Need some advice on a Mecha game.

[Narthon]

I'm considering starting a space mech game using Hero rules. I am experienced with champions, but havn't really played hero at all otherwise.

 

So far, I think I want to have characters built using heroic rules with 125/125 disads, and another 100 to 150 points to build a mech with using vehicle rules.

 

Does anyone out there have experience with this, and what books should I get? I've already ordered Ultimate Vehicle, and am considering Star Hero.

 

For feel, this should be something like the Gundam Wing series, with the PCs in some of the best mechs out there, and pretty amazing in their own rights.

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

This is quite a popular subject here on the boards, and there have been numerous discussions on it - not only campaigning advice and book suggestions, but a lot of writeups of mecha (including Gundams), and links to numerous online sources.

 

I'd recommend doing searches on the Star HERO, Champions and Other Genres boards. Some useful terms would be: "mecha," "mechs," "Gundam," "Robotech," "Macross," and "Robot Warriors" (which was the pre-4E Hero Games mecha campaign game).

[Narthon]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

Ok, I've looked over the archives a good bit, and that has been useful, but I still have some questions. I've pretty much decided I'm going to ban all frameworks, as I don't want people/mechs that are good at everything. I am curious as to what kinds of points totals people have found works well. I worked out a bare-bones mech, and found that it really costs about 600 points to get them around where I want them, but I fear I'm missing something and the players will end up overpowered.

 

I've pretty much decided I'll use "megahexes" where one hex equals 10 for mech combat, as this allows the use of standard sized minnies, but it requires people to have moves of at least 20 to be able to move and attack. Maybe i should make movement cost less?

 

I'd really like to hear about more real-world game experience with this kind of game.

 

Thank you again for your time.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

I've considered doing up something like a "Scale" ability, costing 5 points per level. Every level of Scale doubles the size of one hex for reach, movement, and combat. In Robot Warriors, this was built into all robots and was based on the robot's "Size Class" which would effectively be three levels of Size.

 

One hex equals 16 meters is, IME, a good scale for giant robot combat. For humans, that's a full move to cross one hex. You could go one hex equals 8 meters if you want to go with half moves.

 

You can look at my Robot Warriors to Fifth Edition Hero page at http://home.comcast.net/~archer7/rw2hero.html but a good bit of it won't make sense if you don't have Robot Warriors. Still, you might find some helpful info in it.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

Ok, I've looked over the archives a good bit, and that has been useful, but I still have some questions. I've pretty much decided I'm going to ban all frameworks, as I don't want people/mechs that are good at everything. I am curious as to what kinds of points totals people have found works well. I worked out a bare-bones mech, and found that it really costs about 600 points to get them around where I want them, but I fear I'm missing something and the players will end up overpowered.

 

I've pretty much decided I'll use "megahexes" where one hex equals 10 for mech combat, as this allows the use of standard sized minnies, but it requires people to have moves of at least 20 to be able to move and attack. Maybe i should make movement cost less?

 

I'd really like to hear about more real-world game experience with this kind of game.

 

Thank you again for your time.

 

Narthon, my sole experience with a mecha-based HERO campaign was as a

player, and our GM was trying an adaptation of Aura Battler Dunbine

out on the player group (he was the president of the local anime club at

the time, and loved to do campaigns based on some of the more popular

series being shown at the time -- stuff like Mobile Suit Gundam and

Saint Seiya); because of RL obligations, however, half of the group

had to drop out, which effectively killed the game [ ]

 

Major Tom

[Guest LordZarglif]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

Sounds cool. Good luck with it, and let me know how it goes.

[Narthon]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

I'm going to use presence a lot, and I know I'm going to let the mecha have presence scores, but I'm not sure how mecha presence and pilot presence should interact. I'm sure I'm not going to have them raw add, but pilot presence should have some affect on the presence of his mech, and the mech's abilities should give hime added confidence to resist other presence attacks.

 

Any ideas at all?

 

Thank you

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

If an opponent knows who the pilot is, the pilot gets his full Presence plus any bonuses from reputations and so on. Otherwise, he only gets his Presence based on the mech, from violent actions, etc.

 

There's nothing that says you can't buy Characteristics for items that don't ordinarily possess the Characteristic. I believe that the rule of thumb is that if you put points into a stat, you buy it up from a base of 10. So you could buy additional Presence for your mech up from 10, perhaps with an "Only For Presence Attacks" Limitation to represent an extremely impressive looking mech. Or buy it without that Limitation to represent the idea that the pilot feels safer in his really impressive looking mech, and thus is harder to impress (the vehicle lends its PRE to the pilot for defensive purposes).

 

Edit: I realize I didn't really answer your question. I'd say just let the vehicle's PRE add to the pilot's PRE. That makes it simple, plus it fits with other Characteristics possessed by vehicles (namely, that they have their effect on anyone inside -- the vehicle can lift all of its passengers with its STR, it protects them with its DEF, and so on). Again, the pilot only gets his own Presence if the opposing pilots know who he is.

[Narthon]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

Ok, new issue:

I think that mental powers like mind control, mind scan, and mental illusions would be a really way to handle hacking mecha.

 

Think I should give mecha an ego stat and just make all of the powers affect a machine class of mind? Require skill rolls from the pilot? Anything else it might mean?

 

Or is it just a bad idea, and I should throw it away?

 

Any input would be helpful.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Need some advice on a Mecha game.

 

Just give the hacker a Computer Programming roll, modified by Security Systems, KS of the appropriate mecha type, the target system's admin's Computer Programming roll, etc.