go? Also, use the GM Event chart as your ally. Its there
Coming of age to spur ideas when you and the players dont have
Redemption any. There will be times in a longer campaign when
Acceptance of a character into a group a story arc wraps up and no one has any firm ideas.
Alienation of a character from a group Thats the time to make a roll and see what type of
Racism chaos can ensue. Unless I have a strong idea for an
Sexism initial scene, I roll on the GM Event table every time
I start a new campaign and let whatever roll I get
The dangers of nationalism
guide my GMs turn.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Blind trust can lead to your ruin Most of the results on that table are designed to
Trust in your friends Bring the Pain, though a few will help the team.
Loyalty/Disloyalty Sometimes rolls result in interesting events. Other
You reap what you sow times, they wont. However, you, the GM, should
Sometimes for secondary characters, not feel ashamed to ever roll on that table. On the
theres a strong theme that you dont other hand, there is no pressure to do so.
have to be in a mecha to effect change
Things arent always what they seem So I advise you to not come in with a very strong,
People can change (Normally enemy firm idea of where you want the story to go. The
aces switching sides) players, with their ability to take turns on the
Scenes they want to see, easily have the power to
Sometimes, you get the people cant
derail just about any plans you make. So instead
change theme, too about worrying about a storyline, have a general
sketch in your mind, but let the players guide the
Yes, these are all general, but at one level they are story, too.
meant to be so they can be applied to any game
you may wish to play.
Campaign Prologue
Preparing for a After all players have their characters, its time for
the Prologue. The Prologue establishes the time
Game of Mecha period within the setting, it may introduce major
NPCs, and it establishes how the characters know
Mecha requires next to no preparation to start a
each other.
campaign. If you want, you can use the Stages as
defined in each SRS, a few rolls on the GM Event
table and the players themselves to jump-start Basically, it consists of two parts.
your start your own Mecha campaign.

59
How Did the Characters Meet? want to get things rolling, roll 2D6. The first die
reflects the type of the relationship. The second
First, ask the question about how your characters
die reflects the type of emotion.
know each other. Even if they are an ad hoc
military squad thrown together out of the pieces
Roll Emotion
of old units, give the players the chance to have an
1 Hatred
interesting history. This helps support role playing
2 Dislike
and gives GMs extra fodder for pain bringing
3 Absolutely no feeling
throughout the course of role play,
4 Never met, but generally likes
5 Former Squadmate
Remember, anything a character mentions is
6 Love
fodder for the campaign (unless, of course, the
player brings it up specifically because they do
not want it discussed.) The classic example is Establish the Story
that one character dated the other characters Once the characters previous relationships have
sister who is now presumed dead. This one trope, been established, its time to start telling the story.
which was brought up in two playtests of Mecha Basically, during the Prologue, you need to set the
can give a GM hours of role playing fun. stage. The players should know when and where
they are, if there are any important NPCs, etc.
From this one relationship, there are so many This can be as simple as giving a quick description
questions to be asked: of the high school or military base of whatever
location in which play begins. It can also be full
1. How did the brother feel about the on role playing. I trying suggest establishing the
relationship and about the other player? particulars of the campaign and then rolling on the
2. How did the player in the relationship GM table.
feel about the sister?
3. Do they blame each other for the I have found that since the Prologue happens
sisters death? Openly or privately? without the players having a Scene, I dont always
4. Is the sister really dead? have a good idea of where the action is going to
5. If shes really dead, is there an alien, go, so sometimes I will roll on the GM table to get
ghost, twin, or artificial lifeform that can the action going. I dont always do this, but I have
look like her? found it can add an interesting twist to the story.

Yep, character relationships are great fodder for

GMs! Combat After the Prologue
The Prologue is basically like a GMs turn, but it
If you need to roll up a relationship quick or just only happens when a campaign is launched. Some

Roll Nature Die Emotion

1 None 1 Hatred
2 Friends 2 Dislike
3 Siblings 3 Absolutely no feeling
4 Parent 4 Never met, but generally likes
5 Former Squadmate 5 Strongly like
6 Former Commanding Office 6 Love

60
GMs will be tempted to start a combat right after to fight. I chose those words carefully.
the Prologue, others wont. In playtesting, we let
players take their scenes after the Prologue, but Having an enemy mecha point a rocket launcher at
there were times a quick combat would not have a character will make the character want to fight.
been a bad idea. Its just boring. Instead, use the story and the
goals of each player to give them reasons to risk
However, if you do start a combat before the their characters lives. Show them an objective or
players have had their turns; its probably not the a way they can further their goals and suddenly
best time to massacre them with a huge number the battle will not feel like rolling dice, it will mean
of enemies. Remember, the players have not had something. It might even cause the players to
time to earn Tactical Points or extra Overdrive, do something tactically suboptimal, just because
which they would otherwise have. there is a role playing reason to do it.

What to Do on Your Turn

Ill give you an example. In a playtest of Steel
Gunner, I was playing 3rd Prince Schnizel dArtagnan
The GMs responsibilities on her turn were fairly well who had a Goal to prove that he was the better
described in the section on the Scene Structure, than his brother (who happened to be a media
specifically on page 35 However, I wanted to go darling and a certified war hero to boot. Oh, and
into a bit more detail in this section to give you Schnizels commanding officer) At one point,
some thoughts on the GMs turn and some advice the elder dArtagnan orders my character to go
on what has worked throughout playtesting. liberate an occupied village.

The Goal of the GMs Turn It was not a tough mission, but this was the first
episode after a major battle in which we captured
The goal of the GMs turn is to give the players an enemy supermecha and sort of lost our space
a reason to fight. Now, there are many ways to fort. We needed a breather.
achieve this goal, which is where your job as a GM
comes into play. Anyway, I said to the GM at the time If this city
burns, my brother is going to be just as mad
The easiest, most boring way to get players to at me as if I had lost the battle. He agreed and
combat, is to only say You guys are ambushed suddenly the battle became less about winning
by an enemy squad, roll for Initiative. Im not than about winning while not doing any damage
going to tell you what to do, but that would be an to the city itself (which we used the Tactical
utter waste of your turn. Waypoint to designate.) This was made worse by
the fact I was in a Howling Dragon class mecha and
Hopefully, as you have gone around the table, was suddenly less willing to use Boomer against
youve collected bits and pieces from each targets in the city.
players Scene. This may not always be the case
(for instance after a bloody battle, everyone Did I have to limit myself in this way? No, I could
may spend their Scene repairing their mecha, have never said a thing to the GM and we could
but hopefully thats rare.) Still, between what the have played the combat out normally, but it was
players offer and the story line you have gone just more fun that way.
through, there should be something to do make
players want to fight. So what I am getting at here is find ways to
personalize the combat. Use combat to put things
Remember, I said that players should have a reason that the characters/players care in jeopardy. Make

61
them able to keep/save/protect what they love might have to have a random encounter style
only if they win. Its more fun that way. There combat where the players just happen to run
are buttons that every character has that the GM into an enemy mecha squad who just happens
should feel free to push when a combat is started. to need to be blown up. Thats fine, but in the
aftermath, makes sure you know why they were
How to Start a Fight there (reconnaissance mission, a rogue element,
black ops, friendlies piloting enemy mecha, etc.)
The impetus for the fight varies from game to Honestly, in many games, the example of Prince
game and SRS to SRS. In Godblind, the characters dArtagnans city fight could be considered a
should pretty much want to fight all the time. random encounter.
Theres not a lot of setting material dedicated to
sitting around and signing songs by the campfire. After that, it becomes a matter of serving the
The fiction of Godblind is that this supernatural story. If you find the enemy super mecha, theres
entity gave you mecha to fight and now you need a good chance the bad guys are coming to attack
to go fight. your space fort. The gods in Godblind are going
to retaliate sooner or later.
Therefore in Godblind, after narrating the aftermath
of combat, I tend to ask what targets the players I cant give you specific, concrete advice because
want to hit next. I think let them spend their part Im not sitting next to you or at your table (most
of the episode preparing for that battle so on the likely), but more often than not, ideas for the next
GMs turn I can narrate the beginning of that battle. combat should generate themselves. Thats why
all SRSes have Story Stages. And if the players
Steel Gunner, on the other hand, tends to be a didnt suggest any good ideas and you dont want
bit more story driven. Having run and played in to advance along the Story Stage (or if you are
Steel Gunner games, the setting allows for fights playing your own SRS good for you!roll on the
the players choose themselves as well as when GM table. Its there to spur ideas.)
enemies come looking for the PCs. Therefore, on
those turns I tend to go with the flow a bit. If And if you still dont have anything, find 4 NPC
the players choose to do something which would mechas and throw them at the players. Just be
provoke enemy action, theres the next fight. If real mysterious about why theyre there. Normally
not, I might choose to advance the story by the players will make a guess and youll have your
revealing a new enemy or consulting the Story next story hook!
Stages to look to see what a good next step
might be to advance the action.
Bring the Pain
Special Research School tends to be the SRS Im not sure who coined the term, but I cant think
where most of the conflict is internally generated. of a better way to GM this game. As the GM, its
There are so many different enemies (rival high your job to figure out the players buttons and
schools, jocks, nerds, hall monitors, etc.) that I tend push them just hard enough that they have fun.
to go into an Special Research School game with I am not advising that you be a jerk or pick on
virtually no preparation at all. I let the characters players at all.
pick their fights and provide suitable bad guys.
Fun is usually had. Instead, the players, through their choice of
Archetype, Traits, Goals, and Protocols, have
What all of that means is that there are several given you, the GM, a pretty clear indication of your
ways to start a combat. On occasion, you players buttons. Again, if a character has a goal

62
To get a girlfriend the player is signaling he wants a cybermecha who the player then rescued, who
his character to have the opportunity to have a now has amnesia and thinks shes in love with a
girlfriend. However, I believe its part of the social movie starmaybe its time to let the player meet
contract of gaming that the player also knows that his goal and think of a new one. I think hes earned it.
you, the GM, is not going to make it easy on the
player or the character. I suppose really the seminal rule should be to add
an additional challenge as long as doing so will
Thats part of the part of the fun. If you give the increase the fun. Its not as hard and fast as the first
players everything they want, theres no challenge stating of the rule, but sometimes knowing when
and no feeling that anything is earned. to stop pushing buttons is the most important skill
a GM can have.
The same goes on the battlefield. There is a
section below where I talk about how to set up the Still, as long as bringing the pain serves the story
enemy mecha force, but the gist of the section is and player seems to be having a good time, go for
to not be nice. Dont take it easy on the players, it. Send in the ninjas. Let the temple burn. Bring
they wont enjoy it. the pain.

Sizing the Opposition

In general, the seminal rule of brining the pain is this.
If you have several options in which the story can,
choose the one that adds an additional challenge How big of a force should a GM throw at the PCs?
to make the players life more interesting (not Enough. Just enough
difficult.)
Okay, thats a really bad answer, but its the truth.
Ill take an example from one of Mechas playtesters. As the GM you need to figure out how many
He was playing a game which called for him to mecha to throw at the players, how many mooks,
roll a random event. As luck would have it, the and how tough to make them.
resulted rolled as that a major city changed hands.
As the story goes, he thought about making one First, let me say that I grew up playing Battletech,
of the less important cities (to the story) change so I always think of mecha squads being done in
hands, but instead he opted to choose the city multiples of four. Thats how weve always run
that was most important to the players. the game (because we tend to have two or four
players so it works) and most of my thoughts on
This led to the entire play group freaking out and how to achieve different outcomes in battle are
having a blast saving the refugees from the city based on there being four mecha on the PCs sides
and plotting their revenge. The players had a great (even if some are NPC allies).
time and actually got more caught up in the story
because something about which they cared was Second, battles in Mecha tend to have three
threatened and they had to save it. outcomes that the GM is trying to achieve. This
will determine how large and how capable the
Thats bringing the pain. enemy forces are.

Of course, there are times when you can stop 1. A Skirmish

bringing the pain. If this is session 97 and the 2. A Battle
player still hasnt gotten a girlfriend because the 3. A Desperate Stand
girl he loves spurned him, then dated his best
friend, then moved to Australia, then came back
and was presumed dead, then was resurrected as

63
A Skirmish An Even Battle
Skirmishes are short firefights between the PCs An even battle is the normal style of combat I
and the enemy where the GM is not necessarily shoot for in Mecha, basically in an even battle, I pick
trying to win a crushing victory. While victory can a force that is roughly the same numerically as the
still come from probes, an enemy that is probing is PCs and their allies. I might toss in an extra mecha
the least deadly type. or an extra mook squad or two, depending on how
tense I want to make the combat.
A probing force should have no more than one
mecha for every player and should shy away from
some of the more powerful Configurations (no In an even battle, I still restrict the number of really
Assassin, no Slayer, etc.) Many times skirmishes powerful Configurations since in most cases,
can feature replace one or two of the mecha with the PCs will not have access to some of the
2 squads of mooks per mecha (so if 1 mecha is Configurations that GMs do. But I try to make sure
replaced, 2 mooks can take its place. If 2 mecha that the enemies have a few powerful weapons to
replaces, up to 4 squads can take its place.) counteract the PCs.

Now, the question is why a GM would ever want If a GM wants an even battle, she should have no
to skirmish. Really, there are two times when I more than half again as many units (mooks and
use these probing attacks. Normally, the first mecha) as the PCs. This means for a PC force of
combat of a campaign or the first combat after 4 mecha, the enemies should have no more than 6
a huge game changing battle is a skirmish. This
opponents. Because anyone who starts their turn
lets everyone ramp up, lets new players get a feel
for the battle, and it lets war weary players catch in the Tactical Waypoint, if there are too many
their breath. NPC units, the players will not be able to win by
sheer numbers. Even if those numbers are mooks.
The other time I use skirmishes is for pacing
purposes. The lead up to and aftermath of a
combat is a great storytelling device. Part of your
A Desperate Battle
role as the GM is to have there be something at Let me start of by saying, be very careful with
stake for the battle. They should want to win this type of battle. Herein lies the formula for
because it will help further their goals or the overall defeating the players nearly every time.
storyline. There are times that I, as the GM, will
want the players to succeed at the combat to set Really, I only mention this outcome as a precaution.
up the next element in the story. In this case, I I am not in favor of introducing heinously difficult
just dont want to foul up a perfectly good story opposition just because I want the PCs to be
with the players getting their mecha shot out from
captured. However, I have played the game enough
under them. In these cases, I let the players fight
to know that when the PCs are outnumbered
it out, beat up one some poor enemy NPCs and
move on. 2-to-1, theres a really good chance they are going
to lose the battle unless they get lucky with the
Now, the key thing to remember is that once setup of the Tactical Waypoint.
I commit forces to a battle, even if they are a
skirmish, I still play hard. Its not exactly fair to If you are looking to bring the pain on the
the players to not give them a challenge or the battlefield, a good way to do that is with creating
thrill of battle. Thats why I handicap myself in the really difficult Configuration mixes. Any mecha
beginning and then fight as hard as I can once the that has Defender is going to be a pain in the rear
mecha are on the map. to stop, especially since it can negate any attack
with 2 Overdrive. A Jammer/Analyzer combination
is pretty difficult as they can make it difficult for

64
themselves (and others) to be hit and can confer Turns In The Midst of a Battle
bonuses to Attack rolls for other mecha.
In a few cases, usually large-scale battles at the
climax of a story, there may come a time when
The combination to use to destroy a target the players want to start a new episode so that
quickly is Ripper/Slayer. If you activate both they can have try a Social Scene or just to break
Configurations and score a hit, the target mecha up the battle.
takes two damage and is rolling -1 on their Stability
roll. Conversely, Ripper/Assassin would suck Obviously, if one side has won the combat, but
because the pilot and the mecha take two points there is battle raging all around the combatants,
of damage. the normal rules for episodes can be used. The GM
narrates the aftermath of the combat, the players
Dont use these combinations often, just when take their Scenes and then a different fight in the
you really want to make a battle hard. Oh, and large scale battle is initiated.
roll a lot of Great Successesyoull need all the
However, there are some times when the player
Overdrive you can get.
wants to talk to the other sides ace or wants to
do so something to add a little role playing to the
Again, use this information to play hard, dont use battle. Remember the example above with the
it slaughter the players because you can. If you player dating anothers sister? This occurred in
want the team captured, use your GM turn to do it an actual play test and both the brother and the
and let them react in combat. boyfriend wanted to convince the sister she was
fighting for the wrong side.
The Role of Mooks In this case, the GM can decide to give everyone
Mooks play a few vital roles in combat. First, a Scene. All types of Scenes are allowed, though
they cause the players to spend at least one Field Ops work better as Flashbacks to suddenly
turn blowing them up. Mooks seem to be bullet explain why this gear has appeared or why they
magnets since they appear easy to kill. suddenly get the benefit of some field operation.

In addition to the lost turn, mooks also seem to The important thing to note when taking turns in
the midst of battle is that the battlemap should
cause players to spend Overdrive. This can help
not be cleared. All combatants stay exactly where
the GM drain their opposition of Overdrive while they are and if a unit is standing in the Tactical
she gets to keep hers. Waypoint, it will win the combat when it starts its
next round. However, any Overdrive gained from
However, the most important role that mooks play Social Scenes or Selling Your Scene can be spent
is taking and holding ground. If mooks start their in combat and any Tactical Points can be used to
turn in the same sector as the Tactical Waypoint, move the Tactical Waypoint before combat is
the GM wins the battle. resumed.

How you use mooks is up to you and how the Doing this should be the exception, not the rule.
players handle their presence, but just because Do not let players call for Social Scenes to talk
they are called mooks doesnt mean you should to faceless enemy soldiers because they want
ignore them. They dont pack a lot of a punch, but Overdrive. Instead, take turns during battle as the
natural outgrowth of the story.
they do soak up some damage and they can win
a battle for you.

65
Splitting Combat 2. A GM will almost always have more
Overdrive than the players. Remember,
Sometimes throughout the course of the game, all of her Overdrive goes into a common
the players will split up into one or more groups. pool so an enemy ace can be rolling
This can happen if you have 2 players or 20. Great Successes and Cutscenes to
When this happens, handle the episode as normal. fuel 3rd Lieutenant Newbies Boomer
Every player gets their turn, but players who are attacks.
separated geographically should not be in the
same scene unless they are communicating over a Still, how you use Overdrive should depend on
phone or comm system or the Internet, etc. your own personal play style. With that being
said, throughout numerous playtests, I can say
When it comes time for combat, the GM has two that more often than not, Mecha GMs tend not to
choices. She can either run two or more separate spend much Overdrive on Configurations. Of all
combat sessions. However, this puts some of the the Configurations available to mecha under my
players out of action for a while and even though command, I think the Configuration Ive use the
combat in Mecha is fast, it can still take some time. most is Flanker.
Instead, for smaller numbers of players (say 5 of
less), two combats can happen simultaneously on Personally, I tend to use my Overdrive to keep my
the same map at the same time. mecha in the fight. Whenever a situation comes
up where a mecha is going to take damage, thats
This requires a few extra considerations since when I spend my Overdrive.
there will need to be two Tactical Waypoints
on the map, but it does speed things up since However, I have seen GMs use Overdrive for just
everything else is normal. All sides roll for Initiative the opposite effect. Some GMs will use their
and fight as normal. However, PCs from the two Overdrive to pump up their Attack rolls, buying
combats cannot help each other and the same extra Successes to get past the PCs Defense rolls
with NPCs. Even though they are on the same and cause damage to the Stability track.
battlemap, they are still separated by distance.
This is a way to speed up combats only, not The key thing to remember is that generating
introduce additional wonkiness. Overdrive in combat is pretty easy, especially if
you have 3-4 mecha on your side. Chances are
every three or four rolls, you should be getting
Spending Overdrive another point, so dont worry about saving up
The final topic in the Game Master section is when all your Overdrive for one critical moment. You
and how to spend Overdrive. So there are two should have enough to spend them in a constant
things you should know about Overdrive: stream.

1. GMs only roll dice during combat, Okay GM, get out there and fight!
so their only chance to even spend
Overdrive is the 2-4 combats during a
session.

66
67
Sprawled somewhere between one world and the one knows why they age faster, but then again,
next is the Living City. No one knows where it the gods have failed to mention that anything
came from or how it came to be, but we do know might be different.
the Seven Gods promise severe reprisal to anyone
who dares ask the question. There is no sickness and disease.
The gods have stolen the sun and replaced it with Everyone is assigned a job. After graduating
clouds. They take our women for their beauty. school during the fifth year of life, children are
They take our men for their strength and their given a card with their job on it. The next day,
prowess. Our inventors and engineers are stolen
away, never to return. A few touched by Madness they are to report to their new job. The general
have visions of orgies, battles and armies from the consensus is that each person is assigned jobs
stars. that fit their genetic capabilities. Those with high
IQs are made scientists. Those who are good at
In return for this theft, the gods give us fear and the arts create masterpieces. There are few who
their special brand of justice. To speak against have no concrete skill set and are forced to work
them merits death. To organize in groups to menial labor.
protest merits death for the protestors and their
families. Any attempt to learn how we came to the The variety of jobs in the Living City is limited.
Living City merits death. They tend to focus on one of five areas:
human improvement (doctors, nutritionists,
And the Living City itself does nothing. Whether it psychologists), city improvement (architects,
too trembles before the might of the gods or it is gardeners, builders), creative (poets, musicians,
an ally of them, many who have thought or acted actors), research (metallurgists, social thinkers,
in ways the gods do not like find themselves lost engineers, physicists) and entertainment (athletes,
in a part of the city they never knew. New walls beauty pageant contestants.) Those professions
block their path, making them easy marks for the that deal with technology are asked to examine
gods fire from above. and reverse engineer weapons and electronics
For as long as anyones grandparents grandparents centuries beyond what the people use in the Living
can remember, the people have dwelt inside the City. While the technology level of the Living City
city. is about what it was in the year 2025 (in Earth
reckoning), the engineers are studying particle
Peace is over. The battle is joined. cannons, gauss rifles, and particle shielding.

For the entertainers, the city is divided into tracts

comprised of ten blocks each. Each tract has a
football team, a pageant, and a theatre, each of
which holds competitions. Football teams play
Life in the living city progresses somewhat like it other tracts. Pageant winners go on to compete
does in 20th Century Earth. The people wake up, in regional and city pageants. The best actors and
get their children ready for school, and kiss their writers compete in citywide competition.
spouses before going to work. Children grow and
get married and have kids and grand kids. There are no holidays, no vacation. Each worker
is allowed one week off when they are married
There are a few major differences. The first, and during which the gods encourage activities of
this is not noticeable by the people, is that their procreation. After a child is born, the mother
lifespan is only about twenty years, but they age must relinquish her job and raise the children. The
four times as fast. Indeed, pregnancies are four father continues to work after a three month break
times as fast. By the age of four, the people are to help raise the child. Families are expected to
just as mature as a sixteen year old in 21st Century respect one another and produce no less than four
Earth. By the age of six, most of the people are children each.
ready to marry. By age ten, mid-life has set in. No
Failure to report to work without a doctors excuse

68
is punishable by death. Divorce is not permitted. will respond a short time later with what is needed.
The gods will strike dead a physically abusive However, the gods know why a person is asking
spouse. and will strike dead anyone who abuses the citys
power or asks for things that are not for projects
If a person becomes disabled, which is rare given mandated by the gods.
the safety of the Living Citys working conditions
and the lack of life-threatening disease, the gods Underneath the Living City is a set of catacombs.
may transfer the person to another job or they Many feel the catacombs are the Living Citys
may decide to terminate the persons life. Athletes bowels. Entering into the catacombs is said to
injured in athletic competition are transferred to be an act punishable by death of the transgressor
another job, typically entertainment where they
and his or her entire family. Several have entered,
work either as actors or craftspeople.
but the gods lived up to their word long before
The loss of the second income does no harm to reports could spread as to what is down there.
the family as the Living City ensures all needs are
met by the city and the gods. The same six fruits Above ground, there are many buildings. Of
and vegetables are available at any market, as are particular note is City Hall which contains all the
the same six grains and the same six types of offices for the pageant coordinators, sports
meat. Water is available at a tap. Each room in administration, poets guilds, and actors unions.
every uniform home has a television. Children are The leaders of these agencies form a sort of civic
given a new set of six toys every quarter of their government that rules the Living City. Right next
lives until they are three. Working ensures access to City Hall is the elevator pad which is where the
to everything. gods appear when they come down from heaven
and where the chosen go up to be with the gods.
Producing written materials without a job which
allows writing is punishable by death. Literacy Interspersed throughout the city are strange
is considered essential, though a person might buildings protected by Male and Female Warriors
find they have the attention of the gods if their whose purpose is unknown.
vocabulary is too large.

Air travel is forbidden as are kites, model airplanes,

and buildings above five stories.
There are seven gods who live in heaven: Liget,
There are no pets. Khali, Yamaraj, Zanami, Pentheus, Mammon, and
Hinden

Heaven is right above the clouds. Literally.

The Living City is a perfect circle ten miles in
diameter. The outer edge of the Living City is Heaven looks like the greatest bacchanalia ever.
a wall ten meters tall. On the other side of the There are seven houses surrounded by verdant
city is the Dropoff. A deep, dark abyss that leads gardens, large pools, some for swimming, and
nowhere. The gods strike down anyone who has others for aquatic life. Scantily clad gorgeous
tried to climb the wall so no one knows what women and men walk from home to home,
happens if one were to fall. carrying trays of fruits, cheese, and meats. Liquor
is plentiful.
The Living City provides everything. The metal
used to make her buildings, the rocks that form Behind the homes are huge metallic buildings that
the asphalt of her streets, the sand that makes her hum with the sound of machinery. Finally, there
glass, everything. If raw materials are needed, all a is a large black building behind Yamarajs home
builder needs to do is literally ask the living city by whose purpose is unknown.
concentrating and addressing the city. The city

69
 Strength: 4
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 4
Will: 3

Weapons: 5
Armor: 3
Technology: 5
Speed: 4

Links:
Attack-> Will
Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Agility
Speed-> Strength

Linked Stats Weapons: 5

Attack: 8 Armor: 3
Defense: 7 Technology: 5
Engineering: 11 Speed: 4
Movement: 8

Skills: (Liget is considered Weapons:

an enemy ace.) Battle Sword (0/Impact)
Mecha Combat 4 Missile Wave (2/Missile)
Personal Combat 3 Laser Rifle (3/ Wave)
Sonicblade (0/Energy)
Weapons: Energy Dagger (0/Energy)
Battle Sword (0/Impact)
Missile Wave (2/Missile) Configurations:
Laser Rifle (3/ Wave) Flanker, Brawler
Sonicblade (0/Enregy)
Energy Dagger (0/Energy)

Configurations:
Flanker, Brawler

Liget is a large man, even for one of the enhanced gods. He is a generally unpleasant man who is
nominally in charge of the other gods, if they can be said to have a have a leader at all. He never truly
gets angry, but seems to always be in a state of irritation, especially at the other gods. They are never
acting right nor are they doing what they should be. Something he is ready to mention.

In battle, he loves close combat and will wade in with a collection of impressive melee weapons.

His warriors wear the symbol of a white fist against a black background and his home is a god-scaled
gothic temple.

70
 Strength: 3
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 3
Will: 4

Weapons: 5
Armor: 5
Technology: 3
Speed: 4

Links
Attack-> Agility
Defense-> Strength
Engineering-> Intelligence
Speed-> Will

Linked Stats
Attack: 11
Defense: 8
Engineering: 6
Movement: 8 Weapons: 5
Armor: 5
Skills: (Khali is considered Technology: 3
an enemy ace.) Speed: 4
Mecha Combat 5
Personal Combat 3
Weapons:
Weapons: Double Energy Blades (0/Impact)
Double Energy Blades (0/Impact) Plasma Wave, (2/ Wave)
Plasma Wave, (2/ Wave) Laser Rifle (3/ Energy)
Laser Rifle (3/ Energy) Plasma Whip (1/Impact)
Plasma Whip (1/Impact) Thunderbolt (0/Missile)
Thunderbolt (0/Missle)
Configurations:
Configurations: Assassin, Disrupter
Assassin, Disrupter
Khali is the second beautiful of all the gods and the one most concerned with the affairs of the humans
in the Living City. She treats the humans like her pets and will care for those who please her well and
will wreak great vengeance on those who displease her. Of all the gods who have ever unleashed the
fire from the heavens, she has the most recorded incidents. And probably several more for which the
records have vanished.

In battle, she loves to cause pain to her enemies at any range.

Her warriors wear the symbol of a bloody knife dripping on a white background and her home is a
Dravidian-style Hindu temple.

71
 Strength: 3
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 4
Will: 4

Weapons: 6
Armor: 4
Technology: 4
Speed: 4

Links
Attack-> Will
Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Agility
Speed-> Strength

Linked Stats:
Attack: 10
Defense: 8
Engineering: 10
Speed: 7

Skills: (Yamaraj is considered

an enemy ace.)
Weapons: 6 Mecha Combat 4
Armor: 4 Personal Combat 4
Technology: 4
Speed: 4 Weapons:
Battle Pike (0/Impact)
Weapons: Spike Lasso (0/Impact)
Battle Pike (0/Impact) Machine Guns (1/Impact)
Spike Lasso (0/Impact) Laser Rifle (3/Energy)
Machine Guns (1/Impact) Beam Attack (3/Energy)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy) Flamebolt (2/Energy)
Beam Attack (3/Energy)
Flamebolt (2/Energy) Configurations:
Berserker, Supercharged
Configurations:
Berserker, Supercharged

To be a servant of Yamaraj is to know pain. Like Khali, Yamaraj spends his time playing with humans, but
only the humans who he has chosen as his servants. He demands perfection from the men and women
who attend him and if they show a blemish or make a mistake, he is quick to mete out punishment. No
gods will speak of how he punishes them, but the screams of the sorry souls can be heard throughout
heaven, though these servants are later seen without physical scars.

In battle, Yamaraj fights with total abandon, firing his weapons as much and as often as he can.

His warriors wear a golden lasso on a field of crimson and he lives in an Indian palace.

72
 Strength: 6
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 3
Will: 6

Weapons: 3
Armor: 3
Technology: 6
Speed: 6

Links
Attack-> Agility
Defense-> Strength
Engineering-> Will
Speed-> Intelligence

Linked Stats:
Attack: 6
Defense: 9
Engineering: 12
Movement: 9

Skills: (Zanami is considered

an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 4
Weapons: 3 Personal Combat 3
Armor: 3
Technology: 6 Weapons:
Speed: 6 Ice Katana (3/Water)
Fire Wakizashi (0/Energy)
Weapons: Missile Pod (4/Missile)
Ice Katana (3/Water)
Fire Wakizashi (0/Energy) Configurations:
Missile Pod (4/Missile) Sniper
Analyzer
Configurations:
Sniper, Analyzer
Zanami spends her days in quiet contemplation. Her servants, chosen for their mental attributes, more
than their physical, are expected to spend part of their days in meditation and the other part celebrating
life with wine, food, and passion. Most of the time, Zanami is cool, even serene. However, the rare
times when she does lose her temper are the stuff of legend: fire from heaven, massacred servants, and
buildings in Heaven destroyed. Fortunately, she is quick to cool and then to rebuild.

In battle, Zanami is cool and calculating. She can analyze a battle and use long range attacks to fell her
opponents.

Her warriors wear a silver arrow on a field of blue and her home is a calm monastery.

73
 Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 5
Will: 6

Weapon: 3
Armor: 5
Technology: 6
Speed: 5

Links
Attack-> Strength
Defense-> Will
Engineering-> Agility
Speed-> Intelligence

Linked Stats:
Attack: 5
Defense: 11 Weapon: 3
Engineering: 9 Armor: 5
Movement: 10 Technology: 6
Speed: 5
Skills: (Pentheus is considered an
enemy ace.) Weapons:
Mecha Combat 3 Rocket Barrage (0/Missile)
Personal Combat 5 Rocket Pistol (2/Missile)
Guided Missile (3/Missile)
Weapons:
Rocket Barrage (0/Missile) Configurations:
Rocket Pistol (2/Missile) Jammer
Guided Missile (3/Missile) Scanner

Configurations:
Jammer
Scanner

Pentheus is lust incarnate. The perfect vision of beauty and desire, Pentheus often earns the rest of the
gods ire because she cares for nothing else other than pleasures of the flesh. While the rest of her fellow
gods are not shy about obtaining pleasure, Pentheus does nothing else. She has turned both pleasure
and pain into an art form.

If she enters battle, she is likely to stay back and frustrate the plans of other fighters.

Her few warriors wear the symbol of the red broken heart on a black field and her temple is a godsized
Roman bath.

74
 Strength: 2
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Will: 2

Weapons: 4
Armor: 4
Technology: 4
Speed: 6

Links
Attack-> Will
Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Strength
Speed-> Agility
Weapons: 4
Linked Stats: Armor: 4
Attack: 6 Technology: 4
Speed: 6
Defense: 10
Engineering: 8 Weapons:
Movement: 12 Plasma Wave (0/Energy)
Plasma Net (2/Energy)
Skills: (Mammon is considered Plasma Ejector (1/Energy)
an enemy ace.) Fortune Cannon (3/Impact)
Mecha Combat 4
Personal Combat 5 Configurations:
Transformer
Boomer
Weapons:
Plasma Wave (0/Energy)
Plasma Net (2/Energy)
Plasma Ejector (1/Energy)
Fortune Cannon (3/Impact)

Configurations:
Transformer
Boomer
If Pentheus is the picture of female beauty, Mammon is the ideal man. He is a bronzed Latin god able
to make women swoon even without his god status. He is quite taken with pleasures of the flesh and
keeps a legion of beautiful women near him wherever he goes. But he might be the most intelligent of
all the gods after Hinden. He is quite knowledge about business, economics, and the study of people.
This makes him a formidable enemy.

In battle, he is concerned about maximizing damage, which he does by raining destruction down on his
foes while transforming his mecha to address whichever tactical challenges come his way.

His warriors wear a yellow coin on a black field and his home is an immense ziggurat.

75
 Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 6
Will: 6

Weapons: 5
Armor: 6
Technology: 5
Speed: 2

Links
Attack-> Intelligence
Defense-> Agility
Engineering-> Strength
Weapons: 5
Speed-> Will Armor: 6
Technology: 5
Linked Stats: Speed: 2
Attack: 11
Defense: 8 Weapons:
Engineering: 8 X-Cannon (3/Impact)
Movement: 8 Impact Cannon (2/Impact)
Power Nunchaku (0/Energy)
Skills: (Hinden is considered Mini-Missile Assault (1/
Missile)
an enemy ace.) Sonic Cannon (3/Wave)
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 2 Configurations:
Heavy Metal
Weapons: Defender
X-Cannon (3/Impact)
Impact Cannon (2/Impact)
Power Nunchaku (0/Energy)
Mini-Missile Assault (1/Missile)
Sonic Cannon (3/Wave)

Configurations:
Heavy Metal, Defender
Hinden is a slight (for a god), nerdy man, who still wears thick plastic glasses despite having perfect
eyesight. He is utterly brilliant and is rumored to have developed most of the technology the gods use.
However, he is a man lacking in all human compassion. He keeps a stable of men and women on whom he
is rumored to abuse and perform bizarre experiments on his humans with no purpose. He is creepy and
makes the other gods nervous.

In battle, he worries only about self-preservation.

His warriors wear a cerulean lightning bolt on a blood red field and his home is a many-battlemented castle.

76
The gods are:
What the gods do not mention and the people
rarely know is that the gods have children, the
Godseed, some of whom hope to one day to rise
up and displace their deific parents.

The gods avail themselves of many opportunities

to procreate and have as few as ten (Yamaraj)
children and as many as sixty (Hinden) children.
However, whereas the gods have received certain
heavenly gifts which make them taller, stronger,
and faster, the godseed are normal humans. Most
of these children are lazy, oafish brutes that do
little but revel in the bacchanalia of their existence.

But some are more astute. Some know that their

parents can be killed and displaced.

For their parts, the gods give their children great

freedom of action and will tolerate, to a point, the
actions of their rebellious children. For a time.
Whether this is because they hope to teach their
children the arts of combat, to evaluate their
performance for eventual godhood, or for other
purposes is not known.

What is known is that should a godseed ever

topple his or her parent, the gifts of the heavens
are theirs for the taking.

The gods have their armies. Any of the men

and women they select can be injected with
nano-treatments and made stronger, faster, and
blessed with combat abilities. Should a threat ever
materialize, the gods have thousands of men and
women they can turn into these cyborgs and equip
them with high technology bracelets, helmets,
and greaves. The bracelets allow the creation of
energy weapons, shielding, or powerful blasts.

At the head of these armies may be godseed

who hope to gain greater skill in battle before
challenging their fathers and mothers.

77
 there will be none.

Still, there is hope.

The people have lived under the shadow of the

gods for too long. Any legends of brave knights,
mystic figures, or otherworldly saviors have long
since been forgotten. The peoples lives have
fallen into routine. They are born. They live their
twenty or so years. They die.

Perhaps if the gods had not driven the people into

the ground, a few might have noticed the unrest
amongst the younger residents of the Living City.
Though the Living City is more than capable of
erasing the stuff itself, actual graffiti has begun to
appear. Crude renderings of the gods meant to
taunt them appear overnight for those on their way
to their assigned jobs to see. Most of the people
do not look. To see such things is blasphemy.
Blasphemy means death.

But some of the people quietly wonder how the

gods failed to see such blatant acts of revolt.
Those who speak of it, even in their homes, are
struck dead. Those who hear the words meet
similar fates.

Before long the graffiti turns to arson with sections

of the Living City burnt down to pink scar tissue.
In those times, the ground itself shakes and the
people are forced to cover their ears to screams
of a city in pain. The arson stops soon after. Some
blame the gods. Others notice no fires from the
heavens answer the acts.

A few notice strange bubbles form on the surface

of the Living City, some as large as a house.
Around these blackened, damp bubbles the Living
City bleeds black ichors that must be its blood.
It is not long before such growths are excised
by beams from the heavens. They remove the
cancer, but forever leave a scar. The scars are a
reminder to the people.

The bubbles come and go. Some weeks there are

five or ten of the cancerous lumps. Other weeks

78
 For many years now, you have
done things that would have
gotten others smote by the
It is time to move beyond arson
fires of heaven. Yet you live.
and graffiti, young child. And do you know why? You
live because due to an accident
The thought is felt by you, and a few other youth. of your birth, the gods cannot
Like other godblind throughout the city, you rise see you. Their ears do not
as one, standing up from your seats and walking hear you. Their senses do not
out of your homes. Neighbors are ignored if feel you. They cannot know
they try to greet you. The dreariness of the city your thoughts. For this you are
and the rain that soaks your clothing are nothing
compared to the urgency that calls you. Those
special.
who witness you and the others see the vacant
intensity in your eyes and can see you are walking The people and the parts of
with a purpose. me that are still beholden to the
gods need your help. Free us
Your walking may have taken minutes or days, you if you can, destroy me if you
do not know. But any thoughts other than finding
your destination are banished as impertinent and
must, but fight. I give you this
unnecessary. Time passes and you find yourself liberator so that you may have
on the outer edge of the Living City. Close to the what you need to carry the fight
wall. Before you is one of the cancers. to the gods and their servants.
Before your eyes, a seam forms in the cancer. As Go now. And remember do not
the seam tears, an otherworldly light shines forth
trust the Living City. Only I, the
even as the odor of decay and death clouds your
nostrils and waters your eyes. As the cancer
Free City, what the gods call the
bursts, the stench makes you vomit. As your Cancer can aid you in this quest.
stomach empties you look up to see what at first
appears to be a giant standing ten feet tall and The skies begin to lighten.
carrying an awesome weapon. Soon, the ethereal
light clears and the giant is revealed to be made The gods have taken notice of
of metal. my presence. Leave this place
The giants head opens up. There is enough room before it is too late.
for you to climb in.
Without a command, your mecha takes to the
Get in godblind. There is not air and leaps away. Seconds later beams from
the sky eradicate the very spot on which you
much time. were standing. Once the skin of the Living City
is scoured clean, the beams stop. But you are
Across the city, multiple people enter the mecha. unscathed by the wrath of the Gods.
They snap shut.
After a few moments, your com crackles. Hello, is
anyone else out there?

79
 ways to get to where the gods are and defeating
their super bio-armor.
In Godblind, mecha are highly restricted. The gods
would destroy anyone, except their seed, they For the player characters in Godblind, there is only
knew to be operating such machines without a one mecha model, but it is highly customizable.
moments hesitation.
In combat, the Godblind and their allies the
Most of the challenge for players will be finding

Weapons: 1
Armor: 2
Technology: 2
Speed: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons:
Players Choice

Configurations:
Pick any two

Special Rules:
Cannot be seen by the Gods
Can Communicate with Any
Godblind or Godseeed
May Communicate with the
Free City
Can only have Recovery
Scenes near Cancer

80
Godseed can expect to face these models:

Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Engineering: 2
Speed: 1
Bonus Points: 4

Base Model:
Weapons: 4
Armor: 3
Technology: 2
Speed: 3

Weapons:
Energy Sword (0/Energy)
Plasma Wave (1/Wave)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy)
Flamebolt (2/Energy)

Configurations:
Any

81
 Attack: 2
Defense: 2
Engineering: 1
Speed: 3
Bonus Points: 4
Base Model:
Weapons: 3
Armor: 3
Technology: 3
Speed: 3

Weapons:
Energy Sword (0/Energy)
Plasma Wave (2/Wave)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy)

Configurations:
Any

82
The gods do not pilot mecha like the Godblind.
Instead, their divine powers grant them the ability
to interface with bio-armor. With a thought, they Strength: 2
can call their own helmet, boots, greaves, and Agility: 2
bracelets. This bio-armor is far more powerful and Intelligence: 1
customized to the battle strategy of each god Will: 1
and makes them formidable in battle. Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat 2

Strength: 1 Strength: 3
Agility: 2 Agility: 3
Intelligence: 2 Intelligence: 1
Will: 3 Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3
Links:
Skills: Attack->Agility
Mecha Combat: 3 Defense->Strength
Personal Combat: 2 Engineering->Intelligence
Social: 1 Speed->Will
Field Ops: 2
Repair: 1 Skills:
Medic: 1 Mecha Combat 3
Bonus Points: 3

Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Strength: 1 Intelligence: 2
Agility: 2 Will: 1
Intelligence: 4 Bonus Points: 3
Will: 3
Bonus Points: 2 Skills:
Mecha Combat 4
Skills:
Typical Female Warrior:
Mecha Combat: 3 Strength: 2
Personal Combat: 1 Agility: 5
Social: 2 Intelligence: 3
Field Ops: 1 Will: 1
Repair: 2
Links
Medic: 1 Attack-> Intelligence
Bonus Points: 3 Defense-> Agility
Technology-> Will
Speed->Strength

Skills:
Mecha Combat 4

83
 Attack: 7
Attack: 8 Defense: 6
Defense: 6 Engineering: 3
Engineering: 4 Movement: 5
Movement: 5
Weapons:
Weapons: Strike Sword (0/Impact)
Energy Sword (0/Energy) Strike Blade (0/Impact)
Plasma Wave (2/Wave)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy) Laser Rifle (3/Energy)
Laser Rife (3/Energy) Flamebolt (2/Energy)

Mecha Combat 4 Skills:

Mecha Combat 3
Boomer, Hot Shot
Flanker, Brawler

Attack: 7
Defense: 7 Attack: 8
Engineering: 4 Defense: 8
Movement: 5 Engineering: 3
Movement: 3
Weapons:
Energy Sword (0/Energy) Weapons:
Shrapnel Cannon (1/Impact)
Plasma Wave (2/Wave) Blast Cannon (4/Impact)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy) Laser Rifle (3/Energy)
Flamebolt (2/Energy)
Mecha Combat 4
Skills:
Prowler, Assassin Mecha Combat 3

Bulwark, Slayer

Attack: 8
Defense: 6 Strength: 2
Engineering: 4 Agility: 3
Movement: 5 Intelligence: 1
Will: 2
Weapons:
Energy Sword (0/Energy) Weapons:
Plasma Wave (4/Wave) Pistol (2/Impact)
Laser Rifle (3/Energy) Rifle (2/Impact)
Missile Spread (2/Missile) Armor +1

Mecha Combat 4 Skills:

Sniper, Berserker Personal Combat 2 or 3

84
 The gods can see allexcept the godblind. They
just cannot sense them at all. Beyond that, the
gods can see what anyone is doing and can hear
Strength: 1 any seditious comment said above a whisper.
Agility: 2 Within 15 minutes of a treasonous act or seditious
Intelligence: 3
comment, a beam a light (fire from heaven)
Will: 2
lances out from the skies and totally disrupts any
Skills: organic matter it touches. This causes 100 points
Mecha Combat 5 of damage to any organic target. Non-organic
Personal Combat 3 targets are left unharmed. This beam cannot
target the godblind. The beam is too narrow for
area attacks and the godblind cannot be targeted.

A second beam, wider and more intense will target

buildings or larger structures. It deals 10 Successes
of damage to anything it touches. The beam is 5
During character creation, two Traits come from meters long.
the choice of the mechas Configuration. The
other two are selected by the player.

Mechanically, everything within five meters of the

godblind is invisible. However, if the mecha stays
Godblind features the four standard damage stationary and fires weapons, the gods can target
types: Impact, Missile, Energy, and Wave and also the mecha with 6 Successes of Attack. If the
allows Water and Sonic as possible damage types. mecha is in combat, it is not stationary.

This ability is genetic and cannot be countered

with technology.
All Configurations are available in the Godblind
setting. There are no SRS-specific Configurations.

The Liberator mecha can communicate with both

the Living City and the Free City using its com
Mecha may only be repaired by taking essence
gear. The Living City may answer questions, but
from the cancer. This is a role playing limitation.
The cancer can only heal a set number of damage will always tell the players to give up and ask the
points before it is depleted. The GM can determine gods for forgiveness. The Free City will offer
the amount. advice.

Near the cancer, mecha Configurations maybe Godblind can ask the Free City to produce a
swapped out. The cost of the swap in materials cancer with equipment in it. This can be anything
is 10 damage points that cancer might have from explosives to pistols to a new mecha. The
otherwise healed. GM should grant the request if it advances the
Free Citys agenda.

85
 controls in his new home, and all of the gods
surviving human servants will be scent bonded to
Should, through the course of role play, a godseed the new god and will automatically serve them.
character kill her parent god, that player will
be given the God Treatment which is a shot of
some kind. The player character goes comatose
for twelve hours and awakens to find herself in Story Stages are major arcs within a campaign.
perfect physical condition, standing two feet They are presented to players and GMs so that
taller than when she started. All scars and medical everyone is on the same page about where the
conditions will be gone. game starts and what might happen during a
Godblind campaign. These stages are just a
If the GM allows it, the player characters stats will suggestion and the GM should feel free to tell
be equal to their deceased parents stats and the whatever story she would like.
character will be able to use his parents bio armor,
control his parents security systems and house

86
Each stage lists three things: Initial Conditions, Action list to give them some ideas of the types
Types of Action, and Story Milestones. of battles they can setup.

Initial Conditions describe the status of the setting Lastly, the Story Milestones give GMs some ideas
at the start of the stage. You should notice that of different things which might happen at each
the stages build on each other so that the types of stage.
action and milestones from one stage should lead
naturally to the next. There are no rules that say
a story has to go through each stage, or any of
them, they are provided as a broad outline of how Initial Conditions: During First Contact, the gods
a game could go. are still unaware that godblind exist. For a very
short time, they will be able to operate with totally
Types of Action list the different battles that impunity. However, once the PCs blow up a few of
players should expect. GMs can use the Types of the gods installations, the gods will respond with
great vengeance.

87
 creating a police state. The warriors will, at random,
Types of Action: Minor skirmishes against Male and begin terrorizing the populace and generally taking
Female Warriors operating singly. A number of out their aggressive nature on the people. Every
Male and Female Warriors will not be in bio armor. installation, every pageant directors office, and
Attacks against minimally armored transmission city hall will be guarded much more tightly.
and research stations the gods have sprinkled
throughout the city.
Types of Action: Getting ambushed by or
Story Milestones: This stage is going to be very ambushing squads of warriors, attacks on much
short. By the second or third attack, the gods are more heavily guarded installations, assassination
no longer going to be unaware of the chaos the attempts on pageant and sporting event directors
godblind and godseed are causing. (because they serve the gods)

Story Milestones: The Unwanted Attention stage

does not necessarily follow a set course. Instead,
here are some major events that you might see
Initial Conditions: The gods have undergone a during the course of the game. Note to GMs:
program of warriorizing almost all of the humans consider staying in this stage to escalate the
they have with them in heaven. The warriorization tension. Use cutaways to show how the gods are
process involves giving a human an injection which getting increasing angered by the Godblind and
leaves them in utter agony for about six hours. then enter the third stage.
During this process, nanobots are injected and add
roughly 12 inches to the recipients height. The During one of these cutaways, the GM can, at her
nanobots reinforce the skeletal structure with a discretion, decide to mention that this is not the
celestial metallic alloy, additional bones grow to first time the godblind have attacked, but this is
cover the vital organs, muscle tissue grows so only a suggestion.
they are somewhere between twenty and fifty
times as stronger than before. They nanobots A few events: Terror attacks by other groups of
then attach themselves to the humans nervous godblind, massacres of innocent civilians at the
system and form control links so the humans can gods order, humans finding the godblind (once
control Bio-Armor. a human finds a godblind, the gods technology
will let them know where the godblind are hiding),
Other than the six hours of agony, the main side more attacks on heavily armored installations
effect of the warriorization process is the complete
and utter lobotomy the nanobots perform as they
reprogram the brain and optimize it for combat.
The warriors lose all their original personality and
most of their memories, but they learn how to Initial Conditions: The gods are upset and they
shoot a rifle, advanced combat strategy, and are ready to fight. Almost all of the humans
suddenly they know kung fu. have become Warriors and the gods are calling
a massive round of pageants, competitions, and
After the warriorization program, the warriors of athletic competitions so they can build a reserve
the gods begin regular patrols of the Living City, force.

88
Types of Action: Attacks against the pageant
directors, attacks against city hall, generally Its an important question to ask the players. Do
disrupting the pageant, more attacks by an even they want to play this from the perspective of
increasing number of Male and Female Warriors Godblind or Godseed as this will radically alter
how the game is played. If the game wants to
Story Milestones: This stage can be as long as take the perspective of the Godblind, the sessions
short as the GM wants, but it is defined by a single will focus on the characters coming to understand
event: the pageant. At the end of the pageant, their powers and the capabilities of their mecha
one of more of the gods will come down via the through trial and error. Their journeys will be
elevator next to city hall. This is the godblinds similar to Luke Skywalkers or Neos because they
time to strike. are told they can achieve greatness, but arent
necessarily given all the steps to get there.

In Godblind-dominated games, Godseed should

play more support characters. Since the Godseed
Initial Conditions: A god has died. The gods are have a greater understanding of what is really
in a panic. The Heavens are depleted of humans going on in Heaven, they can be the Obi-Wan or
and without clear orders; the Warriors aggression Morpheus characters and guide the Godblind, but
programming is starting to take over. they can also ruin the Godblinds fun by just telling
them everything all at once. Instead, the GM and
One of the godseed will now take over for the the Godseed characters should let the characters
god, by taking a god injection, described above. come into their own at their own pace.
There will be battles over who can take the god
treatment. Children will turn on each other. The In a Godseed-dominated game, things are much
other gods may advance their own seed as different. The Godseed are rebellious children who
candidates for the throne. There will be chaos. left a life of luxury so they could eventually take
their Godly parents place as their own. There is
Types of Action: Battles against other godseed in less magic and wonder in a Godseed-dominate
Liberator-class mecha, battles against gods who game since the Godseed pretty much know most
survived attempts to stop the Warriors tyranny of what is happening in the setting and it becomes
more about how they use that knowledge to fight
Story Milestones: Again, any of these events can their parents. Godblind are more than welcome
occur, but they do not necessarily need to happen. in a Godseed game, but they arent going to be
innocent or inexperienced. The Godseed should
The battle for the deceased gods thrones ends a have filled them in on what they know.
successor is chosen, the gods turn on each other,
more Godblind rise up to challenge the PCs, the
Cancer takes over for the Living City Thats for you to decide.

Now Godblindgo fight.

89
Steel Gunner:
Destiny
Tomorrow
An SRS by Clint Krause and Chris Perrin

90
Every kingdom divided against itself is awaits the day he will inherit the kingdom. Unlike
brought to desolation; and every city or his father, Prince Arion is manipulative and power
house divided against itself shall not stand. hungry. Behind his dying fathers back, he has
-- Matthew 12:25 taxed the worlds of Destiny Arbor into poverty,
greedily consolidating the systems wealth for
Arion Mannis will rule Destiny Arbor. Only the himself, with plans to amass a grand army and lead
Separatist Guard stands in his way. a crusading campaign to conquer the entire galaxy.

Destiny Arbor is a system of eight planets, each But Prince Arions plan may be short-sighted.
terraformed and suitable for human life. Since the He has underestimated the will of his subjects.
first colony-ships fell planet side years ago, the Under the strain of the mad princes tyranny, five
system has been ruled by an ancient monarchy: planetary baronies banded together in 2235 to form
the Mannis Dynasty. Over the years, the Mannis the Separatist Guard, an army of freedom-fighters
family has, for the most part, been benevolent. dedicated to deposing the corrupt prince and
They have ruled in the interest of the people and establishing planetary independence. In response,
grown the fortunes of Destiny Arbor to rival any the Mad Prince has rallied the forces of the Arbor
of the First Wave colonies. Defense Force, who view the Separatists Guard as
terrorist insurgents who stand in opposition the
That will soon change. It is the year 2237. As the Princes promises of peace and unity. The lines of
elderly King Forrest Mannis slowly wastes away battle are drawn and Destiny Arbor stands on the
on his death bed, his youngest son, Prince Arion, brink of civil war.

91
Destiny Arbor intergalactic trade and commerce. The Royal
Palace, as well as the headquarters of the ADF High
What Were Fighting For Command are located on Destiny Prime.
Destiny Arbor is a heavily colonized solar system
consisting of eight planets. When the nations of Due to the fact the Mannis family claims ties to
Earth first began to flee their dying planet and English royalty, the culture and customs of all three
colonize neighboring star-systems, Destiny Arbor Destiny worlds resemble the Britain of literature.
was among the first chosen for habitation. The The citizens of the Destiny worlds have a slightly
system gets its name from the fact that at a upper class accent, a regal bearing, and have a
distance it forms a constellation that resembles a de facto class-based society with the nobility at
great tree. Destiny Prime, Destiny II, and Destiny the top and the peasant far below. The ADF (and
III were the first of the systems planets to be Separatist Guard) is seen as the peasants chance
colonized. These worlds were already Earth-like to earn a title and as the nobles chance to make a
and thus easily habitable to humans. The other name outside of court politics.
five planets, or boughs as they are called, Abrax,
Gwandana, New Medina, Elrand, and Nevia were Destiny II
later settled by independent colonies of Earth
refugees. Destiny II is a dichotomy in terms of planetary
biospheres. There is not a landmass on the entire
It should be noted that the planets were not world larger than the main island of Japan; however
colonized according to distance from the planetary that does not mean that the world is devoid of
star (dubbed Destiny by the first settlers.) In surface area. Rather, it is dotted with thousands
order from Destiny, the planets in the system are: of smaller island-continents, most of which are far
Gwandana, New Medina, Destiny Prime, Destiny II, more fertile than an isolated area has the right to
Destiny III, Nevia, Abrax, and Elrand. be due to the worlds constant volcanic activity.
Of the eight worlds, three are primarily aligned
with the ADF are: While the food grown on those islands helps to
feed the people of Destiny Arbor, the true value
of Destiny II lies under its oceans. Huge deposits
Destiny Prime of natural gas, oil, and the element lazarium (the
Destiny Prime is the crown gem of the Mannis material from which a steel gunners energy coil is
Destiny. This Earth-like planet was the first in fashioned) are being constantly mined by a legion
its system to be colonized by humans and was of miner construction bots. While the citizens
quickly established as the capital-world of the of Destiny Prime think it is their technology and
system. The world was granted to prince Gareth innovation that caused Destiny Arbor to become
Mannis by the Union of Colonized Worlds as part so wealthy, such a thing could not have been
of a charter that the Mannis family earned by possible without Destiny IIs resources.
helping to fund the formation of the Union shortly
after the human exile from Earth. Destiny III
Destiny Primes surface is dotted with hundreds Destiny Three is a fat, bulbous world that just
of advanced cities, space-ports, and bountiful shouldnt quite work, geographically speaking.
farmlands. Its wide range of climatic biomes and The planets strange shape gives it extremes of
plentiful water supply make Destiny Prime an weather at both poles and along the equator,
extremely self-sufficient planet. In spite of this, but ensures that the temperate zones are quite
Destiny Prime is the systems primary hub for pleasant. In fact, the term temperate zone is a

92
bit of misnomer. Destiny III sees only extremes of Elrand
weather. The poles are frozen, the equator almost
Elrand is the farthest of all worlds in Destiny
too hot to stand, and the middle so pleasant there
Arbor. It is a cold world with temperatures that
is a quite a tourist business for those want to
average almost ten degrees cooler than Destiny
experience Eden.
Prime. Still, the cold temperatures dont affect
the people of Elrand who are know for their fiery
Even with the Eden belts, Destiny IIIs severe
passion and romances along with their excellent
fluctuations make the planet less than hospitable
vintages of wine, beer, and cheese. They have
for those looking to stay there long term. Instead,
a strong monarchy to which they pay allegiance
the Mannis Dynasty decided to install the ADFs
more strongly than the Mannis Dynasty and they
primary training facilities on the world. Far away
are unbelievably snooty. Any good Elrandian is
from the eyes of tourists, ADF soldiers learn how
convinced their way is the right way, no matter
to ply the arts of war in the scathing sun, frozen
how little they know about the subject.
glaciers, and calm fields of Destiny III.
Elrand is also the smallest of the worlds with
These three planets are in direct opposition to the
only three continental land masses to speak of.
five worlds which have come together to form
The largest, Elrand Major, is home to the Elrand
the Separatists.
monarchy and the majority of the planets
vineyards. Elrand Minor houses a large diary
Abrax operation, while Elranda houses a small Separatist
Abrax is a beautiful, mountainous planet. Massive Guard steel gunner factory and the Separatist
pagodas stand atop high, sparsely wooded Guards largest training academy.
mountains. Mountainside cities flourish with
trade and commerce. Vast oceans provide an Gwandana
abundance of food and trade routes. Abrax is
The Earth-like designation was only applied to
the industrial heart of the Separatist Guard and
Gwandana seventy years ago. Rumor has it that
80% of separatist steel gunners are manufactured
the Union of Colonized Worlds only granted the
in its many factories. Sadly, this means that the
status to Gwandana after King Mannis agreed to
peaceful beauty of the planets wooded mountains
back a political measure in the Union Parliament.
is contrasted by the bustle and industry of its
Gwandana is a dry planet, with minimal rainfall and
cities.
only sparse vegetation. What it does have is an
ecology that is well adapted to living without
Abraxians maintain a proud warrior culture,
plentiful water, a group of settlers who refuse to
valuing honor and skill in battle. As a result, their
take no for an answer, and a ring of ice surrounding
soldiers are highly sought-after by Separatist
the world which is slowly being taken out of orbit
commanders. Abraxians are equally well known
to hydrate the world.
for their master craftsmanship. The pinnacle of an
artisans skill is demonstrated with forging of the
The Gwandans are a proud people, tracing the
Abraxian honor blade. This sleek, curved blade of
culture and customs (if not their lineage) back to
folded steel is said to embody the true spirit of
the ancient African tribes who were wiped out in
the warrior who wields it. All Abraxian nobles are
the Corporate Wars in the mid-22nd Century. Like
given one of these priceless swords when they
the Abraxians, they have a proud culture based
come of age and they are passed down through
on martial prowess. However, they regard the
the generations as precious heirlooms.
Abraxians as being too concerned with appearance

93
and honor, neither of which will keep you alive presence to secure the peace. Since then, the
when youre without water under the Destiny sun. various political factions have lived in an uneasy
On the other hand, Gwandans are a very spiritual peace because they hated the ADF more than
people. They have thrown off the yoke of more they hated each other.
urban religions and have gone back to the worship
of nature and her many spirits and avatars. Every
settlement above five people has a village shaman
Nevia
who is combination priest/councilor/judge/healer/ From orbit, Nevia looks like a sea of green dotted
oracle. here and there by small steel gray cities. When the
Mannis family decided to terraform the planet, they
Many commanders will say they want Gwandans were hoping to turn it into a forested getaway
in their unit, however, those same commanders from the rigors of ruling. However, the specially
will secretly agree that the tribal people are too modified Earth trees they seeded on the world
stubborn (and practical) to follow many orders. took hold, killing all native plant life and thriving in
That is why Gwandans often find themselves the artificially-fertile soil. The results were trees
either as scouts or working together under a that were larger than any Earth forest in a little less
Gwandan shaman who has joined the military. than fifty years. The planet was granted Earth
compatibility, but the Mannis Dynasty gave up
on it when it was determined the trees grew to
New Medina fast to efficiently have enough lawn space for an
New Medina has been dubbed the world of liquid, estate.
both for its extensive oceans, rivers, and streams,
and for the black liquid underneath her crust. To this day, Nevia remains sparsely populated.
Running water is so plentiful on New Medina that The majority of their population are loggers who
it prevented New Medina from being declared come to work for six months, and rotate out. This
Earth-compatible until the ADF Corps of Engineers has given most of the permanent settlements a
dammed the smaller steams and diverted them distinctly seedy feeling as Nevias cities tend to
to form several huge miles-wide rivers. Sadly, cater to the drinking and carnal needs lumberjacks
much of New Medina cannot support plant life, on payday.
but fish and genetically-modified sea vegetation
is plentiful. This is slowly changing as two new groups have
settled on the planet. Over the past ten years,
The water has proven to be an economic boon to large numbers of Christians have been flocking to
New Medina as it is shipped to Gwandana and to the planet, believing it to be the natural successor
worlds outside Destiny Arbor. Still, oil is the king to the Biblical Tree of Knowledge. So far, they
of New Medinas planetary economy. In fact, New have kept to themselves.
Medina has larger reserves of oil and natural gas
than Destiny II by many trillions of barrels, though The other group is the Separatist Guard.
Destiny I and II would never admit to such a thing. Somewhere below the tall trees, hidden away from
ADF spy satellites, lies the Separatist Guard main
New Medinan culture is a hodgepodge of several base. The ADF would love to find it and destroy
different cultures, most notably British, French, it in the hopes of bringing a swift conclusion to
Moroccan, Iranian, Israeli, and Palestinian. At first, the war.
this mismatch simply did not work. For years,
New Medina was the site of internal conflict until
King Sheldon Mannis posted a significant ADF

94
The Two Sides Separatist units are often a bit more piecemeal than
their ADF counterparts. This is especially true of
steel gunner units, which are highly prized by the
The Arbor Defense Force Separatists because they control only a very small
number of factories capable of producing them.
The Arbor Defense Force (ADF) is the military
branch of Destiny Arbors monarchy, led by Prince
Arion Mannis. The primary mission of the ADF is
to protect and police Destiny Arbor in the name
of the King. Under Prince Arions rule, the ADF Military Ranks
has turned into a more powerful and aggressive
military force, nearly tripling in size in the span of
Enlisted
just a few years. Private
It is important to remember that while Prince Arion
Corporal
is inarguably corrupt, the average ADF soldier is Master Corporal
not evil by any means. Most ADF soldiers see the
current civil conflict as a chance to unify Destiny
Sergeant
Arbor and sustain a lasting peace. They see the Warrant Officer
Separatists as the aggressors. They whole-
heartedly believe that the war is necessary for the
Master Warrant Officer
stability of their beloved kingdom. Chief Warrant Officer
ADF soldiers believe in fighting with honor above
all else and they look down upon the guerilla- Officer
tactics employed by the Separatist Guard. They Officer Cadet
see the Separatists as dishonorable traitors guilty
of treason and insurrection. Second Lieutenant
Lieutenant
The Separatist Guard Captain
The Separatist Guard is a military coalition
consisting of the combined military forces of
Major
five of Destiny Arbors baronial powers. The Lieutenant Colonel
Separatists main agenda is to depose the tyrannical
Prince Arion and establish a democratic system
Colonel
of government in which each planet is governed
independently. The guardsmen see themselves as Command Staff
noble freedom-fighters. They view ADF troops
as mindless drones who are unable to think or act Brigadier General
for themselves. Prince Arion and by association, Major General
his father, King Mannis, are hated passionately by
the Separatists. Lieutenant General
General
While it lacks the extensive military complex of the
ADF, the Separatist guard wisely uses its resources
on espionage, sabotage, and guerilla tactics.

95
Weapons of War: Standard Systems
All steel gunners share the following characteristics.
Steel Gunners While many variants exist, these systems are
The primary fighting units in the war between the common among steel gunners across the galaxy:
Separatist Guard and the Arbor Defense Force are
15 to 20-foot tall humanoid combat robots called AEC (Anatomic Emulation Control) System: The
Steel Gunners. Originally conceived as asteroid AEC is the essential component that makes a
steel gunner a steel gunner. This highly advanced
mining robots, the original steel gunners were
control system is designed to allow the steel
optimized for zero-gravity recovery operations. gunner to emulate the basic body movements of
Steel gunners were fitted with weapons during the pilot. This grants the pilot of a steel gunner
the New Normandy Mining Wars, and the resulting an intuitive sense of control over the movements
surplus of robots led many governments to adopt of the robot. The AEC interface requires the
the gunners as the mainstay of their fighting pilot to simultaneously operate two foot pedals,
forces. While conventional infantry and fighting two control sticks, and an array of switches and
vehicles remain viable, the presence of a single toggles. The result is an extremely natural freedom
squadron of steel gunners is often enough to turn of movement and ability to perform precision
the tide of a battle. Over time, several steel gunner tasks with great accuracy. A steel gunners hand,
for instance, can be accurately manipulated by the
variants have been developed and their efficiency
pilot to grasp relatively small objects.
and flexibility as fighting units has improved.
Life-support System: Because they were originally
Steel gunners are manned by a single pilot. In the designed to be used in the vacuum of space,
ADF, gunner pilots generally undergo a full year steel gunners feature a full life-support system.
of academy training before they are entrusted The sealed and pressurized cockpit contains an
with such a powerful and expensive piece of oxygen supply good for 24-36 hours. In addition,
weaponry. In the Separatist Guard, things are not pilots have access to a small water reservoir, and a
always so easy. Many Separatist pilots are drawn basic temperature control device. These systems
from the ranks of petty officers, as the planetary allow steel gunners to be utilized in almost any
environment (in space, underwater, or planet side).
militias do not often have the required resources
or infrastructure for elaborate academy programs. Energy Coil: The true innovation of the steel
gunners design is its self-sufficient power
In fact, while the Separatist Guard usually finds source. This important feature is a relatively new
itself outnumbered, the ADF boasts a large number development, being necessitated by the greater
of ace pilots. Gunner aces are often massive, role that steel gunners have assumed in military
galaxy-wide celebrities. News programs often operations. The original, mining-optimized, steel
feature battle reports from the frontlines, focusing gunners ran off a much more primitive power
on the exploits of a media-darling ace. Children supply. Since the introduction of the self-
read about gunner aces in their comic books sufficient energy coil, a steel gunner will never
be without power unless its coil is somehow
and teenagers obsess about them and plaster
damaged or defective. Without such a power
their walls with gunner ace posters. The few source, the capabilities of a steel gunner are much
Separatist aces generally have a lower profile (as more limited. Some scientists have criticized
the propaganda machine of the Separatist Guard the design of the energy coil, claiming that it
is severely lacking when compared to its ADF may have unforeseen technological implications,
counterpart). but this criticism has not stopped the coil from
becoming a standard component of steel gunners
galaxy-wide.

96
 tactical disadvantage and drastically reduces its
Sensors and Optics: Steel gunners possess communications range. A units MCV will generally
advanced sensor and optics systems. Features trail its steel gunners from a significant distance
include night and thermal vision modes as in order to stay out of harms way in the event
well as motion-tracking and long-range-zoom of enemy contact. Through the MCV, a gunner
capabilities. Generally located in the steel gunners unit maintains long-range communications with its
head, these systems form the basis for the pilots home base, with air support units, and with other
visualization of his environment. If a gunners gunner units in the same theatre.
sensors are destroyed, the pilot is essentially blind
in his cockpit. Gunner units can also be supported with squads
of conventional infantry and fighting vehicles
Orbital Boosters: All steel gunners are equipped such as tanks, personnel carriers, and mobile
with motivation boosters that assist in artillery platforms. These support units are often
maneuverability and recoil-suppression. These required for sensitive close-quarters engagements
boosters are vital in zero-g operations and can be where collateral damage is a concern. While most
used to great advantage in planet side maneuvers. infantry units would be hard-pressed to stand
While a gunners boosters are not powerful enough alone against even a single steel gunner, a number
to allow flight within the atmosphere of a planet, of man-portable weapon systems do exist which
they are often employed to allow the vehicle to pose a minor threat. In close-quarters situations it
skim across the surface in short bursts (a technique is also possible for infantry units to swarm a steel
which pilots call skating). gunner, disable its sensors, and breach the hatch to
engage the pilot. Still, it would take a particularly
Ejection System: By pulling a lever beneath bold and fortunate infantry unit to successfully
his seat, a gunner pilot can activate an ejection execute such an attack.
system that is designed to expel him from the
vehicle with enough velocity to prevent injury This is Steel Gunner: Destiny Tomorrow. Which
from explosions and incoming fire. In addition, the side do you choose?
ejection range is such that an ejected pilot can
often land in close proximity to his units MCV for
a quick recovery operation. Models
Steel gunners, have been around for quite a while.
Emergency Chute: All gunners have two shoulder At first, they were little better than mining rigs
mounted parachutes which can slow their rate of with a few odd missiles or machine guns strapped
descent as they are deployed from a dropship or to them. Todays steel gunners are sleek, powerful
should they fall from a tall height. These chutes are machines of war capable of taking the fight to the
not foolproof and gunners may still be damaged enemy on land, on sea, or in space.
from a high fall, but rarely will they be junked.
Because of the sophistication of the modern steel
gunner, several models exist and are available to
Deployment soldiers based on their unit mission and personal
fighting style. These units are mass-produced in
and Tactics factories all across civilized space, though Destiny
Steel gunners are generally deployed in teams of 4 Arbor is lucky enough to have several factories
to 5. In ground-based operations, a gunner unit will in which they are produced. This cookie-cutter
be supported by a conventional mobile command approach allows gunner chiefs to quickly and
vehicle (MCV) that provides the pilots with long- efficiently repair the steel gunners in the field.
range reconnaissance and communications. In However, it means that steel gunners are rarely
zero-gravity operations, this role is assumed ever modified without a gunner chiefs express
by the units parent ship. While it is perfectly permission.
possible for a unit of gunners to operate without
a command vehicle, it puts the unit at an extreme

97
 SG-1 Grave Hound
The Grave Hound is a versatile, general-purpose Steel
Gunner. It is the most widely produced Gunner on
both sides of the Destiny Arbor conflict.

Weapons 2
Armor 2
Technology 2
Speed 2
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Impact)
Battle Dynamics Arming Cannon (3, Impact)

Configurations
Supercharged, Disrupter

SG-2 Howling Dragon

The Howling Dragon is a heavy assault
gunner utilized for long-distance fire-
support. What the Howling Dragon lacks
in speed and maneuverability, it makes
up for with its heavy, long-range fire
power.

Weapons 3
Armor 3
Technology 1
Speed 1
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
2 x Normitz Field Gun (4, Impact)
Normitz Flak Cannon (1, Impact)
Configurations
Berserker, Boomer

98
SG-3 Break Wolf
The Break Wolf is well-configured for close-quarters
combat with its twin mass hammers. It is also well
known as one of the most rugged gunner models
currently in production.

Weapons 2
Armor 2
Technology 1
Speed 3
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
2 x Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Impact)

Configurations
Berserker, Defender

SG-4 Dust COugar

The Dust Cougar is a fast-assault gunner utilized
for rapid attacks and flanking maneuvers. Its
speed and maneuverability are unmatched by
other gunner models.

Weapons 1
Armor 1
Technology 2
Speed 4
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
Normitz Chain Cannon (2, Impact)

Configurations
Flanker
Supercharged

99
SG-5 Ghost Fox
The Ghost Fox specializes in infiltration and
guerilla tactics. Though it is a relatively light
and fragile gunner, its ability to surprise enemy
units is quite formidable.

Weapons 1
Armor 1
Technology 3
Speed 3
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
Battle Dynamics Arming Cannon (3, Impact)

Configurations
Flanker, Prowler

SG-6 Battle Crane

The Battle Crane is a recent addition to the steel
gunner ranks. It is a command and control gunner used
to coordinate battles and disrupt enemy battle plans.
So far, it is proven quite adept at its role.

Weapons 1
Armor 3
Technology 3
Speed 1
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons
Battle Dynamics Missile Pack (3, Missile)

Configurations
Scanner, Analyze

100
 Archetype

Hotshot Pilot
Young and brash, the hotshot is
the king of the battlefield, at least
in his own mind.

Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 1
Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 3
Personal Combat: 2
Social: 1
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Traits
Cocky
Maverick

101
 Archetype
Mentor
Calm and patient, the mentor is
always ready with a wise quip or
a piece of advice which is usually
ignored by his younger, more
arrogant teammates.

Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 3
Will: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 2
Field Ops: 2
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Traits:
Patient
Helpful

102
 Archetype
Dangerous Beauty
I fight. But I look good while I am
doing it.

Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 1
Will: 4
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 3
Field Ops: 2
Repair: 1
Medic: 1

Traits
Seductive
Vain

103
 Archetype
Reformed Criminal
They offered me freedom. Then
they signed me up for the military.
Jokes on me.
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 1
Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 2
Social: 2
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Traits
Haunted
Loner

104
 Archetype
Spec Ops Commando
How much of them do you want left
after I kill them? Ashes? Works for
me.
Strength: 3
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Will: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 3
Social: 1
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Traits
Ruthless
Tough Guy

105
 Archetype
Spy
Nobody will see my Gunner. Until its
too late.
Strength: 1
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 1
Will: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 2
Social: 1
Field Ops: 3
Repair: 1
Medic: 1

Traits
Secretive
Intense

106
 Archetype
Media Darling
I was born to be in front of the
camera fighting, singing, whatever...

Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 2
Will: 4
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 2
Social: 3
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 1
Medic: 1

Traits
Glory Hound
Dramatic

107
 Archetype

Gearhead Jaded Veteran

Gears are machines. Machines are Ive seen it all. So why am I still
cool. fighting?

Strength: 1 Strength: 1
Agility: 1 Agility: 3
Intelligence: 4 Intelligence: 3
Will: 2 Will: 1
Bonus Points: 3 Bonus Points: 3

Skills: Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2 Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1 Personal Combat: 2
Social: 1 Social: 1
Field Ops: 2 Field Ops: 2
Repair: 3 Repair: 2
Medic: 1 Medic: 1

Traits Traits
Knowledgeable Cynical
Nerdy Alcoholic

108
 Archetype

Naive Cadet Noble

I wont let my unit down... will I? You have heard of my family, but
my name is the only thing youll
Strength: 2 remember once we meet on the
Agility: 2 battlefield.
Intelligence: 2 Strength: 1
Will: 2 Agility: 2
Bonus Points: 3 Intelligence: 2
Will: 3
Skills: Bonus Points: 3
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1 Skills:
Social: 2 Mecha Combat: 2
Field Ops: 1 Personal Combat: 2
Social: 3
Repair: 2
Field Ops: 1
Medic: 2 Repair: 1
Medic: 1
Traits
Nave Traits
Scared Proud
Conceited

109
 NPCs
Archetype The world of Steel Gunner is filled with brave
soldiers, cunning villains, brilliant scientists and
thousands of gunner pilots trying to survive in a
war for what they believe. The following are just
a few of the NPCs that you might run across.

Nurse Dotte
Friend or foe, shes always perky. And why does
she have a Mecha Combat of 5?
Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 3
Will: 2

Skills:
Mecha Combat 5
Personal Combat 3
Accidental Hero
I never wanted this, but I cant
avoid the press.

Strength: 1
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 2
Will: 1
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 3
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 2
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Traits
Unsure
Egotistical

110
Nobis Everway The Raven
Faction: ADF Faction: ADF
Call Sign: Noble Call Sign: The Raven
Nobis is the second son of Earl Tanis Everway of
Destiny Prime. The Everway family arrived very No one is sure of the Ravens lineage, but her
early during the colonization period on Destiny bearing and her arrogance leave no doubt that
Prime and, as such, are the richest family next she is descended from noble stock. Generally
to the Mannises themselves. Throughout their disliked, but feared by her subordinates, the Raven
history, the Everways have always staunchly is a deadly opponent on the battlefield who fights
supported the Mannis Dynasty, sending every
child but the direct heir to serve in the ADF. with a terrifying blend of tactical genius and fury.

Nobis is no exception. However, secretly the At the start of a campaign, she will pilot a Dust
Everway family is watching the situation with Cougar. However, if you are playing in a campaign
Arion and the Separatist Guard to see if perhaps a which involves Intuitive Gunners, she will be one of
new ruler should sit atop the Destiny Throne. the first pilots to sign up for the Esper program.

Strength: 3 Strength: 2
Agility: 3 Agility: 4
Intelligence: 4 Intelligence: 5
Will: 3 Will: 4
Weapons: 4 Weapons: 2
Armor: 3 Armor: 3
Technology: 3 Technology: 4
Speed: 4 Speed: 4
Links Links
Attack-> Intelligence
Defense-> Will Attack-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Strength Defense-> Agility
Speed-> Agility Engineering-> Strength
Speed-> Will
Linked Stats:
Attack: 8 Linked Stats:
Defense: 6 Attack: 7
Engineering: 6 Defense: 7
Movement: 7 Engineering: 6
Movement: 8
Skills: (Nobis Everway is considered an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 3 Skills: (The Raven is considered an enemy ace.)
Personal Combat 4 Mecha Combat 4
Personal Combat 3
Mecha of Choice: Grave Hound
Mecha of Choice: Dust Cougar
Weapons:
Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Impact) Weapons:
Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Impact)
Battle Dynamics Arming Cannon (3, Impact) Normitz Chain Cannon (2, Impact)
Normitz Chain Cannon (2, Impact) Normitz Field Gun (4, Impact)

Configurations Configurations:
Supercharged Flanker
Disrupter Supercharged

111
Dash Reinhold Donny
Faction: ADF
Call Sign: Superstar
Starting off as the son of legendary singer Strum
Groceman
Reinhold, Dash is more of a media star than a Faction: ADF
soldier. From the moment he entered the service, Call Sign: Crash
the press (and military PR machine) has been Groceman is a commoner, born to a merchant who
following his career and living and dying by his scraped together just enough money to get his
every action. His face alone has recruited more son into a garrison ADF academy. A hard worker
soldiers in the last year than every other media star and a natural shot, Donny graduated top of his
in the previous ten years combined. class and was promoted to command of a front
line unit. Such a thing would normally be unheard
However, his fame often ensures that he stays of, but the war has left the ADF with a number of
away from the worst of the fighting until the battle holes in their organizations.
is over and the press can holofilm him diving into
battle leading his troops to another ADF victory. The promotion was a mixed blessing as Grocemans
unit is made up entirely of commoners and is often
Strength: 4 asked to take on dangerous assignments. Though
Agility: 4 command will never say so, Groceman fully
Intelligence: 2 understands that his unit gets the tough missions
Will: 2 not because they survive, but so that his social
betters arent in harms way.
Weapon: 2 Strength: 2
Armor: 5 Agility: 5
Technology: 3 Intelligence: 3
Speed: 5 Will: 4
Links Weapons: 5
Attack-> Strength Armor: 5
Defense-> Agility Technology: 2
Engineering-> Will Speed: 3
Speed-> Intelligence Links
Attack-> Agility
Linked Stats: Defense-> Will
Attack: 6 Engineering-> Strength
Defense: 9 Speed-> Intelligence
Engineering: 4
Movement: 7 Linked Stats:
Attack: 10
Skills: (Dash Reinhold is considered an enemy ace.) Defense: 9
Mecha Combat 3 Engineering: 4
Personal Combat 5 Movement: 6
Mecha of Choice: Break Wolf Skills: (Donny Groceman is considered an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 3
Weapons: Personal Combat 3
2 x Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Mecha of Choice: Howling Dragon
Impact)
Weapons:
Configurations: 2 x Normitz Field Gun (4, Impact)
Berserker Normitz Flak Cannon (1, Impact)
Battle Dynamics Missile Pack (3, Missile)
Defender Normitz Chain Cannon (2, Impact)
Configurations:
Boomer, Berserker

112
Paul Young Desiree Ramirez
Faction: Separatist Guard Faction: Separatist Guard
Callsign: Hawk Callsign: Waxer

Paul never thought hed be fighting, but when the Desiree is a natural when it comes to computers
ADF destroyed his family farm during a battle, he and gadgets. Shes not a people person. She
had no choice. Generally still unsure of himself in
doesnt understand them and much prefers
battle, he is naturally talented and will be a great
fighter if he lives long enough. quantum mechanics since they are infinitely less
complex then human interaction. Fortunately for
Strength: 3 her, she is completely unaware of how her beauty
Agility: 2 affects her teammates.
Intelligence: 2
Will: 4 Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Weapons: 3 Intelligence: 4
Armor: 3 Will: 2
Technology: 3
Speed: 2 Weapons: 1
Armor: 2
Links
Technology: 4
Attack-> Strength
Defense-> Will Speed: 4
Engineering-> Agility
Speed-> Intelligence Links
Attack-> Will
Linked Stats: Defense-> Strength
Attack: 6 Engineering-> Agility
Defense: 7 Speed-> Intelligence
Engineering: 5
Movement: 4 Linked Stats:
Attack: 3
Skills: (Paul Young is considered an enemy ace.) Defense: 4
Mecha Combat 3
Engineering: 7
Personal Combat 3
Movement: 8
Mecha of Choice: Grave Hound
Skills: (Desiree Ramirez is considered an enemy
Weapons: ace.)
Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0, Impact) Mecha Combat 3
Normitz Chain Cannon (2, Impact) Personal Combat 2
Battle Dynamics Arming Cannon (3, Impact)
Mecha of Choice: Ghost Fox
Configurations Battle Dynamics Arming Cannon (3, Impact)
Supercharged
Disrupter Configurations:
Prowler
Flanker

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Schnizel Alex Wornall
Faction: Separatist Guard
Demora Callsign: Boiler
Faction: Separatist Guard
Callsign: Prince Alex has seen it all and done it all. Hes been a
fighter for the Separatist Guard since before there
The third son of the Demora family, Schnizel has was a Separatist Guard. War has left a deep mark
something to prove: that he is as good as he on Alexs soul, which has caused him to find solace
thinks he is. This of course would make him far at the bottom of a bottle. Its also made him bitter,
better than his two brothers, one who serves in especially towards younger pilots who he finds
the ADF, the other in the Separatist Guard. The insufferably naive and optimistic.
only problem is that no one is as good as he thinks Strength: 4
he is. Agility: 2
Strength: 2 Intelligence: 2
Agility: 2 Will: 3
Intelligence: 4
Will: 3 Weapons: 2
Armor: 4
Weapons: 4 Technology: 2
Armor: 3 Speed: 3
Technology: 2
Speed: 2 Links
Attack-> Strength
Links Defense-> Will
Attack-> Intelligence Engineering-> Agility
Defense-> Will Speed-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Agility
Speed-> Strength Linked Stats:
Attack: 6
Linked Stats: Defense: 7
Attack: 8 Engineering: 4
Defense: 6 Movement: 5
Engineering: 4
Movement: 4 Skills: (Alex Wornall is considered an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 3
Skills: (Schnizel Demora is considered an enemy ace.) Personal Combat 3
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 4 Mecha of Choice: Break Wolf

Mecha of Choice: Howling Dragon Weapons:

2 x Mannis Defense Systems Mass Hammer (0,
Weapons: Impact)
2 x Normitz Field Gun (4, Impact)
Normitz Flak Cannon (1, Impact) Configurations:
Battle Dynamics Missile Pack (3, Missile) Berserker
Defender
Configurations:
Boomer, Berserker

114
Vehicles of War small supercomputers, and state-of-the-art
communications equipment. This is where the
It would be too expensive (and in some cases too gunner chiefs spend their time during the heat of
impractical) for both the ADF and the Separatist battle so they can direct their team and analyze
Guard to field armies composed solely of steel battle data while staying safely away from danger.
gunners. This is why both sides field a large A typical MCV has a crew of five plus a driver, and
number of conventional vehicles. Some of these a gunner who controls the MCVs only armament: a
vehicles are listed below. It is up to the Game single Normitz Field Cannon.
Master to determine what level of mook these
vehicles represent.
APC
Combat Motorcycle The armored personnel carrier (APC) is an infantrymans
best friend. Armored well enough to protect soldiers
Combat motorcycles are little more than heavy from most non-gunner attacks and fast enough to
duty off road bikes with rocket pods or scaled avoid danger, the APC can get infantry into and
down Normitz chain guns mounted on their chassis. away from the battlefield quickly and efficiently.
They are primarily used for recon and harassment Even better, they contain weapons, ammunition, and
duties as they have little to no armor. rations for extended campaigns in the field and newer
models even mount digging charges to let infantry
Mobile Command create prepared positions quickly.
Vehicle (MCV)
The MCV is the heart of both sides command Tank
and control capabilities. Essentially they are The tank has seen service in every armed conflict
large cargo haulers refitted with heavy armor, in the last several hundred years. Once the most

115
powerful vehicle on the field, the tank still packs a often called on to deploy gunners into hot landing
wallop with its main gun which can easily damage zones, this has given their crews a reputation for
even a steel gunners defense systems. The being more than a little insane.
problem with tanks are that they are slow and lack
the steel gunners agility and maneuverability on
the battlefield. Space Vehicles
The battle for Destiny Arbor will not be fought
just on the ground. Whoever controls space
Strike Fighter controls shipping and the flow of resources around
The invention of the steel gunner has made air the system. Perhaps more importantly, whoever
superiority less important than it once was. Still, controls the space around a planet can attack it
the side which controls the skies does have a anywhere, at anytime, and on the ground of their
distinct intelligence capability. To that end, both choosing.
the ADF and the Separatist Guard have several
air wings of jet-powered strike fighters. Their Because of this, both sides have large space
primary role is to dogfight and defeat other strike assets which clash amongst the stars as steel
fighters, though they can be mounted with heavy gunners fight on the planets below. Joining the
bombs to engage ground targets. They are not fight, though, are the gunners themselves who can
suited to ground attack missions, though, and operate for hours in space and come equipped
they tend to take heavy causalities around steel with magnetic locks which allow them to adhere
gunners. to the surface of a ship.

Helicopter Gunship Dropship

Take a tank and put a helicopter rotor on it and Dropships are the only space assets capable of
you have the helicopter gunship. Ideally suited operating in both space and in the atmosphere.
for close air support, helicopter gunships excel Each dropship looks like a large, angular version of
at finding the enemy from the air and unleashing a terrestrial airplane. Capable of carrying four steel
terrible punishment on them. They are still no gunners and their pilots, they are heavily armored,
match for a steel gunner in a head-to-head battle, but carry only the lightest assortment of weapons.
but if they can attack in numbers, a gunship flight This armor does mean that they can survive a hot
can easily fell a gunner. drop in a battlezone and make it out alive.

Rarely, though, do dropships ever land. Instead,

Heavy Lifter they fly over the battlezone, open their drop
Steel gunners represent the last word in doors, and let the steel gunners drop. Ideally, each
maneuverability. There is no terrain they cannot gunner will be equipped with a drop pack (like
cross. However, sometimes flying through the a huge jet pack) that will slow their descent. In
air is much faster. Enter the heavy lifter. These an emergency, steel gunners are equipped with
bracket-shaped helicopters are little more than parachutes that can slow their fall, though this
powerful engines and strong rotors attached to a is usually not effective enough to prevent some
pair of hooks. These hooks grab on to a gunner amount of damage.
and can carry it up to a thousand miles away at
a rate of a little over one hundred miles per hour.
Space Transport
The drawback is that they are only lightly armored Space transports are the bigger brothers to
and mount no weapons. Given that heavy lifters are dropships. Delta-shaped, these space craft lose

116
the ability to travel into the atmosphere, but gain Battle Cruiser
the ability to support a pilot, a gunner team of
Battle cruisers are subcapitol ships that serve
four pilots and a gunner chief for several months
a number of roles in their respective fleets. On
without needing to dock. Still, the conditions on
their own, they carry enough armament to fight
the transport are cramped with barely enough
fleet actions against other fleets of gunships and
room for the gunner hanger, six cabins, a workout
cruisers. They also carry a limited assortment of
area, and a mess.
orbital bombardment nukes if the ground situation
looks truly dire.
Transports are not well armed or armored, but
they are blazingly fast and can dart into and out of
The standard crew complement of battle cruiser
battle very quickly.
is three hundred, which includes the pilots and
gunner chiefs for the ten gunner squads that a
Space Gunships cruiser can carry, pilots for the ten drop ships and
Space gunships are essentially revamped twenty strike fighters that the cruiser can dock
transports. Their gunner hangers have been on its outer hull, as well as personnel needed to
removed and replaced with enhanced targeting operate the ship and medical teams. Additionally,
capabilities, missile racks, ammunition bunkers, a cruiser carries a nominal load of fifty marines for
and other tools of war. Their armor also gets an boarding operations and security.
upgrade over the transport. Gunships are cheap
to produce and require only a pilot and gunner, Capitol Ship
making it easy to deploy large numbers of them
Capitol ships are the largest things that humankind
in battle.
has created that can actually move. Just over
two miles long, capitol ships bristle with hundreds
of guns, missile racks, and orbital bombardment

117
weaponry. These ships require a crew of thousands or activate a control plus the amount of time it
to operate, not to mention their complement of takes for the gunner to respond. For the most elite
marines, pilots for the two hundred gunners, fifty pilots and best tuned gunners in the world, this
dropships, and one hundred strike fighters they limitation may be less than a second, but that can
carry. be just enough time for a gunner to get junked.

Neither side knows exactly how many capitol ships This is why in 2231, the ADF began researching
the other has, but it assumed that both sides field Mark I Intuitive Gunner technology. The goal was
less than twenty of these behemoth craft. to create an expert artificial intelligence that would
learn its pilots habits, anticipate its pilots needs,
and begin issuing commands before the pilot could
Space Stations humanly begin to react. The results were not very
Elrand, Abrax, Destiny Prime, and Destiny II have functional. The expert systems lack of tactical
at least one military-grade space station (and awareness and the fact the pilot spent more time
many civilian stations.) These stations are home overriding the computers controls than actually
to thousands of soldiers and civilian support fighting lessened the gunners individual combat
staff. They also offer docking and repair facilities effectiveness by 53%. The project became the
for both sides space assets and steel gunners laughing stock of ADF research and development.
and enough weaponry that it would take several
capitol ships to knock them out. However, in 2235, the project was reopened. In
order to hide its true nature, the team behind the
Stations offer everything a soldier needs for a project described their efforts as a revitalization
home away from home: bars, workout facilities, of the Intuitive Gunner. However, this was true in
shopping malls, centers for higher learning, even name only. The goal of the Mark II Intuitive Gunner
brothels are tolerated by the higher ups. Both was not to let the machine make decisions for the
sides maintain large number of personnel in space pilot, but to remove the lag time from decision
for extended periods of time and these stations to action by melding the machine and the mind
offer every amenity possible. as one.

By 2236, the initial results were promising. The

Special Rules Mk II Intuitive Gunner surpassed every expectation
In the world of Steel Gunner, not everything is as imaginable. Pilots could enter the cockpit of the
it seems. With ADF scientists working hard to intuitive gunner and hook themselves into the
advance gunner technology by fusing man and machines user interface directly. This allowed
machine and the secret of the Energy Coil yet to the machine to send data into the pilots sensory
be discovered, Destiny Prime is home to many cortex and read the pilots decisions as they are
mysteries. made. All a pilot has to do is think shoot or
move and the intuitive gunner is already doing it.
To support that story telling, here are some
optional rules which can be brought into a Steel Theres only one problem. Only a few pilots have
Gunner campaign. the natural psychic aptitude to pilot an intuitive
gunner. Thus far, this has limited the number of
Mark II Intuitive Gunners Intuitive Gunners the ADF can field. However,
they have a new solution known only as Project
Even the best pilots in the galaxy have one Farsight.
limitation they cannot beat: the amount of time it
takes for them to move a lever, press a button,

118
IG-2 Intuitive Gunner
The Intuitive Gunner packs every known
advanced technology system in the ADF
arsenal. They are fast, tough, and can easily slice
their way through a normal gunner formation.

Weapons 3
Armor 4
Technology 6
Speed 3

Weapons
Beam Sword (0/Energy)
Plasma Rifle (3/Energy)
Rocket Barrage (2/
Missile)

Configurations
Flanker
Transformer

Note: the Intuitive Gunner can

only be operated by an Esper or
someone with latent psychic ability.

Gamemasters Note: If you wish

to randomly determine whether a
player has the psychic conditioning
to pilot an Intuitive, have them
roll a number of D6 equal to the
characters Will stat. Any roll of 1
means they have the proper level of
latent psychic ability.

119
Esper Training
The ADF high command is salivating over the
chance to deploy large numbers of Intuitive
Gunners into battle, but they just dont have
the pilots who are naturally psychically sensitive
enough to pilot one. Thus, the creation of Project
Farsight, a program which invites candidates who
receive an 80 or greater on the Josef-Sanz Psychic
Awareness Battery to join an elite unit.

Those that accept the invitation are taken to a

weekend resort. There, they are fed memories
of sandy beaches, too many drinks, and fun in
the sun. In reality, they are held unconscious and
subjected to repeated chemical treatments and
psychological reconditioning which gives them
the required 99 score on the Josef-Sanz and allows
them to interface with an Intuitive.

Those who do not pass the conditioning die.

The success rate is currently 60%, though ADF
researchers believe this can be raised in the near
future.

In game terms, for those who wish to follow the

established canon of the setting, becoming an
Esper is available to any ADF soldier should the
Game Master allow it. (It can also be available to
Separatist Guard soldiers with a bit of backstory
or through a covert mission where the Separatists
steal the technology.) Those wishing to break
with the story points can determine when and how
Espers become available.

It is up to the Game Master to determine how much

game time the Esper conversion process takes.
Some suggestions include having the process take
place off camera in between episodes, it can be
great inspiration for a Social scene, or it can even
be cause of the fight in an episode.

After the Esper conversion, the pilot may operate

an Intuitive Gunner. Also, they must replace one of
their Traits with a Trait that stemmed from their
Esper conversion. Also, they replace one of their
mecha and personal weapons with the weapon:

Psychic Howl (Psychic/3)

120
Revenants chief is responsible for ensuring the teams gunners
go into battle fully armed and combat ready and
At some point in either story line, ADF scientists the chief is responsible for directing combat from
or Gwandanan mystics will find the secret of the the MCV.
energy coil. The energy coil is basically a multi-
dimension entanglement device that siphons Because gunner chiefs are not mecha pilots (or no
energy from the realm of the dead. Quite by longer mecha pilots), they tend to be NPCs rather
accident, it will become apparent that the energy than play characters. Here are several Gunner
coils field can actually capture the essence of Chiefs you can use in any campaign.
dying pilots and trap it.
Tembo Montreal
If done properly, this can give soldiers a form of Tembo hails from the bow of Gwandana. Before
joining the Separatist Guard, he was in training to
immortality. A dying soldier can be trapped in the
become a tribal shaman. Tembo brings his intuitive
energy coil and with a few small modifications, mysticism to bear in his role as a gunner chief. He
that soldier can take over any vehicle in which has an uncanny foresight and a deep connection
the energy coil is installed. The soldier no longer with the spirit-world. He believes that Separatist
needs to eat or sleep and will live as long as their pilots are being watched over by the spirits of
energy coil is not destroyed. their ancestors.

With a nod to the miracle of this form of rebirth, Alessa Green

the energy coil is renamed the Lazarus Coil. Within Most pilots in the Separatist Guard would love to
weeks of its discovery, engineers from both sides have Alessa Green as their hangar chief because
build a series of fail safes to do their best to Alessa is a very beautiful woman and a very
capture a dying soldiers essence so that soldiers talented tactician. She is also relatively new as
a hangar chief but she makes up for her lack of
are given a chance at immortality. Pilots who are
experience with a strong empathy and ability to
captured this way are known as Revenants and
comfort pilots in the heat of battle. However,
become a necessary, though creepy, part of both Alessas past is shrouded in mystery.
armies.
Alex Wendo
The Revenants will retain most of the memories Alex Wendo blazed his way through the technical
of their former selves, though they are more training programs and quickly became one of
distant and less passionate about existence than the most skilled gunner chiefs in the ADF. Alex
they were. They also give off strange radiation attributes his technical skill to his deep-rooted
that garbles their communications. Videos of passion for Steel Gunners. Alex has a peculiar
the Revenants always turn out grainy and filled fondness for one Gunner in particular. He calls her
with static and their voices always warble like a Sarah, in memory of his now-deceased fiance.
malfunctioning microphone, again with the ever- To be honest, its a bit creepy how much love and
effort he puts into keeping Sarah running.
present static.
Suki Yamura
Any player or NPC can be a Revenant. However, Suki Yamura was one of the greatest Gunner pilots
Revenants cannot leave their mecha. ever to fight for the Separatist Guard. When a
combat injury to her leg left her unable to continue
her career as a pilot, she became a hangar chief.
Gunner Chiefs Suki is well known for her no-nonsense attitude,
Every gunner team reports to a gunner chief. Part stubbornness, and superior tactical knowledge.
leader, part repair technician, part officer you love
to hate (or hate to love in some cases), the gunner Gordon Nemitz

121
Gordon Nemitz is the most experienced hangar bad blood between both sides, but few soldiers
chief in the ADF. Gordon has served diligent for are truly tired of fighting yet. It is still new and
the past forty-one years and has had exemplary exciting. Holoshows about the war draw big
marks the entire time. Still, Gordons past is rife ratings on both sides. Who attacked first is still
with tragedy. At the onset of the war, his entire hotly debated, with each side pointing at the other
family was killed in a Separatist Guard surprise as the agent provocateur.
attack. He has dedicated his life to avenging his
family and bringing an end to Separatist tyranny.
So far, the ADF has had the upper hand in the war.
Currently, all eight planets have some sort of ADF
Story Stages presence, which may be as small as a forward
staging base from which the ADF can land supplies
Story Stages are major arcs within a campaign.
and carry on their land war. The Separatist Guard
They are presented to players and GMs so that
is short on experienced pilots and most of their
everyone is on the same page about where the
gunners have seen better days.
game starts and what might happen during a Steel
Gunner campaign. These stages, divided into ADF
Types of Action: Patrols on the ground, patrols
and Separatist Guard, are just a suggestion and
in space, reconnaissance missions, missions to
the GM should feel free to tell whatever story she
support local guerillas
would like.
Story Milestones: The team will start out assigned
Each stage lists three things: Initial Conditions,
to a forward firebase, which is just large enough
Types of Action, and Story Milestones.
to house two gunner teams (roughly eight mecha
total.) (Note: to anyone who downloaded the
Initial Conditions describe the status of the setting
Mecha Quickstart, you can have your players run
at the start of the stage. You should notice that
into the Intuitive Gunner in space prior to them be
the stages build on each other so that the types
assigned to the forward firebase.) The firebase is
of action and milestones from one stage should
near a town, which has a well-stocked bar and a
lead naturally to the next. There are no rules that
large bartender who packs a mean right hook.
saw that a story has to go through each stage, or
any of them, they are provided as a broad outline
Life on base is anything but boring. There are
of how a game could go.
constant patrols in and out of the base. Pilots may
draw ready duty and be assigned to sit in their
Types of Action list the different battles that
activated gunners for hours at a time. The Colonel
players should expect. GMs can use the Types of
in charge of the base is just asking for a prank or
Action list to give them some ideas of the types
ten.
of battles they can setup.
Eventually, though, the ADF will attack the base.
Lastly, the Story Milestones give GMs some ideas
During this battle, one or more Separatist Guard
of different things which might happen at each
gunners piloted by NPCs will be junked. Life goes
stage.
on from that point until the air raid siren goes
off again. It seems one of the junked mecha is
Separatist Guard Stage operating itself. When the mecha is brought down
they find that there is nobody piloting it.
One: Contact
Initial Conditions: The war has only been on for two This leads to the discovery of the Revenants and
years. This is just long enough for there to be the effects of the Lazarus Coil.

122
Reapers
Reapers exist in the land of the dead which fuels
the Lazarus Coils. In their natural realm, they sustain
themselves by feeding off the energy produced
by the essence in their realm. It is a steady diet, if
not overwhelmingly exciting.

Unbeknownst to the scientists who perfect the

Lazarus Coil, the process of binding an essence Reaper
to a Lazarus Coil has a number of unintended side Weapons 8
effects. One of which is ripping a small hole into Armor 8
the fabric between the two worlds. The more Technology 8
Revenants that get created, the more plentiful Speed 8
these holes become.
Weapons
Eventually, the veil separating the two realms Reaper Scythe (0/Impact)
Immolation (1/Energy)
grows large enough that the Reapers slip through Psychic Scream (2/Psychic)
into our realm. Since they are able to feed off Farstrike (3/Missile)
anything living, they see our realm as a buffet of
new tastes and new sensations. They are eager to Configurations
eat everything. Assassin, Ripper

123
Separatist Guard Stage This battle is a good time for the team to face
their first Intuitive Gunners.
Two: Tragedy
Initial Conditions: Some time will have passed since
the first Stage. The war has settled down into a Separatist Guard Stage
grind. The ADF continues to score victories, but Three: Destiny
their momentum is slowing as the Separatist Guard Initial Conditions: The battle for Casaleo is over.
begins to organize into an effective fighting force. Depending on how the players do, it was either
Shortly before this Stage, both armies will begin to a total route or they were able to salvage the
field significant numbers of Revenant pilots. situation. Either way, the ADF has revealed the
existence of the Destiny Siege and has given the
Types of Action: Patrols on the ground, patrols Separatist Guard one week to surrender or they
in space, reconnaissance missions, missions to will eradicate the capital world of every Separatist
support local guerillas, space battles, training planet in Destiny Arbor.
exercises with new Revenant pilots
Meanwhile, the Revenants are starting to act weird.
Story Milestones: On a random day, all of the Like they are afraid of something or they are in
pilots leave requests are cancelled and they are terrible pain.
ordered to report to the Colonel in the briefing
room immediately. When the team assembles, Types of Action: Patrols, recon missions to find
they find the Colonel is very agitated. The ADF the Destiny Siege, black ops to locate the Destiny
are attacking Casaleo, Abraxs capital city, with Siege, black ops to kidnap scientists who might
several brigades (each comprised of several have worked on it, counter attacks against the
thousand gunners.) They have dug in around the ADF, hunting down groups of Separatist deserters.
city and are shelling it.
Story Milestones: Eventually, the week ends. The
The Separatist high command had decided to players receive word that the Destiny Siege on
mobilize just about every asset they have to Elrand has been discovered and the team is given
counter the threat. That includes the players one final chance to knock it out. They are taken
gunner team. If they are on Abrax, they will be to the weapon of mass destruction and a giant
lifted by Heavy Lifter to a staging area outside battle ensues.
the city. If they are not, they will be taken by
transport and dropped to the staging area. If the team wins, the campaign can end then there
or they can be just a little too late to stop it. If the
They arrive just before the offensive is scheduled team loses, the Destiny Siege can fire destroying
to start. The Separatists move towards the city Destinia, the capital city of Elrand.
and as soon as they get close enough to attack,
the ADF withdraws. Eventually, a large number of As Destinia burns, all of the death and destruction
Separatist troops close on Casaleo. causes a great rift in the dimensional curtain. This
lets the Reapers to spill forth. The team can attack
Then it happens. In the blink of an eye, the entire the Reapers and if they are defeated, their deaths
city of Casaleo and its ten million inhabitants are will seal the dimensional curtain.
destroyed along with the Separatist Guard near
them. The destruction is total. If the players want to continue, the Reaper attack
is so bad that it decimates the ADF (who have a
How the team handles the attack is up to them. proportionally higher use of Lazarus Coils.) This
They may fight their way past the ADF counter decimation has left Destiny Prime open to attack.
attack or they can be captured on purpose or they
can find another option.

124
ADF Stage One: Contact Types of Action: Patrols, cleaning up the resistance
after Abrax, squashing anti-Destiny Siege protests,
Initial Conditions: The war has only been on for two accepting the surrender of Separatist Guard units,
years. This is just long enough for there to be destroying surrendering Separatist units
bad blood between both sides, but few soldiers
are truly tired of fighting yet. It is still new and Story Milestones: Right before the deadline is up,
exciting. Holoshows about the war draw big the team is moved to a huge staging area outside
ratings on both sides. Who attacked first is still of Elrand. One minute after the deadline for
hotly debated, with each side pointing at the other surrender passes, the ADF fires the Destiny Siege.
as the agent provocateur. Destinia is immolated in a bath of pure destructive
fury.
So far, the ADF has had the upper hand in the war.
Currently, all eight planets have some sort of ADF And the Reapers pour forth.
presence, which may be as small as a forward
staging base from which the ADF can land supplies
and carry on their land war. The Separatist Guard ADF Stage Three: Destiny
is short on experienced pilots and most of their
Initial Conditions: The ADF did not fare too well in
gunners have seen better days.
the wake of the Reaper attack. For reasons not fully
understood, Reapers showed up on every world in
Types of Action: Patrols on the ground, patrols Destiny Arbor and on several space stations. The
in space, reconnaissance missions, missions to attacks seemed to have affected the ADF, and in
eliminate local guerillas particular the Intuitive Gunner corps, worse than
the Separatist Guard.
Story Milestones: The Separatist Guard launches
a major offensive against an ADF base, much A call is put out for anyone who is able to undergo
like the Separatist forward firebase. Desperately Esper training with the promise they will be
outnumbered, the ADF holds on for dear life until given a brand new Intuitive Gunner. Meanwhile, the
a strange new gunner appears. This new gunner Separatist Guard is marshalling for a grand attack
is capable of human movement: jump kicks,
on Destiny Prime.
cartwheels, dodging attacks. Singlehandedly,
this gunner turns the tide allowing the players to
counterattack. Types of Action: Patrols, space battles,
investigating reports of rouge Reapers, strikes on
Afterwards, the players learn about Intuitive Separatist Guard bases or units, Intuitive Gunner
Gunners and Espers. Espers lead to the discovery training
of the true functioning of the Lazarus Coil.
Story Milestones: The team is reassigned to a new
Any players may become Intuitive Pilots at this point. commanding officer, a general who is heading
up what could be the last effective ADF fighting
force: Task Force Steel Lance. Made up of fewer
ADF Stage Two: Reunion troops than were present at the battle of Abrax,
Initial Conditions: The war has settled down. The Task Force Steel Lance has one mission: find the
ADF is still winning, but the Separatist Guard is
Separatist headquarters on Nevia and end this war
getting much more effective. Then the teams
once and forever.
gunner chief tells them about the Destiny Siege.
Stage Two takes place after it has been fired on
Abrax and the ADF decisively wins that battle. The team is transported to Nevia and given
The Separatist Guard is given a week to surrender. intelligence on where the base should be. The
fight is on.

125
126
Dear Most Fortunate Student,

This electronic communication has been happily sent to you by the

administration of the Special Research School Combined System to
inform you and your parents that you have been joyfully admitted
to Special Research School West Campus! We proudly hope that
you will be matriculating there this fall. Your parents have been
thoughtfully copied on this electronic mail so that they may receive
this benecial news and gladly remit their rst tuition payment due
in ten days.

The Special Research Schools only accept the best and the brightest
students who excel in the particular elds of study and athletics.
Classes will be strenuous, but we have a number of special clubs in
which you can participate to add fun diversions to your school day.

If you are planning on playing mecha football, gratefully nd the

attached weapons governor permission form. Fill it out in triplicate
and quickly fax two copies to the Special Research School West
Campus Athletics Director and one to the New Edo authorities.

Also, please studiously nd a copy of all required materials you

will need for your rst day.

Dormitories open one week before classes start and all incoming
freshmen are sternly required to arrive on the day the dormitories
open for a week long orientation to the Special Research School
Combined System. Come ready to learn and have fun. The rst
night, there will be a co-ed sock hop. Much Fun will be had!

Sincerely,
Administrator Hoshi Yoriburro
Special Research School Combined System

127
Congratulations, you made it into one of the
best schools in all of Japan: the Special Research Before we get into the school and everything you
Schools! Students from all over the world apply can do, I want to go over a few rules. Now, school
to the Special Research Schools, but only a few records indicate everyone in the freshman class
thousand actually make it. has passed their exam and received your mecha
learners permit. Good!
With Glorious Nippon the clear leader in technology
ever since it began moss producing the first Now, those of you who brought your mecha, no I
mechanized humanform vehicles (called mecha for wont call them Hot Bots, should keep them parked
short) in 1876, many wonder why Japan has pour in the mecha hanger. You are only permitted
so much money into an education system which to take your mecha out of the hanger when a
in turn only widens the technology gap. However, parent or other authorized individual is with you.
those who are proponents of the system argue Coach Grunhard offers mecha driving lessons on
that only through increasing technology will the weekends for anyone who just hast to get out
world find peace. there and drive.

It is better, they say, to lead through technology Second, school uniforms are to be worn at all times
than popular culture. Sure, the world dances at during the weekday and at any formal events. I
sock hops and beach parties to rock and roll music know poodle skirts and letter jackets are all the
and cruising in mecha, which the Americans call rage with the young people today, but this is a
Hot Bots, but Japan continues to be the focal Special Research School and you are expected to
point for new technology. dress better than that!

Now, the choice is yours. Will you help build the Third, no leaving school grounds with a written
next generation of Hot Bot? Will you devise some permit. Anyone caught sneaking on or off school
chemical formula that helps create new healing grounds without permission will end up seeing
techniques? Will you excel on the mecha football Mr. Belden, our new American Vice Principle.
field? Or will you cut class and rebel like so many Disciplinary actions will follow. The good news is
teens before you? that Hyper Drive-in, Yakitori Restaurant, and Kellys
Diner are all considered to be on school grounds.
Let the adventure begin.
Fourth, the freshman class will have one member
elected to the Student Council. Elections will take
place at the end of the week, so feel free to start
campaigning now. Time is already running out.

An address for Student Council President Tawny Now, lets talk about the school and the activities
Takanata: in which you can participate. After that, well
break for lunch. Chef Akebono has prepared some
You are about to embark on the adventure of your
special tempura for everyone in the cafeteria.
lives: high school!

In just four short years when you graduate, you Well meet back here for a special film on student
will look back at this orientation as the start life and manners and then everyone is free to go
of something great. It will be the moment you to the sock hop!
stopped being kids and started being high school
students.

128
As you can see from this diagram, SRS West is SRSWest is more than just a great educational
shaped like an oval. What may not be clear is that opportunity; its a place to enrich your total person.
the oval is nearly half a mile long at its longest We offer a number of different activities which
point and almost a quarter mile wide at its widest. will help you train yourselves as young leaders, not
The building is ten stories high and is composed just enrich your mind with new information.
of the cool looking blue glass you see everywhere.
A few of these activities include:
The school is divided into four quadrants, each
of which serves a unique function. Quadrant 1 is
the dormitories where you have already checked
in your belongings and hopefully met your While dancing is not a critical skill for tomorrows
roommate. Quadrant 2 is reserved for classrooms generation of leaders, we firmly believe that
and lecture areas. Quadrant 3 houses the school being a good, well rounded individual capable of
library and labs facilities and Quadrant 4 is for interacting like adults in social circles certainly
school administration. If you are ever above the is. This is why the school hosts seven dances
first floor of Quadrant 4, you will be subject to throughout the year:
disciplinary action.
Freshman Sock Hop
Youve been warned. Homecoming
Winter Formal
To the north of Quadrant 1 you will find the Spring Girls Ask Guys Mixer
football fields where our mighty team, the Fighting Junior Prom
Rockets, take the field to play mecha football. I Senior Prom
am sure you all know that we have something of Graduation Dance
a tradition of mecha football here. Weve been
to the Prefecture Championships five times in the The Student Council Events Committee is
past seven years! responsible for organizing and picking a theme for
these dances. However, they need volunteers all
To the south of Quadrant 4 are the mecha hangers. of the time. If any of you freshmen are particularly
Yes, someone is always watching your mecha. civic minded and see a future in Student Council
Youve been warned. for yourselves, volunteering for one these dances
is a great way to get started.
The best part about the school is probably the
courtyard. In the middle of the oval, there is
a huge common area where students like to
congregate during lunch or after class to relax, talk Not many freshmen play on the varsity mecha
and maybe play some sports that dont involve football team, but a few get the chance every
mecha. However, there is a strict no fighting year. Do you think you have what it takes to play?
policy. Anyone caught fighting in the courtyard is If so, make sure you have signed your weapons
looking at some pretty heft punishments. governor forms because without that, you cant
play!
Again, youve been warned.
Anyone who wishes to try out for the mecha
football team is more than welcome. We have
two teams, the varsity team and the junior varsity

129
team. In order to try out, all you have to do is play
a two-on-two game against two varsity team
members. If you score a point, you can play JV Whatever you do, attend class. Yes, on the
ball. If you win the game by scoring two points, outside world there are Hot Bot races and fixit
youre on the team. If you lose, well, better luck shops and drive-ins that served milkshakes,
next year! but you are here to learn. We have all of the
educationally entertaining activities that you need.
Please do not leave the school grounds.

We have a number of great clubs here featuring On the outside, people actually play a street
all of your favorite activities. Other than the version of mecha football without weapons
Student Council, we have Kendo Club, Karate governors. It is unwholesome and dangerous.
Club, Photography Club, Student Newspaper
Club, Lacrosse Club, Art Club, Yearbook Club, There are plenty of street gangs who would love
Cheerleading, Fashion Club, Future Business nothing better than to warp your minds and have
Leaders of the World, Future Farmers of the you join them. If I see a single Dragon or Snake
World, Emo Club, Future Teachers of the World, emblem on your clothes, Ill turn you into Vice
Chemistry Club, Role Playing Club, Math Club, President Belden myself!
Science Club, Mecha Engineer Club, Pep Club,
Glee Club, Dance Squad, Debate Club, Diving Club, With that being said, I think its time for lunch.
Equestrian Club, Creative Writing Club, Auto Club, Please form two orderly lines and walk to the
Computer Club, Movie Club, Poetry Club, Yoga cafeteria.
Club, Environmental Club, Weightlifting Club,
Cross Country, Track Club, Future Politicians Club, Oh, and look out for black bits. Chef likes to burn
JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Club), his tempura.
Home Ec Club, Audio/Visual Club, Solar Powered
Mecha Team, and Band.

I think thats all of them. Outside the SRS school, the city of New Edo
awaits any student willing to risk getting caught
All clubs are headed by a senior, but anyone can sneaking off school grounds. They types of
join and help out. adventures the students can have are limited to
what might be available in 1950s Asian megacity.
In other words, if the players want to find it, they
probably can.
The cafeteria opens at five thirty in the morning
and severs breakfast until nine. Lunch begins at As for those whom they might run into, there is all
eleven and lasts until one oclock. Dinner begins at sorts of trouble to be had. The People of Special
five and continues until seven. If you miss dinner, Research School will give you a pretty good idea
vending machines are located in Quadrant 1. of who you can and shouldnt run into.

Please do not order pizza. The school cafeteria

is perhaps not what it used to be since Chef
Yoshimiro took over, but hes trying his best. He SRSWest is not the only Special Research school
just needs a little more practice. It may not look it in New Edo and its definitely not the only school
but the food is very nutritional. in New Edo. The following is a list of some of
the more notable schools in the area. Its possible

130
for students from non- Special Research Schools Edo. The girls who attend St. Thomas AMecha
to transfer into a Special Research School and are chosen for the excellent academics, though in
occasionally an Special Research School student truth, the school has a high number of students
transfers out to a public or private school. This, in its JROTC program. It is located about three
however, is rare. kilometers from SRS West.

New Edo University High New Edo University

(NEU) is one of the premier universities for
advancing the science of mecha creation. In order
Special Research School East SRS East is located to rival the SRS schools, they started their own
on the Easternmost edge of New Edo, right along high school, New Edo University High (NEUH).
the coastline. Students are treated to lovely views About ninety percent of the graduating class
of the ocean as the go to school. Its a fact they of NEUH attends NEU and go on to be mecha
love to rub in other SRS students faces. engineers.

SRS East students have a reputation for their New Edo High New Edo High is the largest public
snobbery, which is surpassed only by their school in all of New Edo. Many of the students
reputation for excellence. They have won the who go to an SRS school would go to New Edo
State mecha football championship the last seven High, which has left the administration jealous of
years in a row, the State debate championship for the SRS schools. New Edo High often schedules
the last three, the Math Olympiad the last ten years, competitions with as many SRS schools as
and their Audio/Visual Club has better projectors possible, though they tend to lose because Special
than anyone else. Research Schools draw in superior students.

They are SRS Wests main rival. Bronks Science Bronks Science is located in the
northern district of New Edo, near SRS North. Its a
Special Research School North SRS North is the rougher school that still draws a fairly intelligence
largest of the SRS schools and is well funded by class of student. However, Bronks Science
a number of corporate interests who sponsor students are have a reputation as fierce Hot Bot
research. While SRS East excels in most areas, SRS racers and put on illegal Hot Bot street races every
North consistently produces the largest number weekend.
of graduates who go to big engineering contests
including the Solar Powered Mecha races. Modesto High Modesto High is located in the
eastern part of the school, near New Edo Bay. It is
Special Research School South SRS South has a public school that consistently fields the worst
only been open for three years and is still the football team in the city. It is near SRS East.
smallest of the schools. Rumor has it that it was
charted as an athletes school. The fact that the Modesto High South When Modesto High got
SRS South mecha football team went to the State too large, they opened a South branch near SRS
championships its first two years of existence South. Modesto South has carried on the Modesto
give some credibility to these rumors. tradition of being bad at sports, but it fields some
of the best academic teams in the city.

St. Thomas AMecha St. Thomas AMecha is

the largest girls only Catholic school in all New

131
 likely to be beaten up and given a swirly to add
insult to injury.
In Special Research School, the kids call their mecha
Hot Bots and anyone whos considered or wants When building their mecha, players should feel free
to be considered cool has modified their mecha to describe the modifications they have done to
with large fins, big headlights, fuzzy dice, and all their mecha to make them even hotter.
the trappings of 1960s era cars. Anyone who has
a factory standard mecha model is a nerd and is

Weapons: 1
Armor: 2
Technology: 2
Speed: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons:
Football Launcher (2/Impact)

Configurations:
Pick any two

Bonus Points: 3
Weapons: 1 Weapons:
Armor: 3 Cut Block (0/Impact)
Technology: 3 Configurations:
Speed: 1 Pick any two

132
Weapons: 3
Armor: 1
Technology: 1
Speed: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons:
Atomic Pompons (0/Energy)
Flying Cartwheel (3/Impact)
Sonic Scream (1/Wave)

Configurations:
Pick any two

Weapons:
Weapons: 2 Pole Vault (0/Energy)
Armor: 2 Discus (3/Impact)
Technology: 1 Configurations:
Speed: 3 Pick any two
Bonus Points: 3

133
 Weapons: 3
Armor: 2
Technology: 1
Speed: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons:
Lighter (1/Energy)
Switchblade (2/Energy)
Slingshot (3/Missile)

Configurations:
Pick any two

Weapons: 2 Weapons:
Armor: 2 Ballistic Spitball (1/Impact)
Technology: 2 Power Slingshot (3/Missile)
Speed: 2 Configurations:
Bonus Points: 3 Pick any two

134
 Weapons: 2
Armor: 2
Technology: 3
Speed: 21
Bonus Points: 3

Weapons:
Slingshot (3/Impact)
Light Saber (0/Energy)

Configurations:
Pick any two

135
The following list the Archetypes available in Special Research School. When selecting an Archetype,
players should select 1 Trait from each Trait Group for a total of 2 Traits.

Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 1
Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 3
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 1
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Trait Group 1: Dedicated,

Confident, Renowned
Trait Group 2: Fake, Whipped,
Drunk

136
Strength: 2
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 3
Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 1
Field Ops: 2
Repair: 3
Medic: 1
Bonus Points: 3

Trait Group 1: Inventive, Clever,

Curious
Trait Group 2: Obnoxious,
Lazy, Quirky

137
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 2
Will: 2
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 3
Field Ops: 1
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Trait Group 1: Helpful,

Dedicated, Creative
Trait Group 2: Know-It-All,
Brown Noser, Tattletale

138
Strength: 2
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 2
Will: 3
Bonus Points: 3

Skills:
Mecha Combat: 2
Personal Combat: 1
Social: 1
Field Ops: 3
Repair: 2
Medic: 1

Trait Group 1: Quiet, Stand

Offish, No Cause
Trait Group 2: Sad, Angry,
Wanting

139
 Configurations:
Boomer
Berserker
Here are some of the people the pilots are likely
to run into during their adventures. The write ups Player 2
provided are suggestions and you are free to This is a generic defensive football opponent for
change them as you like. use in mecha football games.

Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Player 1 Intelligence: 2
This is a generic offensive football opponent for Will: 1
use in mecha football games.
Weapons: 2
Strength: 4 Armor: 4
Agility: 3 Technology: 1
Intelligence: 1 Speed: 4
Will: 3
Links
Weapons: 4 Attack-> Will
Armor: 3 Defense-> Strength
Technology: 2 Engineering-> Intelligence
Speed: 2 Movement-> Agility

Links Linked Stats:

Attack-> Strength Attack: 3
Defense-> Will Defense: 8
Engineering-> Agility Engineering: 3
Movement-> Intelligence Movement: 8

Linked Stats: Skills:

Attack: 8 Mecha Combat 3
Defense: 6 Personal Combat 3
Engineering: 5
Movement: 3 Weapons Systems:
Helmet Crunch (0/Impact)
Skills: Body Slam (1/Impact)
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3 Configurations:
Heavy Metal
Weapons Systems: Jammer
Football Launcher (2/Impact)
Helmet Crunch (0/Impact) Player 3
Flying Tackle (4/Impact) This is a generic fast football opponent for use in
Deep Bomb (3/Missile) mecha football games.

140
Strength: 2 Speed: 2
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 3 Links
Will: 3 Attack-> Strength
Defense-> Will
Weapons: 2 Engineering-> Agility
Armor: 1 Movement-> Intelligence
Technology: 4
Speed: 4 Linked Stats:
Attack: 5
Links Defense: 5
Attack-> Intelligence Engineering: 8
Defense-> Strength Movement: 4
Engineering-> Will
Movement-> Agility Skills:
Mecha Combat 3
Linked Stats: Personal Combat 3
Attack: 5
Defense: 3 Weapons Systems:
Engineering: 7 Helmet Crunch (0/Impact)
Movement: 8 Flash Strike (3/Energy)

Skills: Configurations:
Mecha Combat 3 Striker
Personal Combat 3 Disrupter

Weapons Systems: Player 5

Helmet Crunch (0/Impact) This is a generic well rounded football opponent
Hit and Run (3/Impact) for use in mecha football games.

Configurations: Strength: 3
Flanker Agility: 3
Disrupter Intelligence: 2
Will: 3
Player 4
This is a generic quick football opponent for use in Weapons: 3
mecha football games. Armor: 3
Technology: 2
Strength: 3 Speed: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 2 Links
Will: 2 Attack-> Agility
Defense-> Will
Weapons: 2 Engineering-> Intelligence
Armor: 3 Movement-> Strength
Technology: 4

141
Linked Stats: Linked Stats:
Attack: 6 Attack: 6
Defense: 6 Defense: 6
Engineering: 4 Engineering: 8
Movement: 6 Movement: 3

Skills: Skills: (Saganaki is considered an enemy ace.)

Mecha Combat 3 Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3 Personal Combat 3

Weapons Systems: Weapons Systems:

Helmet Crunch (0/Impact) Fountain Pen (1/Wave)
Cut Block (1/Impact) Pink Slip Dispenser (2/Impact)
Laser Guided Toss (3/Energy)
Configurations:
Configurations: Striker
Striker Disrupter
Disrupter
Vice Principle Belden
Vice Principle Belden was sent over to Japan to
learn the Special Research School concept from
the Japanese. He is a well regarded educator for
Principle Saganaki
the United States and is generally well-regarded in
Principle Saganaki is a tall, thick man who loves
teaching circles. However, hes not very nice. Just
mecha football and hates running a school. Rumors
ask his first three wives. If a student acts out one,
have it that he would have loved to have been the
Belden will stop at nothing to make that students
Principle over at SRS South, but he did not get the
life miserable.
job. The Principle is rarely seen except at dances
Strength: 1
and leaves most of the work of running the school
Agility: 4
to Vice Principle Belden.
Intelligence: 2
Will: 5
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Weapons: 4
Intelligence: 4
Armor: 2
Will: 4
Technology: 3
Speed: 4
Weapons: 2
Armor: 4
Links
Technology: 4
Attack-> Agility
Speed: 1
Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Strength
Links
Movement-> Will
Attack-> Will
Defense-> Strength
Linked Stats:
Engineering-> Intelligence
Attack: 8
Movement-> Agility
Defense: 4

142
Engineering: 3 Coach Grunhard
Movement: 9 Grunhard is an ex-professional mecha football
player who retired ten years ago and began
Skills: (Belden is considered an enemy ace.) coaching at SRS West. Hes everything a football
Mecha Combat 4 coach/PE teacher should be: load, gruff, and the
Personal Combat 4 type who wears sweats and tennis shoes to
everything he possible can. Hes also a nice guy
Weapons Systems: and will do whatever he can to help out his players
Vice Principals Rage (0/Wave) and students. When hes not yelling at them for
Confiscated Slingshot (1/Impact) slacking.
Student Seeking Missiles (3/Missile) Strength: 5
Anti-Truant Beam (4/Energy) Agility: 4
Intelligence: 1
Configurations: Will: 4
Sniper
Hot Shot Weapons: 1
Armor: 5
Technology: 3
Speed: 1

Links
Attack-> Will
Defense-> Strength
Engineering-> Agility
Movement-> Intelligence

Linked Stats:
Attack: 5
Defense: 10
Engineering: 7
Movement: 2

Skills: (Grunhard is considered an enemy ace.)

Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 2

Weapons Systems:
Coachs Whistle (1/Wave)

Configurations:
Supercharged
Flanker

143
School Nurse Dotte Janitor Boro
Nurse Dotte is the lovable school nurse that raises No one knows much about Janitor Boros past,
heart rates around the schools. Shes loveable and though the scars that he normally manages to
surprisingly competent around her job despite her conceal under his long shirts tell he had a far more
incessant perkiness. interesting past than his current job. Nowadays,
Strength: 1 he keeps mainly to himself, pushing a broom and
Agility: 2 listening to his portable music player. If approached
Intelligence: 3 by a student, he will try to blow them off, but
Will: 2 eventually he will warm up to a few students. Hes
a great source of gossip around the school.
Weapons: 1 Strength: 5
Armor: 7 Agility: 4
Technology: 4 Intelligence: 3
Speed: 4 Will: 2

Links Weapons: 5
Attack-> Strength Armor: 3
Defense-> Will Technology: 3
Engineering-> Agility Speed: 2
Movement-> Intelligence
Links
Linked Stats: Attack-> Strength
Attack: 2 Defense-> Intelligence
Defense: 9 Engineering-> Agility
Engineering: 6 Movement-> Will
Movement: 7
Linked Stats:
Skills: (Nurse Dotte is Attack: 10
considered an enemy ace.) Defense: 6
Mecha Combat 5 Engineering: 7
Personal Combat 3 Movement: 4

Weapons Systems: Skills: (Janitor Boro is considered an enemy ace.)

Tongue Depressor (1/Impact) Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 5
Configurations:
Supercharged Weapons Systems:
Engineer Tongue Depressor (1/Impact)

Configurations:
Boomer
Assassin

144
Chef Akebono Mister Head, the Science Teacher
Chef Akebono used to be the head cook at Kellys Mister Heads real name is Mister Tondu, but
before taking the job at SRS West. As soon as everyone calls him Mister Head because of his
he left, Kellys business picked up dramatically. crazy hair. Mister Head has a deep passion for
Akebono is a nice man with a booming laughter science and loves doing experiments, even if most
who always gives the students extra helpings of of them end blow up in his face. He has covered
tuna surprise, of which he seems to have a never more than one class is strange sludge when
ending supply. something he decided to try just didnt go right.
Strength: 5 He is married to Mrs. Tondu, the Math Teacher.
Agility: 1 Strength: 2
Intelligence: 1 Agility: 2
Will: 5 Intelligence: 5
Will: 2
Weapons: 3
Armor: 6 Weapons: 3
Technology: 1 Armor: 2
Speed: 1 Technology: 5
Speed: 2
Links
Attack-> Strength Links
Defense-> Will Attack-> Will
Engineering-> Intelligence Defense-> Strength
Movement-> Agility Engineering-> Intelligence
Movement-> Agility
Linked Stats:
Attack: 8 Linked Stats:
Defense: 11 Attack: 5
Engineering: 2 Defense: 4
Movement: 2 Engineering: 10
Movement: 4
Skills: (Chef
Akebono is Skills: (Mister Head is considered an enemy ace.)
considered an Mecha Combat 3
enemy ace.) Personal Combat 3
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 5 Weapons:
Potato-Powered Lamp Bomb (1/.Energy)
Weapons: Tuning Bar (0/Wave)
Sushi Knife (0/Impact) Napalm (3/Energy)
Chinese Cleaver (0/Impact)
Tempura Fryer (1/Energy) Configurations:
Prowler
Configurations: Counterfire
Berserker
Sniper

145
Mrs. Pennypincher, the Home Ec Teacher Mrs. Tondu, the Math Teacher
Mrs. Pennypincher is the only British member of Mrs. Tondu used to work at NEU before accepting
the schools facility. She is the home ec teacher, a teaching position at SRS West. She is deeply
but also tries to instill in her student a good ol concerned about how mecha are changing the
fashioned since of British propriety. She is also the
course of humanity and will start a local NO MECHA
cheerleading sponsor and designs all of their very
chapter in the school when it starts. She is married
proper, not very inspiring routines.
Strength: 2 to Mr. Head.
Agility: 2 Strength: 4
Intelligence: 4 Agility: 2
Will: 6 Intelligence: 5
Will: 4
Weapons: 3
Armor: 3 Weapons: 2
Technology: 2
Armor: 4
Speed: 3
Technology: 2
Links Speed: 3
Attack-> Intelligence
Defense-> Will Links
Engineering-> Agility Attack-> Strength
Movement-> Strength Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Agility
Linked Stats: Movement-> Will
Attack: 7
Defense: 9
Linked Stats:
Engineering: 4
Movement: 5 Attack: 6
Defense: 7
Skills: (Mrs. Pennypincher is considered an enemy Engineering: 4
ace.) Movement: 7
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3 Skills: (Mrs. Tondu is considered an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 2
Weapons:
Personal Combat 4
Needler (2/Impact)
Scissors (1/Impact)
Yardstick (1/Energy) Weapons:
Huge Compass (2/Impact)
Configurations: Buried Under Homework (3/Wave)
Ripper
Bulwark Configurations:
Scanner
Analyzer

146
Typical Teacher Principal Biller from SRS East
These stats will work anytime you need a teacher Principal Biller is a tall, gaunt man who looks like he
in a combat that is not named above. hasnt slept in ten years. His mouth is perpetually
Strength: 2 caught in a sneer unless he is talking about SRS
Easts victory in any number of different events.
Agility: 3
All in all, he is a pretty mean guy, though he is an
Intelligence: 3
ex-soldier and a nightmare in a mecha.
Will: 3 Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Weapons: 2 Intelligence: 4
Armor: 3 Will: 6
Technology: 3
Speed: 3 Weapons: 4
Armor: 4
Technology: 3
Links
Speed: 2
Attack-> Intelligence
Defense-> Will Links
Engineering-> Agility Attack-> Will
Movement-> Strength Defense-> Intelligence
Engineering-> Agility
Linked Stats: Movement-> Strength
Attack: 5
Defense: 6 Linked Stats:
Attack: 10
Engineering: 6
Defense: 8
Movement: 5
Engineering: 4
Movement: 3
Skills:
Mecha Combat 2 Skills: (Principle Biller is considered an enemy ace.)
Personal Combat 2 Mecha Combat 4
Personal Combat 4
Weapons:
Confiscated Yo-Yo (1/Impact) Weapons:
Spitwad Launcher (3/Missile)
Teachers Edition (0/Impact)
Yellow Slip Launcher (3/Missile)
Yardstick Barrage (1/Impact)
Configurations: Chalk Launcher (0/Impact)
Berserker
Supercharged Configurations:
Assassin
Ripper

147
Hall Monitor Bots Configurations:
Hall monitor bots are the names of the robots Bulwark
piloted by volunteer Hall Monitors. These students Hot Shot
report directly to Vice Principal Belden about any
suspicious activity they notice. There is only one
problem. According to Special Research School
regulations, the Vice Principal can only discipline Student Council President Victory Watanabe
students that the Hall Monitors catch on video and Victory is everything a Student Council president
as of yet, there is no way to transmit video back should be: organized to a fault, tyrannical and
to the Vice Principals office. not above abusing her position for personal gain.
Anyone who crosses her will find that their clubs
This means that over the past few school terms, have had their budgets slashed and that ugly, ugly
truants sneaking back into campus have been rumors are circulating about them. On the other
known to smash up Hall Monitor Bots, thereby hand, anyone she considers useful will find that
destroying the video evidence of their truancy. their clubs have more money.
Strength: 4
Agility: 3 However, anytime Victory Watanabe does a favor
Intelligence: 3 for you, you end up paying her back ten times
Will: 2 more.
Strength: 1
Weapons: 3 Agility: 2
Armor: 4 Intelligence: 5
Technology: 4 Will: 5
Speed: 3
Weapons: 1
Links Armor: 5
Attack-> Agility Technology: 3
Defense-> Strength Speed: 3
Engineering-> Intelligence
Movement-> Will Links
Attack-> Intelligence
Linked Stats: Defense-> Will
Attack: 6 Engineering-> Agility
Defense: 8 Movement-> Strength
Engineering: 7
Movement: 5 Linked Stats:
Attack: 6
Skills: Defense: 10
Mecha Combat 3 Engineering: 5
Personal Combat 3 Movement: 4

Weapons: Skills: (Victory is considered an enemy ace.)

Hall Monitor Flashlight (2/Energy) Mecha Combat 3
Hall Monitor Sash Slash (1/Impact) Personal Combat 3
Hall Monitor Call (3/Wave)
Weapons:

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Presidents Scepter (0/Impact) Head Cheerleader Kallen Saito
Kallen is one of the prettiest girls in the entire
Configurations: school, if not the prettiest. Shes also one of the
Supercharged most ice cold and is universally mean to everyone
Flanker
she encounters, especially the cheerleaders on the
team.
Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 2
Will: 6

Weapons: 3
Armor: 5
Technology: 2
Speed: 3

Links
Attack-> Agility
Defense-> Will
Engineering-> Strength
Movement-> Intelligence

Linked Stats:
Attack: 7
Defense: 11
Engineering: 5
Movement: 5

Skills: (Kallen is considered an enemy ace.)

Mecha Combat 2
Personal Combat 4

Weapons:
Atomic Pompons (0/Energy)
Flying Cartwheel (3/Impact)
Sonic Scream (1/Wave)

Configurations:
Transformer
Stonewall

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Upperclassman Jock Roman Hondo School Newspaper Reporter Trisha Kozaki
Roman is one of the stars of the football team. Kozaki pictures herself being an investigative
He has excellent speed and should end up reporter one day. She loves finding scoops
playing college ball somewhere, maybe even and then blabbing about them on the school
professionally. Hes also incredible arrogant and
newspaper. She is always nosing into things which
doesnt treat his girlfriend, Raquel, very well at all.
are not her business.
Strength: 4 Strength: 2
Agility: 4 Agility: 1
Intelligence: 2 Intelligence: 4
Will: 4 Will: 4

Weapons: 4 Weapons: 1
Armor: 4 Armor: 2
Technology: 2
Technology: 3
Speed:2
Speed: 6
Links
Attack-> Strength Links
Defense-> Agility Attack-> Strength
Engineering-> Intelligence Defense-> Agility
Movement-> Will Engineering-> Intelligence
Movement-> Will
Linked Stats:
Attack: 8
Linked Stats:
Defense: 8
Attack: 3
Engineering: 4
Movement: 6 Defense: 3
Engineering: 7
Skills: (Roman is Movement: 10
considered an
enemy ace.) Skills: (Trisha is considered an enemy ace.)
Mecha Combat 3 Mecha Combat 4
Personal Combat 4 Personal Combat 3

Weapons:
Weapons:
Cut Block (0/Impact)
Football Launcher (2/Impact) Magnifying Glass of Truth (0/Energy)
Pole Vault (0/Energy)
Discus (3/Impact) Configurations:
Scanner
Configurations: Prowler
Slayer
Assassin

150
Catholic Schoolgirl 1 Catholic Schoolgirl 2
This is a generic template you can use for any of This is another generic template you can use for
the girls from St. Thomas AMecha. any of the girls from St. Thomas AMecha.
Strength: 2
Agility: 3 Strength: 2
Intelligence: 4 Agility: 4
Will: 2 Intelligence: 3
Will: 2
Weapons: 4
Armor: 3 Weapons 2:
Technology: 2 Armor: 2
Speed: 2 Technology: 3
Speed: 4
Links
Attack-> Intelligence Links
Defense-> Agility Attack-> Strength
Engineering-> Strength Defense-> Will
Movement-> Will Engineering-> Intelligence
Movement-> Agility
Linked Stats:
Attack: 8 Linked Stats:
Defense: 6 Attack: 4
Engineering: 4 Defense: 4
Movement: 4 Engineering: 7
Movement: 8
Skills:
Mecha Combat 3 Skills:
Personal Combat 3 Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3
Weapons:
Penny Cannon (2/Impact) Weapons:
Blaze Assault (2/Energy) Penny Cannon (2/Impact)
Crazy Hammer (0/Impact) Angry Strike (0/Energy)
Angry Strike (0/Energy)
Configurations:
Configurations: Jammer
Boomer Prowler
Defender

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Student 1 Will: 2
This is a generic template you can use for any
student from any of the schools. Weapons: 3
Strength: 2 Armor: 4
Agility: 4 Technology: 2
Intelligence: 2 Speed: 2
Will: 3
Links
Weapons: 4 Attack-> Strength
Armor: 3 Defense-> Intelligence
Technology: 2 Engineering-> Agility
Speed: 2 Movement-> Will

Links Linked Stats:

Attack-> Strength Attack: 6
Defense-> Agility Defense: 8
Engineering-> Will Engineering: 4
Movement-> Intelligence Movement: 4

Linked Stats: Skills:

Attack: 6 Mecha Combat 3
Defense: 7 Personal Combat 3
Engineering: 5
Movement: 4 Weapons:
Ballistic Spitball (1/Impact)
Skills: Power Slingshot (3/Missile)
Mecha Combat 2 Cherry Bomb (0/Missile)
Personal Combat 2
Configurations:
Weapons: Heavy Metal
Ballistic Spitball (1/Impact) Hot Shot
Power Slingshot (3/Missile)
Lighter (1/Energy) Student 3
Cherry Bomb (0/Missile) This is a generic template you can use for any
student from any of the schools.
Configurations:
Sniper Strength: 3
Jackhammer Agility: 2
Intelligence: 2
Student 2 Will: 4
This is a generic template you can use for any
student from any of the schools. Weapons: 3
Armor: 2
Strength: 3 Technology: 2
Agility: 2 Speed: 4
Intelligence: 4

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Links Attack: 6
Attack-> Strength Defense: 7
Defense-> Intelligence Engineering: 6
Engineering-> Agility Movement: 7
Movement-> Will
Skills:
Linked Stats: Mecha Combat 3
Attack: 6 Personal Combat 2
Defense: 2
Engineering: 2 Weapons:
Movement: 8 Baton of Office (1/Impact)
Sign In Book (0/Impact)
Skills: Treasury Box (3/Impact)
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3 Configurations:
Transformer
Weapons: Boomer
Ballistic Spitball (1/Impact)
Power Slingshot (3/Missile) Jocks Girlfriend
Cherry Bomb (0/Missile) Use this template for any of the girlfriends of the
various jocks the players may befriend or run afoul
Configurations: of. Whether they are a happy couple depends on
Stonewall the GM.
Ripper Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Club President Intelligence: 2
This is a generic template you can use for the Will: 2
upperclassmen club presidents.
Weapons: 2
Strength: 3 Armor: 4
Agility: 3 Technology: 4
Intelligence: 4 Speed: 4
Will: 4
Links
Weapons: 3 Attack-> Strength
Armor: 3 Defense-> Intelligence
Technology: 3 Engineering-> Agility
Speed: 3 Movement-> Will

Links Linked Stats:

Attack-> Strength Attack: 5
Defense-> Will Defense: 6
Engineering-> Agility Engineering: 8
Movement-> Intelligence Movement: 6

Linked Stats: Skills:

153
Mecha Combat 3 Disrupter
Personal Combat 3 Booster

Weapons: Dragon Member

Fashionable Hair Pins (1/Impact) The Dragons are a street gang dedicated to being
Sonic Snipe (3/Wave) rebels and doing their own thing. Their members
Atomic Fury (2 Energy) are growing from amongst the youth of New Edo.
So far, they have contented themselves to minor
Configurations: acts of vandalism. Their biggest rivals are the
Prowler Snakes.
Flanker
Strength: 4
Hot Bot Racer Agility: 4
Use this template for any Hot Bot Racers the party Intelligence: 1
meets. Will: 2
Strength: 1
Agility: 2 Weapons: 4
Intelligence: 4 Armor: 4
Will: 4 Technology: 1
Speed: 2
Weapons: 2
Armor: 1 Links
Technology: 4 Attack-> Strength
Speed: 4 Defense-> Agility
Engineering-> Will
Links Movement-> Intelligence
Attack-> Strength
Defense-> Agility Linked Stats:
Engineering-> Will Attack: 8
Movement-> Intelligence Defense: 8
Engineering: 3
Linked Stats: Movement: 3
Attack: 3
Defense: 3 Skills:
Engineering: 8 Mecha Combat 2
Movement: 8 Personal Combat 3

Skills: Weapons:
Mecha Combat 3 Lighter (1/Energy)
Personal Combat 4 Switchblade (2/Energy)
Slingshot (3/Missile)
Weapons: Saturday Night Special (3/Impact)
Leg Spikes (0/Impact)
Spike Launcher (2/Impact) Configurations:
Hot Shot
Configurations: Slayer

154
Shark Member
The Snakes are the other major gang in New Edo.
They are growing about as fast as the Dragons
and are also dedicated to being rebels and doing Garage Owner
their own thing. So far, this has meant a lot of talk The garage is a haven for many rebels who cut
and a few random acts of vandalism. However, school to come work on their Hot Bots. The
they are the more aggressive of the two gangs garage owner may be a grease monkey who
and are eyeing Dragon turf. has the characters work on Hot Bots for him in
Strength: 4 exchange for parts and hanger space, he may be
Agility: 3 a war vet with stories to tell the characters, or he
Intelligence: 2 might be a petty crimelord looking to attract new
Will: 2 members to his organization from the ranks of the
students who come to his shop.
Weapons: 4 Strength: 3
Armor: 4 Agility: 3
Technology: 2 Intelligence: 5
Speed: 1 Will: 5

Links Weapons: 3
Attack-> Strength Armor: 4
Defense-> Agility Technology: 3
Engineering-> Intelligence Speed: 3
Movement-> Will
Links
Linked Stats: Attack-> Strength
Attack: 8 Defense-> Intelligence
Defense: 7 Engineering-> Will
Engineering: 4 Movement-> Agility
Movement: 3
Linked Stats:
Skills: Attack: 6
Mecha Combat 3 Defense: 9
Personal Combat 2 Engineering: 8
Movement: 6
Weapons:
Lighter (1/Energy) Skills:
Switchblade (2/Energy) Mecha Combat 3
Slingshot (3/Missile) Personal Combat 3
Fire Katana (0/Energy)
Weapons:
Configurations: Drill (0/Energy)
Ripper Wrench (1/Impact)
Tire Assault (2/Impact)
Prowler
Configurations:

155
Sniper Kelly
Flanker Kelly is the always smiling owner of Kellys right
next to the Hyper Drive-In. She was a student at
Cindy, the Waitress SRS West the first year it opened. She graduated,
Cindy is the cute mechahop who always seems to went to college, and eventually came back and
be working at Hyper Drive-In, the mecha drive-in opened her diner. She was worried about her
place that have sprung up across Japan. Mecha are restaurant for a while until Chef Akebono went to
able to park in one of the stalls, their pilots can get work in the cafeteria. Ever since, its been hard to
out and sit on their shoulders, and have Cindy or
get a table.
one of her smiling coworkers roller skate up with
their burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
Kelly knows many of the faculty at the school,
In recent years, Cindy and her fellow mechahops especially since the majority of them come to
have gotten much busier as the Hyper Drive-Ins eat at her restaurant. She is a nice lady, but she
have become favorite local hangouts. keeps an energy shotgun behind the counter if
Strength: 2 trouble ever comes her way. Still, she is said to
Agility: 4 have a soft spot for the students and has passed
Intelligence: 3 on more than one rumor that the Vice Principle
Will: 4 was on the lookout. However, she has become
more tightlipped recently as the rumor has her
Weapons: 2 romantically linked to Vice Principle Belden.
Armor: 5
Technology: 3
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Agility: 2
Links Intelligence: 4
Attack-> Agility Will: 4
Defense-> Will
Engineering-> Strength Weapons: 3
Movement-> Intelligence Armor: 3
Technology: 4
Linked Stats: Speed: 4
Attack: 6
Defense: 9 Links
Engineering: 5 Attack-> Intelligence
Movement: 5
Defense-> Will
Skills: (Cindy is considered an enemy ace.) Engineering-> Agility
Mecha Combat 3 Movement-> Strength
Personal Combat 3
Linked Stats:
Weapons: Attack: 7
Fry Assault (2/Energy) Defense: 7
Roller Smash (0/Impact) Engineering: 6
Movement: 6
Configurations:
Ripper Skills: (Kelly is considered an enemy ace.)
Stonewall Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3

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Weapons: The Phantom
Akebonos Old Cleaver (0/Impact) The Phantom is a legend in illegal New Edo Hot
Beldens Pen (2/Impact) Bot racing. No one knows who his true identity is,
Energy Gun (1/Energy) but when they see his brightly painted yellow Hot
Bot, they know they are in for a heck of a race.
Configurations: Recently, the rumors have it that the Phantom is
looking to retire, but first he needs to train his
Mr. Yakitori replacement, who will he choose?
Mr. Yakitori is an older gentleman who owns Strength: 1
Yakitori on the outskirts of campus. He is going Agility: 5
blind, but refuses to hire anyone to help him cook Intelligence: 3
his food, due to the fact he doesnt think anyone Will: 5
can do it as well as him. He is a proud man who will
give the students a piece of his mind if he finds Weapons: 3
out they are misbehaving. Armor: 3
Strength: 2 Technology: 5
Agility: 5 Speed: 5
Intelligence: 5
Will: 3 Links
Attack-> Intelligence
Weapons: 1 Defense-> Strength
Armor: 5 Engineering-> Agility
Technology: 3 Movement-> Will
Speed: 3
Linked Stats:
Links Attack: 6
Attack-> Agility Defense: 4
Defense-> Intelligence Engineering: 10
Engineering-> Will Movement: 10
Movement-> Strength
Skills: (The Phantom is considered an enemy ace.)
Linked Stats: Mecha Combat 3
Attack: 6 Personal Combat 3
Defense: 10
Engineering: 6 Weapons:
Movement: 5 Leg Spikes (0/Impact)
Spike Launcher (2/Impact)
Skills: (Mr. Yakitori is considered an enemy ace.) Energy Dazzler (3/Energy)
Mecha Combat 3 Configurations:
Personal Combat 3 Flanker
Disruptor
Weapons:
Brilliant Katana (0/Wave) College Kid 1
Sometimes college kids come back to hang out
Configurations: with or terrorize high school students. Use this
Supercharged template to represent these kids.
Scanner Strength: 2

157
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 3 Links
Will: 3 Attack-> Strength
Defense-> Will
Weapons: 2 Engineering-> Intelligence
Armor: 3 Movement-> Agility
Technology: 3
Speed: 3 Linked Stats:
Attack: 8
Links Defense: 7
Attack-> Agility Engineering: 4
Defense-> Will Movement: 3
Engineering-> Strength
Movement-> Intelligence Skills:
Mecha Combat 3
Linked Stats: Personal Combat 3
Attack: 5
Defense: 6 Weapons:
Engineering: 5 Bully Punch (0/Impact)
Movement: 6 Lighter (1/Energy)
Molotov Cocktail (2/Energy)
Skills: Loud Music (3/Wave)
Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3 Configurations:
Transformer
Weapons: Slayer
Blasting Bubblegum (1/Wave)
Heavy Backpack (0/Impact) Sheriff Gendo Torinaga
Sheriff Torinaga is not a man to be taken lightly.
Configurations: As sheriff, he does not like crime. A former marine,
Hot Shot he remains in top physical shape. Recently, he
Jackhammer has begun a program of eliminating illegal Hot Bot
racing from the streets of New Edo. He has made
College Kid 2 a number of enemies in the Hot Bot racing circuit.
Sometimes college kids come back to hang out Strength: 2
with or terrorize high school students. Use this Agility: 4
template to represent these kids. Intelligence: 4
Will: 4
Strength: 4
Agility: 2 Weapons: 4
Intelligence: 1 Armor: 4
Will: 4 Technology: 2
Speed: 3
Weapons: 4
Armor: 3 Links
Technology: 3 Attack-> Intelligence
Speed: 1 Defense-> Agility

158
Engineering-> Strength Engineering-> Agility
Movement-> Will Movement-> Intelligence

Linked Stats: Linked Stats:

Attack: 8 Attack: 2
Defense: 8 Defense: 8
Engineering: 4 Engineering: 4
Movement: 7 Movement: 9

Skills: (Gendo is considered an enemy ace.) Skills: (Howling Dragon Jack is considered an
Mecha Combat 3 enemy ace.)
Personal Combat 5 Mecha Combat 3
Personal Combat 3
Weapons:
Pistol (2/Impact) Weapons:
Shotgun (1/Impact) Howl (2/Sonic)
Rifle (3/Energy)
Zip Tie (0/Energy) Configurations:
Supercharged
Configurations: Analyzer
Defender
Engineer

Howling Dragon Jack

Howling Dragon Jack is the local radio disc jockey.
He is on every night from eight to midnight and
plays all the greatest hits from America. He
takes requests every night from girls and guys
out to their sweethearts and has been known to Special Research School uses only the four
administer love advice on the air. No matter where standard damage types: Impact, Missile, Energy,
you go in SRS West, Kellys, Yakitori, or Hyper and Wave.
Drive-In, you are sure to hear his program when
it is on.
Strength: 1
Agility: 1 All Configurations are available in the SRS setting.
Intelligence: 5 There are no SRS-specific Configurations.
Will: 4

Weapons: 1
An import from America, mecha football has
Armor: 4
become wildly popular across the world. Now,
Technology: 3
every country fields at least one national team.
Speed: 4
Its also an extremely popular sport to play in high
school.
Links
Attack-> Strength
The game uses the normal combat rules, though
Defense-> Will
as long as the game is played in sanctioned high

159
school arenas, its not deadly. Instead, mecha are Instead, there is a ball that starts in the middle
equipped with special weapons governors that of the Bullseye Battlemap. However, players can
prevent the mechas weapons from doing deadly spend Tactical Points to move ball at the start of
damage (in other words, in mecha football there the game or after a point has been scored.
is no Lethal Damage Phase). However, there is an
illegal street version which is no holds barred and 3. Mecha can pickup, carry, and throw the ball. If
has, in some areas, resulted in death and permanent a mecha enters the same Sector as the ball, it can
injury to its players. spend 1 Movement Point to pick up the ball.

The rules for mecha football use the standard Once it has picked up the ball, it can continue
combat rules with a few notable exceptions. moving and bring the ball with it. It is considered
to be carrying the ball.
1. Two Sectors Are Marked As End zones. The
outermost sectors of two Quadrants (either 1 and Lastly, one mecha can throw the ball to another by
3 or 2 and 4) are called end zones. One side starts making an Attack roll. For every Success rolled,
in each end zone and this is considered that sides the ball can move 1 Movement Point. If the Attack
end zone. They must defend it. roll does not produce enough Successes to pass
the ball from one mecha to the other, the ball is still
2. A Ball Replaces the Tactical Waypoint. Mecha thrown and still travels that as many Movement
football is played without a Tactical Waypoint. Points as were rolled.

160
4. Scoring in Mecha football. If a mecha starts its
turn in the other sides endzone and is in possession Story Stages are major arcs within a campaign.
of the ball, it scores a point. Most games of mecha They are presented to players and GMs so that
football are played to 2. everyone is on the same page about where the
game starts and what might happen during a
5. Special Attack Rules. A Successful Attack rolls Special Research School campaign. These stages
causes two things to happen. The first is the are just a suggestion and the GM should feel free
attacked mecha loses a half action. If the mecha is to tell whatever story she would like.
attacked twice in a turn, it loses both its actions. If
it is attacked three times, it loses both its actions Each stage lists three things: Initial Conditions,
this turn and one half action the next and so on. Types of Action, and Story Milestones.
Note: if an Attacker uses Disruptor, this takes
away the Defenders move action. Therefore, the Initial Conditions describe the status of the setting
Defender cannot choose to lose its move action at the start of the stage. You should notice that
and must sacrifice its attack action instead. the stages build on each other so that the types of
action and milestones from one stage should lead
Secondly, if the mecha is carrying the ball, it drops naturally to the next. There are no rules that saw
it. The Attacking player then moves the ball D3 that a story has to go through each stage, or any
(D6/2 round up) Movement Points in whichever of them, they are provided as a broad outline of
direction the player would like. how a game could go.

6. After a point is scored. After a team scores, Types of Action list the different battles that
both sides go back to their respective end zones. players should expect. GMs can use the Types of
The ball is placed where it started the game last Action list to give them some ideas of the types
time. (Normally this is the middle of the battlemap, of battles they can setup.
but if someone spent Tactical points, they can
move the ball back to where they moved it Lastly, the Story Milestones give GMs some ideas
before.) of different things which might happen at each
stage.
Either side can spend additional Tactical Points if
they would like.

Also, the side that lost the point goes first. This
means that on the first turn, they act before the Initial Conditions: Most games of Special Research
other team. This is not a surprise round because School are going to start with the characters
the other side will go, but the losing team gets a entering their freshmen year. GMs should feel free
chance to avenge the point scored against it. On to make the lives of the freshmen as miserable as
the second turn after a point is scored, initiative real freshmens lives are. They are the bottom of
returns to normal. the food chain. Even freshmen girls wont want
to date them. The seniors wont want them on
Lastly, it should be noted that in mecha football the football team. Nerds should be shoved into
there are positions (quarterback, linemen, full lockers. Club leadership wont allow freshmen to
backs, receivers, etc.) However, in practice, these do anything cool, etc.
positions are just for story purposes.
Still, this is the year when the characters should

161
really find themselves. They should join clubs, try
out for football, or start cutting class.

Types of Action: Football tryouts, Football games, Initial Conditions: The characters are back from
Getting into fights with bullies, Going to Illegal Hot summer and looking forward (maybe) to another
Bot races and fighting with students from other year at SRS West. From the beginning of the
schools, Fighting Hall Monitor Bots to sneak back sophomore year, the characters are treated much
on to campus
better than they ever were as freshmen. This has
more to do the new crop of incoming freshmen
Story Milestones: The school year naturally breaks
itself up into semesters, though these might not than characters being popular, but life isnt so bad
necessarily be meaningful to the group. In fact, for them anymore.
its somewhat difficult to provide a list of story
milestones in Special Research School because Anyone who did not make the football team is
this SRS was designed to be fairly wide open. welcome to try out again. Anyone on the JV team
Everyone is going to find something different in can try out for varsity by playing a two-on-two
this SRS. As the GM, youre going to get to strike match. If they win by scoring 2 points, they are
a balance between everyones agendas. on the varsity squad. If not, they are stuck on the
JV squad. Anyone who played varsity stays on
One possible way to divide the year is to break it the varsity squad.
up by dances with Home Coming, Winter Formal,
Spring Mixer, and Prom/Graduation Dance being As the GM, feel free to pick up any storylines from
the major time milestones. Dances are great ways the freshmen year, but dont let the players have
to bring all the characters together since everyone
business as usual!
has some agenda at a dance, whether its to get a
girl, play a prank on the jock, spike the punch, or
Types of Action: Football tryouts, football games,
pull the fire alarm.
fights against bullies and thugs, Fights with Hall
Another tactic is to set up one or more bullies that Monitor Bots trying to sneak on and off campus,
the players want to take down. Over the course fights against SRS East, Fights with other students
of three or four Episodes, the players can gradually at Hot Bot races, fighting with gang members
chop the bully down to size and right as the bully
has been defeated, school is over. Story Milestones: Sophomore year should be a
continuation of the stories from freshman year.
Typical bullies might include: Senior Football Whatever was not resolved then can continue.
Players, a Mean Head Cheerleader, Tyrannical Club Characters should still be looking for love,
President, or the Class Rebel. If you want to bring acceptance, and club officer spots. However, four
the pain a little bit more, have the bully be a junior things can happen this year which shake things up.
or even a sophomore so the players know they will
have to deal with this bully for several more years.
The first is the arrival of Nick Nova, the new
freshman quarterback on the football team.
Also, towards the end of the year, there will be
He was recruited to SRS West (which Special
Student Council elections for the next year. This
is a chance for politically minded or chaos loving Research Schools are not technically supposed
students to wreak havoc by running. to do) so that he could come and win a State
Championship. Nova is going to radically upset
the balance of popularity at SRS West for a

162
number of reasons. One, many upperclassmen
football players resent him even as he leads them
to a State Championship. Two, all the girls in the
place swoon over him. Three, SRS East is upset he Initial Conditions: After another hot New Edo
went to SRS West over SRS East and will start to summer, the students come back to find horrible
vandalize SRS West. news. Nick Nova has transferred to SRS East.
Allegations and accusations fly, tears are cried, and
The second is the death of Alex Yun, a Senior with the characters will have to decide how to react.
a flair for Hot Bot racing. He was challenged by The recruitment of Nova left the team pretty bare
one of the students from Bronks Science and lost in the quarterback department which will open the
control of his car on Dead Mans Curve. way for any characters who have aspirations of
football glory.
In response to this, Yorinaga Yu, starts NO Also, during the summer the Snakes and Dragons
MECHA, the National Organization of Morality, have continued to recruit, as has NO MECHA. Any
Ethics, Culture and Honesty Association also of these events can lead to more story lines.
known as The Soldiers of Honesty. NO MECHA
feels that mecha are an abomination hurting the In terms of football tryouts, the same rules apply
Japanese people and a detriment to the world. this year as last. Anyone can go out for the team,
Some students will take up the cause and begin but to make varsity you have to win the tryout
protesting Hot Bot racing and mecha football. The match. Anyone already on varsity remains on the
player characters can decide if they are going to varsity squad.
join or not.
Types of Action: Football tryouts, football games,
Third, the girls from St. Thomas AMecha show up fights against bullies and thugs, Fights with Hall
for the Winter Formal and are told to ask guys Monitor Bots trying to sneak on and off campus,
from the school to the Spring Mixer. This should fights against SRS East, Fights with other students
make male characters happy given their Catholic at Hot Bot races, fighting with gang members
schoolgirl charm and make the female characters
angry. Nick Nova is asked by one of the girls from Story Milestones: It is up to the players whether
St. Thomas AMecha and will accept her invitation. this years action will involve any action against SRS
East. Most of the school (and its administration) is
Lastly, several freshmen come to school wearing pretty upset by the defection of Nova and even
the gang emblems of the Snakes and Dragons, two the Hall Monitor Bots will turn the other way if
mecha gangs known to be recruiting high school anyone decides to raid the other school.
students. Rebel characters may want to join these
gangs while more civic-minded characters will see However if the players are not interested in
this as a severe problem and may try to promote this storyline, they are free to concentrate on
anti-gang activity. developing their own stories. During their Junior
year, the characters will be eligible for officer
Again, at the end of the year, there will be more positions inside the various clubs and can succeed
Student Council elections. No sophomore has ever in those goals. Also, this will be the worst year
been voted Student Council president. for SRS West football in years, which gives any
players who like to fight plenty of changes to
defend the schools honor.

163
 up with such insubordination. He will come out
The gang problem is also something the in his Principle Mecha and personally try to stop
characters can tackle. The rebel characters will be students from sneaking out.
drawn to the gangs (who content themselves with
misdemeanors and violence since these are 1960s Also, the NO MECHA faction has really started to
gangs) while the do-gooder types characters and become popular. The characters may need to be
the investigative journalists might want to find out careful lest they find themselves fighting outside
more about them. of a mecha against them.

Towards the end of the year, there will be a Types of Action: Football tryouts, football games,
Student Council election which the players stand fights against bullies and thugs, Fights with Hall
a fair chance of winning if they run. Monitor Bots trying to sneak on and off campus,
fights against SRS East, Fights with other students
at Hot Bot races, fighting with gang members, out
of mecha fights with NO MECHA members
Initial Conditions: After one last summer, the
characters come back to give it a final hurrah. Story Milestones: Use this year to bring all of the
As seniors, they will they are on top of the food characters stories to a close. If you need random
chain. Club officer spots will be theirs if they want events, look to violence from NO MECHA members
it, there are suddenly freshmen who are afraid of and other schools to give the players a rival to
them, freshmen girls and guys will want to date focus their dislikes on.
them, life will be great.
Also, any of the characters who have aspirations
Anyone who wants to go out for football will be to move on will have college entrance exams to
make it on the varsity team as long as they can worry about as well as athletic scouts coming
score a single point in the tryouts. Coach Grunhard to watch them play mecha football. This is a
always tries to get seniors on the team. tumultuous time. Just because the players are
seniors doesnt mean that life is easy for them.
One important thing to note is that even though
Nick Nova did lead the SRS East Missiles to a The final year should last as long as there are
landslide victory over the New Edo Turtles, the stories left to resolve. After that, its time for
facility has lost much of its bitterness against him. Special Research School: The College Years, but
Whereas before, raids on SRS East were generally thats another SRS.
accepted, that decision cost Principal Saganaki
his job. This year Principal Belden will not put

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Designers Notes
First and foremost, Mecha was designed to emulate one specific
subgenre of this thing we call mecha: mecha anime. The ideas herein
do not make any claims of originality; rather they are a compilation of
tropes taken from a lot of hours spent in front of a television watching
giant robots battle it out anime-style.

Still, there is a lot of leeway within that subgenre. Mecha can support
noir games, funny games, gritty tactical games, anime genres where
the scientific crosses with the fantastic, and many, many more. In
particular, I was heavily influenced by the following series: Super
Dimension Fortress: Macross (Robotech), Southern Cross, Code
Geass, 08th MS Team, Macross Plus, Gundam Wing, Big O, Neon
Genesis Evangelion, Project A-ko, and to a lesser extent VOTOMS
and Full Metal Panic.

However, the inspiration for this game, specially the settings, goes
far beyond these anime shows. To get in the mood for Godblind, I
channeled a lot of the move Dark City. Special Research School
takes a lot of material directly from American Graffiti. Pretty much
any good story can be excellent source material for any of the games.

Why Mecha is the Way It Is

I wanted to include a brief section here to get you into the mindset
I was in throughout the Mecha development process. Much of this
material, or material similar to it, has gone up on my blog, but I wanted
to reiterate some of the higher points here.

Designing Mecha was very much a subtractive process. The original

draft of the game that we started play testing is pretty much nothing
like what you hold in your hand. I think thats a good thing. The

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original game I wrote did little to resemble the source material, which
became the overriding goal of designing this game.

The original game was very realistic and far crunchier than Mecha.
It took a lot of pounding in my head that if I really wanted a game
about mecha anime, then I needed to cut out anything that wasnt
specifically part of the genre, or at least part of what I liked about the
genre.

At that point, we just started cutting things. A lot of rules hit the floor,
leaving you with what you see here. However, it is my personal belief
that this game captures what makes mecha anime great as well as
any of the mecha games out there. At the very least, I can tell you it
captures what I find compelling about mecha anime awfully well.

Of course, the process of tailoring the game to the genre meant that
a lot of hard decisions had to be made. There is a part of me that
thinks only having six skills is strange and that there is no money or
equipment is very, very odd. However, I had to be true to the source
material. In mecha anime, the characters excel at everything. They
may never have sat in a cockpit, but suddenly they are aces. They
may never have fired a gun, but they are deadly in a firefight. Also,
characters always have a gun when they need it and never seem to
worry about how to eat or pay for a date. Hence, the game is the
way it is.

Of course, now the game is yours and I hope you make it your own.
There are a lot of stories yet to be told with giant robots. What are
you waiting for? Get out and fight!

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