My First Opinions of Aether Nexus

I'm very late to the party on this one, so let's have some context. While I haven't written about it regularly for a long time, I remain a huge fan of The Mecha Hack. The reasons for this should be fairly obvious. I've previously backed one Kickstarter for the system, and when I heard Absolute Tabletop was doing another, I'd backed it on principle. It was a fantasy game, not my usual vibe, but they had built up a lot of good will with me, so I went for it. The Kickstarter was funded, which was followed by a lengthy wait, and eventually, my preferred softback edition. I'd had an earlier pdf, of course, but I'm wedded to the dead tree format. So, much later, I had a few train journeys and decided to do a brief write-up.

Let's address the matters of rules and theming. Aether Nexus is a spin-off of The Mecha Hack, itself a variation on The Black Hack. As the word "Hack" implies, this was originally a minimalist ruleset, so minimalist I will admit to not quite getting it at first. Aether Nexus, coming after the Mecha Manual expansion has drifted away from that a bit. I've handled much more confused or bloated systems, Call of Cuthulu or the Power Rangers RPG for example, but this game trades simplicity for character. It's not a generic system this time, it's strongly themed with it's own character, forming part of the somewhat niche fantasy mecha subgenre. Think Escaflowne, Magic Knight Rayearth, and more recently Knights & Magic. An initial annoyance I had here was the tendency for every rules concept to have it's own, reskinned term, this being a game that includes a glossary. Had the setting hued a bit closer to the D&D template, this might not have been an issue, but there's clearly a bit of front loading required. Also, as the game doesn't feature the Tolkien standard fantasy races, I foresee issues sourcing reference images and the like, but your mileage may vary with that one. Don’t use AI.

Mechanically, the game replaces a few rules with more interesting ones. Degrading dice mechanics now trigger on a 1 and the maximum, with that maximum triggering a special ability. Armour now uses such a mechanic, no longer functioning as an expendable HP alternative. Melee and Ranged attacks now key off different stats, while the weapon types have been dramatically expanded. Character progression and money have effectively been rolled into one, with Arsenal points being used to get new skills, stat increases, weapons, and so on. Another thing you can spend Arsenal points on is the party sky ship, which is very much a character in it's own right. I was quite impressed by the chapter, and can see this being transferable to other genres fairly easily. Throughout the above is a big focus on teamwork, with a majority of abilities that benefit the party rather than yourself. This ties into a wider theme of players being magically bonded, also serving as an in-universe justification for magic radios and OOC knowledge. All in all, it seems a complete ruleset that's built on previous successes, although I'm not sure how the game balance will look. I've not had opportunity to actually play this.


I suppose the greatest strength, and weakness, of Aether Nexus is it's theming. As a rulebook, it's consistently gorgeous and well-presented. I love the art in this. I also like the extensive selection of GM tools and charts. Both are vital for building the world Absolute TableTop had committed to. But, there also is a weakness. Magical mecha is a niche within a niche, and they haven't taken the easy route. I don't know if Aether Nexus would have been a better game if it had been more D&D. I'd want to run a campaign before making that call, but I suspect that it may have been more accessible. I would have liked to build on this book, instead I have to work within it's rails, or gut the rules and start again. And I'm confident I could have done that with The Mecha Hack… But then again, I'm a weirdo whom makes homebrew for fun.


I'd sum it up like this. If you like the look of Aether Nexus, and it is very pretty, go for it. It's a complete and well-presented system, that's good at what it's choosing to do. It you're looking for a more generic or sci-fi system though, look up The Mecha Hack instead.

The Mecha Hack: Revised Rules for Macross-style Mecha

So, 4 years ago now, I did up some rules for running Macross style games using the Mecha Hack system. More recently, I was bored, and revisited the idea. I’ve been involved in a fair few games since then, and decided to rebuild the thing from the ground up. The original rules can be found here, and are still valid if you want to use them, but the below are maybe better? And what the hell! I’ve spent some time on this, it might as well be a blog article. What follows is a collection of rules mechanics for use with The Mecha Hack, rather than a deep discussion of the Macross franchise, or role-playing within it. This is about making the birds work. 


That said, here’s a video for the unfamiliar. 

Key Concept: Three Modes for Three Kinds of Map 
Player mecha will have three forms with the ability to switch between these in combat. Each mode has its own speed and agility, which is ideal for its preferred environment. There's nothing stopping you from using different modes though, in order to gain some tactical edge. However doing so runs the risk of leaving the map by simply not keeping pace. One of the modes is a supersonic jet, FFS. Players that do so skip their next turn, and then re-enter the map in the appropriate form.

So, when/how do you transform? Well, at almost any time. Either in response to a treat, or as part of an action you can change form, and then roll your reactor die. The only limitation is that you must declared this immediately before a stat check, at the start of an action, or immediately after an action is resolved, not during an action or sequence of rolls. Please note, the above limitation does not apply outside of combat. This can be used to stop yourself from falling off the map. Note that overheating in that circumstance would be spectacularly bad, as all the usual effects would apply, as well as the map effects noted later. 

 

Key Concept: The Three Modes
Battloid Mode
Wings folded, all limbs unfolded. Does all the standard mecha things. While in Battloid mode, you have a regenerating pool of 2AP, which refreshes at the start of each moment. These armour points must be spent before any other source.

Gerwalk Mode
Wings unfolded, all limbs unfolded. You are an agile flyer, directing thrust from each foot, as well as backwards. Think a helicopter with arms. While in Gerwalk mode, you may reroll 20s on all Mobility tests.

Fighter Mode
Wings unfolded, but all limbs folded. Think fighter jet, going extremely fast. In Fighter mode, you may ignore the first reactor roll resulting from movement each moment. (i.e. taking two Move actions). You also cannot be targeted by opportunity attacks.

Key Concept: The Three Kinds of Map
Maps will be defined as one of three types, with the GM telling you which mode you start the battle in.

Terrestrial 
This is battle on the ground, mainly using your legs, and so uses standard Mecha Hack rules. Not much to say here, its standard robot combat, although switching to other modes can get you out of trouble quickly.
Batttloid: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Gerwalk: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. This move may be just to hover in place.
Fighter: If you enter this mode, you must take one(1) standard move action, (if you have actions left,) and then you immediately leave the map.

Close Air 
This is abstracted air v ground combat with an explicit ground level, and a horizontal orientation. Your mecha is flying relatively close to terra-firma, or possibly within a large structure like a spacecraft. Think either an old side-scrolling shooter like R-Type.
Gerwalk: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Battloid: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. This move may be just to hover in place.
Fighter:  If you enter this mode, you must take one(1) standard move action, (if you have actions left,) and then you immediately leave the map.

Supersonic
This is also abstracted combat, but more so. You are belting along at MACH 2 or whatever, and so the map represents relative positioning, as all involved are going really effing fast. 
Fighter: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Gerwalk: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. If you do not enter Fighter mode, you automatically fall off the map after taking two further actions. 
Battloid: If you enter this mode, you may not take move actions. If you do not enter Fighter mode, you automatically fall off the map after taking two further actions. 

Key Concept: Hardpoints 
These replace modules and supplement for the hand system. Hardpoint equipment can be simple weapons, consumables like missiles, or sensor equipment.  Prerequisites for their usage will be tied to chassis variant and form. The party would/will receive a list before each mission, detailing what they have access to and how many of each. If scrambled, everyone just gets a gunpod.

Key Concept: Usage Dice
Rather than keep track of individual bullets and missiles with your hardpoint options, these rules will take a concept from The Black Hack: Usage Dice. This is a degrading dice mechanic, like the Reactor Die. You roll your die when the hardpoint is used, if you roll a 1 or 2, it becomes a smaller die, and if you roll 1 or 2 on a d4, the hardpoint is empty. 

Chassis Templates
KESTREL – A TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 3.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and Power.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
HOLD-OUT DAGGER: You have an internally stored Light Melee Weapon, which is usable in Battloid mode only.

KESTREL – B TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 3.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and System.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
MONITOR TURRET: You are armed with a Light Ranged Weapon that does not count towards your hand limit, with a D4 damage die.


KESTREL – VP TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 4.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
TWO SEATER: Your mecha has two pilots, meaning you benefit from 2 pilot types, and have access to specialised hardpoints, although you have the same number of actions. This chassis is recommended for two players.

 

Basic Hardpoints
Aircraft Axe (Folding): A Light Melee Weapon, useable in both Battloid and Gerwalk mode.
Armour/Rocket Pack:  Gain 4AP, but uses two(2) Hardpoint slots.
Bomb Rack (Gravity): Usage Die 1d6. Test System to inflict 2d4 damage on one Near or Far GROUND/SURFACE target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.
Drop Tank:  You may ignore a failed reactor roll you suffer.
Dumbfire Rocket Pod: Usage Die 1d4. As an attack action, test Power to inflict 3d4 damage on one Near or Far target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Fighter mode.
Forearm Shield: A Shield (2AP), usable in Battloid mode only.
Gunpod: A Light Ranged Weapon. If you wield two at once, treat this as a single weapon with +2 damage.
Large Missile Pylon: Usage Die 1d4. As an attack action, test System to inflict 3d6 damage on one Far or Distant target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.
Small Missile Pylon: Usage Die 1d6. As an attack action, test System to inflict 2d6 damage on one Near or Far target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.


VP TYPE Exclusive Hardpoints
These modules offer functions where having another pair of eyes and hands is largely mandatory, and hence end up on the two-seater variant.
Active Sensor Pod: As a use action, choose a near or far enemy and test System. If you succeed, receive its statblock.
Data-Uplink Pod:   As a use action, choose a near or far enemy and test System. If you succeed, the next attack against it has Advantage, and when defending against its next attack, the defending player has Advantage. Roll your reactor die.
Passive RADOME: You have advantage on initiative tests, and can make System tests to detect foes at beyond visual range. Uses two(2) Hardpoint slots.

Designer’s Notes
Here’s a few words on how these rules should work.

A Type: This is the generalist one, favouring Power and Mobility. Assuming your System score is decent, you can use missiles. If not, dual gunpods are probably your jam. Or that aircraft axe.

B Type:  This one is more for using missiles, as it gains System faster. The Monitor Turret means you can put missiles in all of your slots, without being too worried about endurance issues too. That said, its probably worth mixing things up a bit, just to be on the safe side.

VP Type: Yes, I made this for a happy couple I game with. And indeed anyone whom wanted to pair up. I tried to make this more interesting to play, with a few support functions. Or you could just fill your slots with weapons, you do you. Note that you only have two attacks with this one, in the name of party balance.

Transforming: Each mode is intended to have a single, easy to grasp, unique selling point. This is as complicated as you make it. You can either stick with the advised mode, or you can hot-swap to gain an upper hand. Fly in as Fighter, change to Battloid for durability and arms, then Gerwalk for an agile getaway...

Usage Dice: The point here is to add a bit of push-your-luck randomness to events, rather than book keeping. Note that each hardpoint like this must be tracked with its own separate die, as trying to amalgamate or add them in some way does exponential thingies to the math. 

If any of your folks use this homebrew, please let me know.

 

Images sourced from the Macross Mecha Manual, check it out, its a great resource.

The Mecha Hack: Four More Chassis Things

Something I enjoy about the Mecha Hack is how easy it is to, well, Hack. I've been able to produce no end of material because of this, a lot being used in my RPG group. Today's article is much the same, based on concepts I brainstormed in preparation for a new campaign. I don't think I'll end up using these, as I'm currently favouring a different concept, but maybe you can get use out of them? What follows is a bunch of Gundam style grunts, designed to replace the stock 4 chassis, in a smaller scale conflict. Like Zeta...

The Cannoneer Chassis

Inspiration: RGC-83 GM Cannon II, GN-005 Gundam Virtue

The thing about the Titan chassis is that it's very defensive. That's not a complaint, just an observation. Sometimes though, you might want something more proactive, hence this. The Cannoneer is intended as a durable fire platform, stopping short of the Colossus and its transformation gimmick. It has a different gimmick instead, allowing a player to shed armour for agility. This makes it look like something of a good-all-rounder, but its more about long-range stuff.

CANNONEER CHASSIS

HIT DIE D10 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d10 + 5

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Heavy Armour (5AP), Small Shield (2AP), Machete (Light Melee Weapon), and Assault Rifle (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

TWIN SHOULDER CANNONS: As an attack action, test Power. If you succeed, deal 2d6 damage, divided as you choose between enemies at far or distant range. Roll your reactor die.

PURGE ARMOUR: As a use action, spend all/any remaining AP & discard your Twin Shoulder Cannons to gain a + 2 bonus to mobility. This lasts until the end of the combat, and the equipment is restored at the next full rest. 

 

The Corax Chassis

Inspiration: OZ-12SMS Taurus

Going slightly more specific for our first Gundam Wing reference of the day, the Corax is a Scout replacement. These are perhaps slightly toned down from the Taurus, these has the virtue of an easy flight mode, and a better damage die than the regular Scout. This means its more about speed than sneaking, but doesn't have to spend a whole turn on the wind-up for an attack. The AI function is intended to suggest a technically competent, but dumb as a sack of hammers robot brain, which is quite representative of the show.

CORAX CHASSIS

HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D8 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d6 + 3

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
Light weapons, heavy ranged, & light armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP) & Beam Rifle (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

FLIGHT FORM: As a use action, transform. While transformed, you ignore difficult terrain, can move two range bands with one move action, but may not use melee weapons. Return to normal with a use action.

DRONE AI: Your machine can be programmed and/or instructed remotely to act in combat, as fully functional drone. While doing so your mecha has no pilot type, Power: 10, Mobility: 10, System: 5, Presence: 2, and the same HP/AP. Triggering or cancelling this ability requires a Use action.

The Mock Chassis

Inspiration: RMS-106 Hi-Zack 

OK, this is an example of an idea running away with me, and I'm not sure where to take it next. As I have commented before, the Hizack is something that makes no sense in context. It's a machine objectively worse than everything else the Federation had en-mass at the time, it looks like Zeon made it, and its operated by an organisation with "Fuck Zeon" tattoos. I first thought if it as a low cost grunt with thematic flaws, and then came the inspiration. Its an aggressor for war games. Its a false flag unit. A, wait for it, Mecha of Disguise. So, this chassis has the start of a subterfuge mechanic, that I never quite finished. I also added a damage die mechanic to represent the Hizacks power issues. This could actually benefit such a player's cover story, pulling a few punches and so on. Mechanically, this fills the role of a Striker, my logic being that a conman would need a good eye and fast mouth, and that sort of thing is System and Presence.

I realise that I may have put more thought into this than Sunrise did.

MOCK CHASSIS

HIT DIE D8 DAMAGE DIE D6* REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d8 + 4

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP), Small Shield (2AP), Heat Axe (Light Melee Weapon) and Autocannon (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

REPURPOSED AGGRESSOR UNIT: You may reconfigure this machine so it resembles a different mecha with relative ease. You also reroll 20s when attempting to maintain that cover, infiltrate enemy installations and general subterfuge, assuming your disguise is credible.

OBSOLETE POWER CONDUITS: As a use action, change your damage die to one of the following 3 settings. A: your damage die is d8 for melee, but d4 for ranged. B: your damage for is d4 for melee, but d8 for ranged. C: reset your damage die to normal. This effect lasts until changed or the end of the battle.

The Trooper Chassis

Inspiration: The OZ-06MS Leo

As you may have observed, I kinda love the Leo. The poor, cannon fodder unit seemingly made from eggshell and dynamite. The only time this ever did well was when a big name piloted one, so I'm gonna use that as a justification to make this a Brawler analogue. Leos are very much my platonic ideal of a Grunt unit; it's entirely utilitarian in design, it comes in broadly sensible colours, and it's got a big selection of kit. As such, the focus here is adaptability and the stereotypically Russian approach to war materiel. Modules become easily swapped in the manner of missiles on jet fighters, or SEEDs various backpacks. You may wish to create a curated module list for that purpose. Meanwhile if, sorry, when these fall in combat, they can just get a new machine, no trouble.

TROOPER CHASSIS

HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D8 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d6 + 3

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Power and Mobility. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP), Round Shield (2AP), Beam Saber(Light Melee Weapon) and Drum Machinegun (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

SURVIVABLE AND DISPOSABLE: If you are reduced to 0 HP, do not roll on the chart. Instead apply the "eject" result, and receive an identical replacement machine when there's a gap in the fighting.

FLEXIBLE MISSION HARDPOINTS: During Downtime, you may swap out any/all of your modules for the next mission, subject to GM approval. The module(s) listed on your character sheet are considered your default load-out.

If you do use these rules, do let me know how it turns out.

The Mecha Hack: Campaign Tips for Beginners

Well, by the time I post this, I will have just finished my campaign. A long, winding, but ultimately satisfying learning experience with friends. And I thought there was an article in that, so here we are. An article about how to run a campaign as a gamesmaster. Enjoy.

The approach I took

My basic idea when running the campaign was to treat each gaming session as a single episode of a mecha anime, i.e. there's gonna be a fight, the role-playing is in the run up, and how they handle the fight. Initially, I attempted to map out multiple paths, but this never survives contact with actual players. The best you can do is present the scenario, and have clear behaviour/objectives for NPCs. It is not your job as a gamesmaster to present a script for the players to follow. As I learned, I went from being a particular world-builder to being an enabler. It is your job to present a good time. How you achieve this is up to you, but there are two points I like to keep in mind. The first is that you shouldn't protect people from reasonable consequences of their actions. If they go in unexpected directions, roll with it, but if they try anything overtly suicidal, warn them. The second thing, and the mirror of the above, if its awesome or funny, just let it happen. We're talking about giant robots here, don't be serious for its own sake.

So, enough philosophy, let's have some practical advice on how to run a campaign.

Creating the Setting

It's entirely fine to use the rulebook setting for your campaign. There's rich seams of conflict and political commentary to mine. If you don't? Well, you can just take a stock genre dynamic and build from there. That's what I did. I loosely based my antagonists on the infamous Titans group and SCP fiction, thus guaranteeing that I would have a proper bunch of bastards who could generate any amount of weirdness. I then created a regular military for them to patronise, The Militia. Then, because consistent tone is something that happens to other people, I then created a bunch of feline criminal stereotypes called the Neko Pirate Mafia. Yes, that was a joke that got away from me, and I regret nothing. Do up maybe two pages of notes, on three factions and their dynamics, but don't write to much. Just the starting point. It's up the players set the tone after all.

 

Creating NPCs

You will probably need 3 or 4 recurring non-player characters, not counting antagonists. Given the mecha genre, these will likely be some variety of mission control, mad scientists, and engineers. You don't need to stat these, but it helps to have something to hang a personality on. Pictures and accents can help the players fill in the gaps you feel that your acting can't fill. Recurring antagonists are slightly simpler in that they just have to survive contact with the party, and/or be smug. If in doubt, just copy a Gundam character, and claim its a reference.

Selecting Enemies

I've written about balancing fights before, but outside of major events like boss fights, you can afford to keep it simple. Have the HD of the enemies match the average party level, and aim for them to slightly outnumber the players. This allows for a fairly brief but effective encounter, where everyone will likely get to contribute without being murderised in the first round. Try to avoid taking too many different enemy types in the same encounter, as this can create additional work for you and the occasional unexpected mini-boss squad. Once the party reaches higher levels, you have to be creative, but by that point you should have an idea what you are doing.

Talking to your Party

It's generally a good idea to chat with your players to figure out what they like and make sure you are on the same page. I know this is basic social interaction, something I personally struggle with, but it's easy to miss someone when you have half a dozen giant robots stomping on stuff. Make a point if at least asking everyone privately what they might want from the sessions. It shows you care, and it could give you free material.

 

Planning the first few sessions

Now, its usually unwise to produce a detailed plan for a campaign several sessions in advance. Players will do unexpected things, and forget any clever foreshadowing you might have put in. At most, have an end point to end for, but not a path directly there. The start of a campaign is however a bit different, players will need a bit of time to find their feet, and learn how the game works. With this in mind, the first session can be scripted to a large extent. Make a point of ensuring each character can introduce themselves, and learn how the rules mechanics. Name drop the factions, and lay on the themes. Then, over the following two sessions ease then into the status quo. Which your party can break or otherwise place their mark on.

Writing an individual session

Generally, I would recommend trying to follow the style of mission presented in the Mission Manual book. Be as concise as you can, but always include a summary of NPCs, and a sheet featuring the stats of the enemy mecha. If using a stock mission, you don't need as much prep, but still have the statblocks to hand, and a covering sheet for stuff specific to your game.

Idea seeds and drop-in missions

There are times when things overrun, somebody drops out or otherwise things go a bit pear-shaped. Again, the Mission Manual is handy here, but if you've crafted a setting yourself, its material may need adapting. As an alternative, brainstorm some ideas for missions, real simple concepts, no more then two sentences long. Then put them in a list, with any rules you need, and break it out when you need it. Some of my better ideas started this way.

Wrapping things up

I don't claim to be any kind of expert on this stuff, but I do try to learn from experience. Hopefully, the above is of use for you, or at least entertaining. If you have anything to add, please comment below...

Blog: Status Update November 2021

Well, I suppose its time for another blog update.

As I enter the Christmas period, I find myself in a better place emotionally, but in a bit of a lull creatively. I'm doing better at managing myself, and have more going on socially, so I've been less likely to go on tangents or set myself artificial targets. By around this point last year I had a significant backlog, but not so much this time. I've actually been scrapping articles on the grounds they weren't interesting to me or necessarily helpful things to write. This has manifested on the blog with the recent return of Transformers articles, and the declining frequency of Gunpla. With the Transformers, there was a bunch of stuff rattling around in my brain, which wasn't really expressible while I sold them as a business. This is in stark contrast to my disinterest with the current crop of Transformers, which is so G1 obsessed currently I find myself frustrated. What Transformers writing has made it onto the site so far has been the positive articles. With the gunpla, I think I've just grown a bit bored, or that interest has been met by my recently-concluded Mecha Hack campaign. I'm a quite passable gunpla builder, but I think I've gone as far as I can without spending serious money, and nothing is grabbing me just now. So, I don't currently have a steady stream of blog material. At time of writing, I'm running approximately 3 weeks ahead of myself, and I suppose with holidays coming up, that will be maintained. I have however been in two minds about continuing. I can't say I do this for the page views, and nor should I tie my self-worth to that metric. This is only a regular creative outlet, providing some welcome structure to my life, and there may yet come a point where it no-longer serves a purpose.

That said, let's talk about some positives. The recent scratchbuild projects have been most enjoyable, and I am currently prepping for another. My Mecha Hack Campaign was a joy, and I expect to have some spin-off articles from that experience. I'm brainstorming some ideas for a sequel campaign, so I expect to have something substantive for posting. Not everything fits my group, but I'm loathe to dump a good idea. 

 

This all assumes that I don't just skiv off to play Super Robot Wars 30 instead, while claiming its research.

The Mecha Hack: Five Thoughts on Game Balance

“Action Economy" is a term I recently picked up from The Animated Spellbook, and basically refers to how in Dungeons & Dragons, in a fight, the side with the most actions tends to win. The Mecha Hack shares DNA with that game, so similar phenomena can be observed. The difference is that enemies and players are not subject to the same rules. Enemies have to move then attack, which is represented by the player rolling to avoid damage. Players however get a choice of two actions, in any order, but with a "stamina" mechanic. This, and abstractions like initiative and range bands, often mean that players can simply overwhelm the enemy before they can act. That may indeed be how you like the combat, but that doesn't work if you want them to have a boss fight. I've found that merely taking a higher level foe doesn't necessarily address this issue. You can get a bullet sponge that tanks the damage the party can dish out, and hit very hard, but its a purely statistical threat, not an intellectual one. This article is about how to present more of a challenge. I find that fights in The Mecha Hack should be quick, or mechanically interesting, so here's some things to consider.

1: Damage Die are Static

Now, probably the most important thing to keep in mind when designing an encounter is that the maximum damage is set at character creation, they only get more accurate by themselves. If a D6 damage die character wants to hit harder, they need to get better weapons, or modules that do a lot of damage. For example, two popular modules in my campaign were Missile Barrage and Energy Modulator. The latter is a straightforward upgrade to a damage die, but Missile Barrage is a more nuanced solution in that it can handle multiple targets, and also reliably put 10 damage on something. As a result, merely giving a foe more HP is not the same as making it more threatening, it makes them more time-consuming. If the foe you are presenting is meant to be a juggernaut, this is fine but perhaps not for the hyper-agile dude in the high mobility custom? This does however present a good way to mess with your players, instead of merely having a big number, have some damage reduction, ideally a randomised one. This will encourage players to try less conventional attacks, which usually require a reactor roll or similar cost.

2: Do the Math

Perhaps falling into the “kinda obvious” category of advice, its a good idea to keep track of what your players can do, either through back-ups of their character sheet, or just keeping track of what their HP is. If you are an obsessive nerdling like myself, its possible to mine this data for use in a boss encounter. A metric I've used is to calculate what the average damage is from a single basic attack, I.e. what a player can do without incurring an additional cost. If you're concerned that a party just might wipe-out their foes on the first turn, simply figure out that number for each player, total it up, then pick a foe that can take that number. Also be aware that a foe of a higher level applies a penalty to both a players attack and defence.

3: Find the Weakness

Part of what makes the Brawler and Hybrid chassis so effective as fighters is because they favour Power and Mobility, AKA “punchy stat” and “dodgy stat”. If you want to challenge such players, and maybe make the support characters feel a bit better, throw in attacks that test other stats. Many enemies have a Recharge attack that does this, but pushing Presence or System for a main attack can take a hitty player off-guard.

4: Changing the Action Economy

OK, so, the players act more often than enemies, but this need not be the case. There are enemies whose attacks can effect more than one player, although Aces tend to be more flexible. I've often found myself using whole teams of Aces, as a catch-all representation for elite units. In any case, having an enemy that affects multiple players at once is a good way to keep them engaged.

5: A Word on Swarms

Its very tempting to view swarms as a time saver, especially if you want hordes of disposable mooks in play. And, they are. There is however a degree of subtle implications that arise from how HP is now treated. For example, if a foe has significantly more HP than a player attack, a swarm die actually makes it more fragile. I made this mistake when attempting to save on headspace in a complicated battle. Say you've got an enemy mecha with 16HP, and under normal circumstances, you might expect them to withstand 3-4 attacks before they get taken down. A 1d4 swarm die however would mean that every non-critical attack has a 50% chance of wiping out such an enemy, while a 1d8 would be 25%. While it is possibly for a lucky player to do 16 damage in one attack for the same effect, its a less than 1% chance. The net effect of all this is that Swarms are less predictable in a fight than regular foes, because its always a dice roll, and you need to account for that.

Wrapping Things Up

Most of the above probably comes under the heading of “duh” for experienced games-masters, but I hope you found something useful in my ramblings. TL:DR – Don't just use bigger numbers unless you are in a hurry.

Creative Writing: Tales of the Danger Magnets

Here's the thing. I've been running a mecha campaign lately, and if I'm timing this post right, its coming to a climax about now. It was however a “season 2”. What started as a series of loosely connected one-shots became its own universe and baggage. And then I got two new people playing. So, I wrote some stuff, and now you get to read it. Isn't that fun?

New Player Introduction

Hello, new player, welcome to season 2 of my Mecha Hack campaign. Before we talk about how your character will be created and join the game, I felt some small preamble was needed to set the tone. You know not what you are getting into. 

 

OK, so imagine your generic, giant robot, space future. Its a distant binary star system called Romulus and Remus, where due to some quirk of subspace, lost spacecraft would be drawn. It was originally colonised by shipwrecked crews. Eventually, more permanent settlements were established, and the planets terraformed, but weirdness would still periodically come out of hyperspace portals to cause trouble. This prompted the foundation of the “Peacemaker” group, whom basically operated a bit like a rapid reaction force meets SCP, whom favoured black uniforms and black paint-jobs. The Peacemakers grew in power from a team of specialists into an army unto itself. For some reason this was not considered sinister. Perhaps it was the systems sizeable Neko population distracting people. I mean, people love cats, but uplifted, 3 foot tall, intelligent cats with thumbs? People probably went deaf from all the squeeing. And were then badly mauled because your average Neko hates being patronised. Where was I? Oh yes, the party. So, the party were a team of test pilots under Professor Diana Lovelace, known as the “New Texas Test Team”, after where they tested, and later the “Danger Magnets”, because reasons. They were involved with testing of new mecha prototypes, and promptly found themselves in a stock gundam plot. Then they found themselves encountering some strange eldritch monster, only to be conscripted into the Peacemakers by a dude they happened to rescue. He was First Lieutenant Austin “Thunderclash” D'Arcy, charismatic, handsome, and multi-talented. The actual star of the show. What a guy. Some adventures followed, suggesting that the Peacemakers weren't all they appeared, and the Test Team seemed to have a fan/stalker in the form of a stealth battleship which could inexplicably turn invisible. Then plot happened. 

 

The party was hired by one Madame Webb, whom is a long story, to track down an alien spacecraft that might enable her to rejoin her race of spider-aliens. As the party are protagonists as well as being roleplayers, they didn't get very far, but they did stumble on evidence that the Peacemakers were faking alien invasions as a means to secure funding. Lt Thunderclash appeared to silence the party, whom, disbelieving their situation, found themselves utterly outclassed. Then Lovelace remembered that their mecha could combine into one even bigger robot, having neglected to mention this previously. They'd all been drinking, it was a night, OK? Thunderclash quickly became an expanding cloud of debris, along with the rest of his team, and the players were now wanted criminals, but this was OK, because that battleship that been following them turned out be friendly. He was called Ironsides, and wanted them to join his roaring rampage of revenge against the Peacemakers. Which was nice.

 

Then, more stuff happened, as the players attempted to clear their names as well as violently murder any space-fascists they ran into. They also helped out some miners and went to a convention, as you do. Various plot things happened, with mounting evidence that the players were part of a time paradox, via some mysterious artefacts known as Paradox Crystals. Things got real when the players found out about the other Peacemaker side project, which involved harvesting brains for use as mecha components, the reveal of which triggered a civil war. The brain harvesting and Paradox Crystals were incidentally what allowed Ironsides to exist, the poor guy is a brain in a jar, controlling an entire battleship by himself. The players returned to the Texas Colony, rallying allies as they went, in an attempt to rescue the stolen brains, only for recurring antagonist Brave Halibut to escape with them, leaving behind new prototype mecha to fight, the Gemini. The tragedy was people used to make these mecha no-longer really existed. Their brain hemispheres had been separated in order to operate a pair of machines, networked as one. Things then escalated, as Militia forces and the party attack the Peacemaker HQ. It turned out Ironsides had a robot mode, and he made an entrance for the party. In the following battle, the full nature of the time paradox was revealed, as the party decided to destroy the Paradox Crystals they found, and disappeared in an explosion of timey-whimey bullshit...

Ok, you got all that? Good. It probably doesn't matter now as the party has found themselves in a strange new world.

 

Mecha Hack Season 2: A Prose Preview.

The planet Losonia, in the year 20,004 of the old calender. It is a bright summer day, with the occasional picturesque white cloud. Mega-fauna flock around the numerous circular lakes. Farmers work the fields with giant machines, occasionally opening fire on a passing giga-duck. Cities bustle, formed from the ruins of earlier times. Vast hills, on closer inspection, turn out to be the ivy covered remains of spacecraft and artefacts from the early days. No spacecraft fly from Losonia any more. None have visited for generations. The locals stopped caring a while back, history has degraded into myth, and the city-states feud over the few bits of salvage-tech that remain. And also, there is a big problem people are trying to ignore. But, hey, at least the weather is nice.

Underground, there is no weather of course, but there is an atmosphere. The kind where duplicitous men consider their next fraud, while marks wait nervously. Father Maxwell and his assistant Dougal walk though the ancient catacombs, built during the earliest days of settlement. Dougal asks nervously “Will this work, Father?”, obviously struggling with something. Maxwell shrugged, “If we are worthy, God will help us. Have they all paid up?”. Dougal nodded. The faithful were a mix of people, some human, some nekos, some stupid, some in mourning, but all desperate. Dougal was dimly aware that he had joined a cult, one of many that had sprung up in last in few years, persisting well into the new millennium. He world hadn't ended, but the strange Moonites had attacked, and then attacked at the next full moon, and then nothing, only to strike at the full moon 3 months later. Nobody could stop them, nobody knew what they actually were, just that they came with the Moon, to slaughter and steal. Dougal was not quite as eloquent as that of course, but that was what he understood.

These catacombs were considered a National Heritage site, but Maxwell had put in the paperwork for today's event, closing it to the public. As they walked, they passed museum displays of various things, providing context for the big draw: The Murals. Painted at least 20 millennia previously via techniques lost, these displayed events from the first settlements and beyond. As you walked further, the further back you went. The pair hurried past encountered Apocalypse Wars 7, 6, 5, 4 was closed for restoration, 3, 2, and eventually 1. Then finally, the originals depicting events from the first settlement. Maxwell only glanced at the first one, but Dougal was more easily distracted. It portrayed a complicated battle, featuring the Warrior King Thunderclash, and his loyal ally The Liberator, in battle against the hated Peacetakers. A thought struck him, “Father, if we can summon Heroes from Legend, why not Thunderclash? He was surely the greatest of them?”. Maxwell stopped, thought for a moment, and remembered how the Loremaster answered that one. “Thunderclash died honourably to save us all, he has earned his rest. The Liberator was lost, cursed, trapped beyond time. We can help them, and then they will be honour-bound to help us.”. Dougal nodded, and hurried to catch up.

The Church of the Liberator Ascendant began to assemble in front of a mural with the descriptive title “The Liberator frees the Miners”. It was a full body shot of a vast robot aggressively wielding a drill, while lesser machines and human figures prostrated themselves around it. While Dougal greeted The Faithful and handed out the programmes, Maxwell wondered to himself how accurate the image actually was. Surely, they had scaled the mural to the size of this cavern, The Liberator could not possibly have been that big. But his was not to question, it was to “believe”. This had been a profitable scam so far. He began the service. It was fairly rote at this point, he'd done dozens of these, and it always went the same. Doctrine, doctrine, how The Faithful would be spared, a quick hymn, more doctrine, the chant, the failure of the chant as people were unworthy, the collection plate, and then, same time next Tuesday. After about 2 hours, they got to said chant: “Liberator Tumblemass, Tumblemass Liberator.”. Maxwell was very careful not to show on his face what he thought of the chant, but the Loremaster had been very definite about using it. Ten solid minutes of those four words, slowly increasing in tempo and gusto. There's a joke about modern music in there somewhere. As the chant progressed, people started missing the beat, prompting the Father to gesticulate, trying to get them back into rhythm. Then there were gasps, a cry of profanity, and a crunch from directly behind him. Maxwell, paused, and looked, as the chant stopped completely. The mural was shattering. Big slabs of it falling away, one smaller bit catching Dougal on the nose, whom didn't step away in time. A mechanical hum filled the room, and Maxwell blurted out the only thing he could think to say: “The Liberator Comes! It has come to save us all!”. 

 

What he actually thought was, "Holy shit, it actually worked!".

 

The Mecha Hack: Modding the Engineer

 

 

No, not this engineer, but it is cool. So, sometimes one article flows naturally from another. Following on from my review of the Mecha Hack Chassis/Pilot selection, I got to thinking about the Engineer. The Engineer is fine for one-shots, but declines in usefullness during campaigns, and I should really have noticed that. My campaign has two. What follows is a discussion of this problem, with rambling commentary on the history of such things.

 

Context: The Origins of Hit Points and Party Healers

Hit Points, aka HP, like the entire Mecha Hack ruleset, have their origins in the original Dungeons & Dragons game circa 1972, influencing any RPG you care to name. The term is a fairly abstract measure of how a character might withstand injury, not how difficult they are to harm, or which bone is broken, but how much they can take before they drop dead. In first edition this was literally the case, although it's been common since to have some kind of "they're bleeding to death, somebody help" mechanic. Hit Points can be somewhat binary as it means characters function either at full capacity, or at deaths door, which other systems try to address, but that's outside of the remit of this article. This dynamic combined with magic being a thing gave rise to what the Engineer technically is: a party healer. To go back even further, Dungeons & Dragons, was based on a fairly serious wargame called Chainmail, and this can still be felt in the rules even now. D&D is ultimately a physics engine for fantasy combat, rather than purely a roleplay thing. As such having a party member whom can do immediate and effective triage is vital. Having a Cleric around to heal is so common that it's a consistent balance challenge for games of this type. It's a safety net, both for the party and the games master, but a chore for the person playing it. See also: designated healers in Final Fantasy and Stimpacks in the Fallout franchise as an aversion of the concept.

Context: In the Mecha Genre, is there a comparable role?

Short Answer: no. Long Answer: almost certainly no. There's enough mecha shows out there for someone to make a counter-argument, but you don't see a robot get repaired as part of a 6 second combat round. Repair and maintenance is a fairly big deal, but usually happening off-screen. That's what the hangar crew and/or the super scientist are for. I suppose it would make the robots less impressive if they could be repaired in seconds. The only real example I can think of this are the occasional repair-bots you see in the Super Robot Wars games, but that tends to be a gameplay thing, not a source material thing. Then again, how often do you see people in more action-oriented media take a moment to apply a healing spell? Note: not games, non-interactive media. Generally, you don't, because its boring and makes the stakes smaller. Same with most mundane injuries. Either it gets glossed over, or it's an actual plot point. Giant robots exist in a binary between OK and exploded, although heroes may occassionally be battered and broken badasses.

The Engineer

Serving as one of the original 4 pilot types, an Engineer is one of the two ways to heal your mecha outside of a rest action. This takes the form of a 1 to 2 trade of Armour Points to HP, as a use action. This starts out as a useful but scarce resource, pairing well with the Titan chassis, but is devalued over time. The ability does not scale with character level, meaning that while other pilots stay useful, the Engineer is only useful when you have 10ish HP. For comparison, the only other source of repair, mid-fight, are Repair Nanites. This fixes 1d4+1 HP, but are a single use item you have to buy. The net effect is to make rest actions, aka hangar time, the main way to restore HP, like in animes.

How might we fix it? Should we?

I feel a case can be made that players shouldn't be on repair duty mid-battle. That's passive and dull for a game about shooty-robo-boom-boom. Mind you, we want the Engineers to feel useful and engaged. After some discussion with my players, I offered them the following options to make things more fun for them, replacing or modifying the original Quick Fix ability.

Nano-Smith Ability: When using Repair Nanites, add 1d6 to the result. During downtime, you may convert a single Scrap consumable directly into 1 Repair Nanites, rather than the normal rate of exchange.

Bodge-Job Ability: As a use action, reduce your AP by 1 to restore d6+ 1 HP to a close mecha. If you restore the maximum amount, that mecha then rolls its Reactor Die.

Quick Fix Ability - Modification: As a use action, reduce your AP by 1 to restore 2 HP to a close mecha. You may spend multiple AP at once in this way. (I.e. 5 AP becomes 10 HP restored on the target.)

The overall intention here was to make repairs a hard decision rather than an easy one. Nano-Smith bolts on to an existing consumable, making it more powerful, but ultimately is something players pay for. Bodge-Job is an improved version of Quick Fix, but has a side effect if they heal too much. Both options have a wide spread of potential results, as opposed to the flat bonus of Quick Fix, so using them are a gamble. Alternatively, if players want to stick with the rulebook, we can make Quick Fix scale up. Job done.

If you end up using these rules, do let me know how this turns out.

The Mecha Hack: Chassis & Pilot Review

First, a bit of background. As I am back running a campaign, I needed to give some thought to the actual nature of combat in The Mecha Hack. Specifically, how to present a meaningful challenge to a squad of 7 players. This prompted probability calculations, and deeper thought about how the classes worked. Then I realised that there was probably an article in it. A discussion or review of the Chassis types and Pilots. Of course, the thing I want to stress here is that I am not trying to find the chassis or pilot that is "Da Bestest". I'm trying to provide a resource for Gamesmasters to make combat more engaging, and for players to better understand how their robots actually work. We're all here to have fun, not min max. 

 

Auxiliary

TBH, I almost forgot about this one. The Auxiliary is rooted more in RPG tropes than the Mecha genre, although you do easily find mechs like this in Super Robot Wars. It offers buffs to damage rolls, and reactor management superior to that of the Striker. As its preferred stats are System and Presence, it grows into a nice sensors and face role too, making the Auxiliary into a natural choice for a Commander or Quipster Pilot playing support. On the downside, this chassis absolutely is not a front line fighter, having limited weapon options, a d6 hit die, and a d6 damage die.

Brawler

The best all-round beat-stick. It can actually move and then attack twice on a single reactor roll due to how Charging Strike works. This stacks quite well with the higher chance of critical hits, although the focus on Power and Mobility can create a vulnerability to unconventional attacks and problems which can't be solved with more violence. You do however get a lot of equipment options, and ranged combat is very doable. If a player is aggressive, but doesn't have a set idea of what they want their character to be just yet, suggest Brawler.  After that, module choices that favour melee or speed become easy choices.

 

Colossus

Similar to the Titan, but if the Titan is a turtle, this is more of an angry bear. Its defining feature is Garrison Mode, significantly improving both durability and damage output, at the cost of disadvantage on Mobility tests. How big of weakness that is depends on the foes you face, as while mobility is the common dodge roll, it's not the only one, and the 1d4 can reduce an attack to nothing. On average, a Colossus with starting equipment might expect to ignore 2.5 damage on every attack, while inflicting 8 damage in return, which is devastating in a war of attrition. There's even reason to transform right in front of the foe with Kinetic Reactor, although that's more a happy bonus when it happens than anything to build a plan around. While all of the above is great, a Colossus is brutish and slow, and relies on Garrison Mode to get the job done.

Hybrid

This is a bit complicated and simple at the same time. First off, this is the most immediately lethal chassis type, especially if you go for the Energy Modulator for the d12. Which 3 of my players did independently. This is not necessarily ideal, mind you; Hybrids have low HP with slight tendency to gore themselves, so inflicting D12 damage on yourself is bad news. This chassis is very much about risk versus reward, and being a total berserker. It takes heavy weapons only, no shields, but hits harder than almost anyone when it connects. And you are encouraged to hit as often as possible, as you don't overheat like regular mecha do. True, the side effects are bad news for you and everyone around you, but you aren't defenceless like in an overheat. Mawbeam also has a few odd implications, as it's based off Presence, a stat this chassis does not favour. It works mainly as a roundabout way to get a light ranged weapon, sometimes beneficial at lower levels, but otherwise is likely out performed by any ranged module. I can only assume this is to help low-level Hybrids, as its a Use action without the downsides of heavy weapon, and to provide a way for people to purposefully go feral if they want to.

Scout

Probably the most D&D of the original 4 chassis, although Full Metal Panic exists, the Scout has a lot of utility. You've basically got a giant robot rogue that turns invisible, and there's a call for that in every party. The related abilities for this allow a scout to sucker-punch above its weight, but it's not something you can do in successive actions, and may leave it open for retribution. Going invisible is a reactor roll, and even if you use other methods, setting up and performing an Ambush is a whole turn's work. Fortunately, this chassis favours Mobility and System, so higher level examples don't need to use the Stealth Field as much.

Striker

This chassis is probably the closest to a generalist design, being average in most things, and lacking the Brawler's melee preference. Reactor Charge obviously finds use in every game, although Adaptable Robotics is more of an infrequent safety net. A higher level Striker will find themselves very agile and pass initiative tests a lot, but raw Power can take a while. The chassis does suffer a bit from the lack of an obvious niche, but you can take it places. Recommended for beginners, Commanders, and for System based builds.

Titan

A tank, sometimes literally. A Titan has the highest overall HP, a "shield spell" and can take hits for others via Kinetic Absorbers, meaning it usually gets used as a wall by more delicate mecha. This is doubly true if Barricade Mode is chosen, as the synergy there is off the charts. This is however balanced out by a tendency to act after enemies, and have mediocre damage output. Yes, a Titan does have high Power and a big gun, but the d6 damage die limits things. A Titan can reliably absorb damage, and return it, but heavy hitting is the job of other classes.

Vanguard

With its ability to shift its Reactor and Damage dies on the fly, a Vanguard is the choice for a player whom likes a technical play style, or wants to create a Do-Anything Robot. The usefulness of this ability is something mired in the realms of probability calculations, and that's a choice you'll have to make on the day. Sometimes it's better to hit once very hard, sometimes it's better to attack more, ya know? Some of the risk can be by taking both the Energy Modulator and Super Reactor modules, effectively meaning you can outperform a Hybrid reliably. This is especially true if you are making use of the Utility Appendage to carry a big axe. Alternatively, you could be less boring, an just go for the exotic modules to play support. The inevitable downside is that a Vanguard is a glass cannon, especially as it levels up. Not recommended for beginners, but recommended for people whom enjoy mastering rules mechanics.

Pilot Types

While chassis say what a mecha can do, it's the pilot type which dictates how they are played. I.e. this is where players find their characters, and what they might be good at. As this mainly applies at character creation, with their abilities being subjective in application, pilot choice is more of a role-play thing than a game-mechanics thing. At least once you've levelled up a few times; pilots do boost stats, but the effect looses significance over a campaign. That said, let's look a little deeper.

Bionic

These metal looking dudes offer mainly defensive stat bonuses, and only indirect benefits to offence. The ability to sacrifice armour to prevent reactor mishaps is powerful at lower levels, and has obvious synergy with Hybrids, and less obviously Strikers. It's applicable to many play styles however, and provided AP is readily available, it sidesteps any need for reactor modules.

Commander

These usually take on the role of Team Dad, and in a more tactical style of campaign can be very useful. An extra action is very handy there, especially if applied by fast Commander to a slower player. If you take a looser approach to combat however, the bonus isn't that great. In either case, the penalty for doubling up on actions still applies. Commanders work best in a ranged support role, where they can forego moving to boost other players.

Engineer

Despite the recent addition of the Auxiliary, something notably absent from The Mecha Hack is an obvious healer class equivalent. I think it's because mecha are more usually repaired in hangars. The Quick Fix ability does allow for a limited form of healing, but one that is most useful at low levels due to how it scales. Trading 1AP for 2HP is very much worth it when you have one HD, but not later on. Modules and equipment tying into armour can of course make this into more of a thing, but an Engineer isn't a cleric without homebrew rules. Both GMs and players will need to find a balance as how repair an Engineer needs to do, but I'm inclined to think of it as a happy bonus, not an obligation. Otherwise, this pilot type boosts the System and Mobility stats, which help them stay alive to fix others.

Maverick

The most aggressive of the pilot types, the Maverick is all about the violence, with minimal downsides. Reckless attack does consume AP, but this pilot boosts Mobility and Power, so it needs it a little less, and hits a little more. The additional damage die is also only applied to a successful attack, so you don't waste it, and it stacks nicely with other abilities. Mechanically and roleplay-wise, Mavericks fit most of the d8 damage chassis, although the Scout makes a lot of sense.

Merc

The most open of the pilot types, a Merc can be almost anybody you want them to be, but don't bring anything unique to the table. Their main gimmick is the extra module at level 1, allowing for a player to push towards a specific build much faster, or just being prepared ala Batman. Otherwise, Mercs bring boosts to Power & Presence, which suggests a dakka and intimidation role in the party.

Pariah

Oh look, its a Newtype! Pariahs are adaptable to some extent, but obviously fit chassis that favour Presence. Strange Empathy can in that case compensate for weaknesses in Mobility, greatly improving those chonky boy chassis. Throw in some Presence based modules, and you may not need anything else.

Quipster

Shoutout to Dagger Zero, you glorious loon! Anyway, this is a good example of a handy buff tied to a role playing hook. Quipsters are comedians of a party, the one whom keeps morale up, and this is represented by them granting Advantage to other players. This is a great, "why not? " sort of ability, just remember it can be used to cancel out disadvantage. A Quipster is also a bit chassis agnostic, but a support role is a good place for them.

Vet

Possessor of the best ability on name alone, the Vet is an easy character to both use and get into. Reactor die based builds obviously get the most benefit, but the additional customisation at character creation smooths some bumps.

Conclusion

There's a lot of flexibility here, and what counts as “good” entirely relies on your skills as gamesmaster, or roleplayer. As it stands, the chassis and pilots found in the core rulebooks are the easiest to get into and balance, with the Mission Manual chassis being more specialised. The pilots from the manual can however be used fairly easily, with the possible exception of the Pariah. Ultimately? Use whichever feel right.

The Mecha Hack: 4 Ideas for Realer Real Robots

So, here's the thing, say you want "realism" in your Mecha Hack. That's realism as a design motif, not an actual function of the rules mechanics. It's a simple game, and giant robots are not realistic in any serious sense. But you mean realistic as in "not a Super Robot, a Real Robot". The next question is how realistic? Oh you mean militaristic? Gotcha. Well, the first thing you do is look at the Gundam franchise and throw most of it out. While the original series was a trope maker, one thing it did not do was apply the idea of a “squadron” well. In a real world military, vehicles of different types are not deployed together as a unit. Its a matter of logistics and practicality, the vehicles have to be able to keep pace with each-other, do the same tactical role, and as simple as possible to supply. You can see hints of this with antagonists, but the famous White Base has a mixed unit of a melee specialist with a bazooka, mid-range artillery, long-range artillery, and whatever you count the core block vehicles as. To be fair to Amuro & company, they were just refugees playing the hand they were dealt, and we're dealing with matters of drama, but this arrangement was fairly influential. This sort of thing however isn't Gundam's invention or fault. We are talking some seriously foundational storytelling dynamics. Think Journey to the West. Think Fellowship of the Ring. Think Five-Man Band. As a result, most mecha animes are often only Mildly Military in tone and execution, I.E. something outside the usual framework and without the attitude of a professional soldier, and obviously merchandise driven, like most anime is. If you want something that at least looks broadly sensible you have to go a bit more obscure, like Votoms, Gasaraki, Front Mission, and the outlier that is is Gundam: The 08th MS Team. This article presents some ideas on how to do that in The Mecha Hack, presented in a clickbait format.

 

Idea 1: Use Maps and the Optional Rules

While not specific to the Real Robot genre, there is a serious-mindedness that is common amongst its proponents. Just using a map will add a more considered and and technical feel, but would require more preparation from you as GM. The Mission Manual meanwhile presents a megaton of optional rules which could be layered onto a campaign, specifically Environment Templates and Hard Mode. Ammunition is an obvious one, as are Fire Team tests. On-foot skills may also be a good fit for smaller scale mecha settings. Try to aim for thematic, rather than tiresome, however.

Idea 2: Modifying Chassis

A basic tenant of the Real Robot style is for everything to be a mass produced item, often with a comparatively small number of main designs. The quickest way to introduce that feeling of uniformity is to simply have one chassis, letting pilot types and modules do the heavy lifting. You just need to ensure your chosen chassis does not present an obvious balance issue in bulk. Having a squad of strikers for example would hamstring the reactor mechanic without a modification. So, that's what I did for a game, I took that ability out and replaced it with stuff from other classes. modules and weapon qualities to create the feel of unified team, but each having a speciality.

Idea 3: Modify Level-ups

Following on from the above, you could change how a mecha levels up. It's far from unheard of for a generalist mecha to be customised for a specific person, so even if the basics are common, people can specialise in more subtle ways than new Chassis Abilities. There's a whole trope about it, the Ace Custom. So, while things like Hit Die could remain fixed, the other stats may level up differently. So, you might use the brawler as a base, but allow players to be "Scout Specialists" and level like a scout.

Idea 4: Command and Supply Vehicles

A concept that pops up occasionally is the idea of a non-humanoid support vehicle. Say a truck loaded with sensors to guide the Mecha, or supplies to assist. This might be an NPC, but then again you do get people whom enjoy playing support/healer/Auxillary, so here's some rules for that. This inspiration here is mainly the example in 08TH MS Team, although the modules lean on Front Mission.

 

Support Truck Chassis

Hit Die D6 Damage Die D4 Reactor Die D6

Levelling

Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for System and Presence. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

Starting HP

1d6 + 3

Proficiencies

Light Ranged Weapons, Light Amour.

Starting Equipment

Comlink, Defensive Turret (Light Ranged Weapon), Light Armour.

Sensor Boom

You gain Advantage on System tests to detect Distant and beyond-distant foes. You also gain Advantage on Initiative tests, provided at no foes are Close or Near.

Target Designator

See the Auxillary's Reinforce ability.

Support Truck Modules

Weapon Rack: You have stowage for weapons and shields, equivalent to 6 hands. You or a friendly Close Mecha may retrieve and henceforth operate a single piece of equipment with a Use action.

Emergency Repair Beam: As a Use action, immediately repair 1HP to all Close friendly mecha. Mecha with no AP remaining also gain a 1AP as well. Roll your reactor die.

If you do end up using these rules, please let me know how it turns out.