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(c)2000 Electronic Transcendence Productions. Maintained by [ Eliot Lefebvre ]. |
An unofficial Thrash Sourcebook by Eliot Lefebvre and Russell "Daishinaga" Mott  Table of Contents
 Chapter One: Introduction
"Life is cheap. BattleMechs are expensive."
It was never to be finished. However, mecha are still an inextricable part of anime, and this sourcebook could only be left unfinished for so long. As a genre that holds a particularly special place in my heart, I was unhappy to let this sourcebook slide into oblivion, never to again be touched upon. Mr. Pool allowed free reign over the material in this sourcebook to whoever would want to modify it, and finally, I decided to take over. Turned out that I was in no respects alone in this deisre - Daishinaga also decided to take on the task of bringing Mecha Thrash to completion. We decided, after some work independently, to join forces in creating this sourcebook, and the result is the supplement you read now - an add-on to Thrash with a full set of rules for playing mecha in a campaign. Use it as a player's tool to make more interesting and diverse character. Use it as a GM to create new menaces to throw at players. Use it in both ways to spread the campaign world out. Or, if you really dislike it, use it to line your birdcages. (But I wouldn't recommend that.) A Note on the Design Theory of Thrash It's worth noting that Thrash, as a game, is about 180 degrees from the standard techniques of RPGs. Rather than giving the players randomly determined stats, or giving them a set few choices from a list of what the designers have seen fit to provide, Thrash allows a character to worry about what they want to do and then worry about number crunching, instead of the other way around. As a result, it makes a poor introductory RPG (newbies - and this is in no way an arrogant putdown - have trouble figuring out what they actually want), but more experienced gamers can run free where they choose what they want rather than what they're allowed. Of course, this design theory does give munchkins some leeway, as the rules can be relatively easily abused by a smart gamer. Then again, this can just as easily be countered by a skilled or sadistic GM. In short, Thrash is option-centered - a system that can be extremely entertaining if used correctly. Disclaimer Thrash is owned by Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney, as is the Thrash Sourcebook. Xenogears is owned by SquareSoft. Robotech is owned by Harmony Gold. Battletech is owned by FASA. (Granted, Battletech is neither anime nor fighting game, but it was based off anime, and it is giant robots. Besides, it's cool enough to count, besides having enough mecha stuff to make you flip out.) Armored Core (and Project Phantasma, for that matter) is owned by From Software (is that REALLY the name?). And so forth. To make a long disclaimer short(er), all copyrighted material within is owned by the respective authors, and this document in no way challenges that ownership, being written with the utmost respect for the original authors. (Just look on the front page for an even longer disclaimer.) Revision History
 Chapter Two: Building the Better Mecha
"Never thought I'd work on this gear again..." So you want to design your own mecha. Welcome to the club. Few vehicles get the sort of notice that mecha do - even though the term "mecha" covers all vehicles in theory, merely the name itself conjures up images of something grander than your stereotypical ice-cream van. They are the epitome of modern technology - a craft with incredible military power as well as mobility, plus one that is intimidating enough to send the message "don't mess with me" without much effort. (We will ignore the obvious questions of actual tactical worth in a real battlefield - you can argue both sides endlessly.) Unfortunately, creating an actual, physical mecha is well-night impossible (although that does not stop some people from trying). This chapter is designed to provide the next-best thing - the chance to design a fictional mecha from scratch. This is done for two reasons. One: In most series, each character's mecha / 'Mech / Gear / whatever precise name you want to use for it is custom-designed. Second: The GM needs a way to create mass-produced standardized designs, possibly even for character usage. Finally, there's just a certain fun element in crafting things like that. This chapter details all the steps required to get your own vessel of mass destruction rolling off the production lines. A Quick Note to GMs This creation system is expanded, renovated, and redesigned to handle far more situations than was previously possible. It might even seem that it can handle every possible contingency. However, as any GM will know, players can always come up with curveballs (sometimes specifically to see how far they can stretch the system). If worst comes to worst and you absolutely can't find any rules governing the design your players want - or that you want - just make a decision and run with it. After all, it's your game. Step 0: Design Concept
"You probably just don't know how to use it." Your character didn't spring full-formed into the world one day (and even if they did, there's a story behind that). Neither did your mecha. Although it might be interesting if you could create mecha from sheer force of will, it's not likely. The mecha came from somewhere, and that somewhere is where this step comes into play. Otherwise, your mecha is little more than a collection of numbers thrown together - possibly intruiging to a Calculus professor, but nobody else. What follows is just a sample of the sort of questions you should be asking about your mecha:
Where did you get it?
What is it designed for?
Who manufactured it?
What does it look like? On Mecha Sizes Future portions of this sourcebook will refer to the base mecha height. What is that? Depends upon the GM and the campaign world. The base mecha height is a way to avoid getting bogged down in mechanics problems because a GM wants 15m mecha instead of 10m mecha. Eliot uses a base of 5m (due to an overabundance of Transformers on the brain), while Daishinaga prefers closer to 10m (we don't bloody know why, though we suspect Battletech). The GM should inform you early on about what the base height for a mecha is - it is important, especially when buying Huge/Small Size. On Mecha Control How mecha are controlled is an important aspect of the game, but not a difficult one to cope with. There are three primary ways of controlling a mecha: the cockpit, remote-control, or AI. This design process assumes that the default is to be piloted by the cockpit. Remote piloting can be bought during character creation. If your mecha is going to be piloted totally by artificial intelligence, then it's a robot, and you should skip ahead to that section of the rules before proceeding. Step One: Mecha Attributes
"At speeds that high, the naked eye is useless! You need high-tech equipment to hit anything!" Outside a mecha, a martial artist's strength means quite a bit. But once inside, it is the mecha's strength and performance that are meaningful, not the pilot's strength. Therefore, mecha have their own stats. There are five primary stats and derived stats. All characters get 60 construction points (CP) to spend on their mecha's primary stats, weaponry, and advantages / disadvantages. No more than 30 points may be used on all stats, with a maximum of 10 for individual stats. If that limit really bugs you, don't worry - frame construction allows you to circumvent the 30-point limit, and you can use advantages to shoot your attribute cap above 10. Now that we have the ground rules down, feel free to start buying stats. 1 CP increases a stat by 1 point (makes sense). Primary stats Strength: This works exactly the same as in the Thrash Rulebook. The higher the mecha's strength, the more damage it can do with a melee or unarmed attack. Unlike normal Thrash characters, however, mecha don't calculate Basic Damage - the whole value of Strength is used for attacks. Stamina: Also the same as in the basic Thrash Rulebook. The higher the mecha's stamina, the more health the mecha will have, in addition to helping the mecha in soak rolls. Power: Although super technology has given mecha absurdly high power sources, their power supply can't run forever. The power stat influences the energy power secondary stat in a similar way that Focus influences Chi. It's the least "direct" of the five stats - you won't use Power in rolls or actions very often - but it can be used in some cases to recharge your energy. In addition, if "Focus Systems" are purchased (see Step 3), it acts in lieu of Focus. Move: Some mecha are fast, some are slow - that's a given. The move stat determines how far a mecha can move in any form - walking, sprinting, flying, or anything else. Move substitutes for the speed portion of Agility, but not the manual dexterity. Response: Certain mecha just respond better to a pilot's commands. It usually isn't difficult to see your opponent, but when they're moving, you need your mecha to place that punch when you TELL it to place that punch. To make a long stat explanation shorter, Response is the dexterity portion of Agility for mecha. The most important use it has is when you try to hit something, but Response may be used to see if your mecha reacts in time. Derived stats Note: While these stats are all derived from the other stats, 1 CP may be spent for +5 Health or EPs. Health: Same as the normal Thrash stat. All mecha have (Stamina x 10) Health. At 0 Health, a mecha is disabled, although still repairable. At -50% of its maximum Health, a mecha is destroyed beyond any repair - the best-case scenario is that it can fetch a good selling price as scrap metal. To simplify interactions between unaugmented characters and those riding in mecha (something similar to how B-ko used mecha against A-ko in Project A-ko) there is no difference in scale between player Health and mecha Health. Of course, mecha have a lot more Health than normal characters. Energy Power: Produced by multiplying the mecha's Power stat by 5 (power x 5), the EP stat is used to determine how long the mecha can stay operational on a prolonged basis. Note that EP is only necessary for times when the mecha is really doing something. If it's just walking or flying, you don't need to worry about EP, since the mecha is considered to have a self-replenishing power source to some extent. (This is called dramatic license - it isn't much fun to stop mecha battles while you search frantically for a Citgo station.) For every 15 minutes (around 180 rounds - you've been fighting quite some time, haven't you?) spent in action, subtract 1 EP from the current total. In addition, any energy guns built into the mecha require siphoning off the mecha's power core thus killing a point of EP when fired. If the mecha's EP rating reaches zero, it shuts down and needs to be recharged. Pilots may also, if necessary, switch energy weapons that normally have their own power supply to the mecha's power core (ie, if the weapon's out of shots). In such a case, each shot eats up 1 EP, so this should usually be a last resort. Mecha APs: Just like martial artists, mecha can't move endlessly, and they need some way to regulate their AP. This is calculated similar to normal APs, but slightly differently. Add your Move stat to the levels you have in a Mecha style (for details on the differences, see Chapter 3). For example: Argus's mecha has a Move of 6, and he has mecha Kung-Fu 4. He therefore has 10 mecha APs. Stability: The mecha equivalent to a dizzy threshold, this is a representation of the mecha getting thrown completely off-balance. Stability is equal to Stamina + Move + 20. Rather than being dizzied, however, surpassing the Stability of a mecha causes a Knockdown, and the corresponding effects to being knocked on the ground. Rage Thresholds for Mecha: While inside, pilots can get ticked off as well as anyone else when their mecha is pummeled. Of course, it take more to irritate someone when it isn't their body getting pounded. For this reason, increase the character's Rage threshold by 20 points while in a mecha. If the mecha take damage that exceeds the threshold, the usual effects take place.
"If anyone had a sword, I could make an incredible Gear weapon..." It only takes a brief glance at a few different mecha to see that there are as many different types of design as there are mecha series. And not surprisingly, this is an important part of mecha design. Rather than constrain designers to a set of pre-made body types, frame assembly allows variety and diversity among mecha without any adverse effects to the rules system. There are a few primary components to every mecha: torso, legs, arms, head, and (almost always) weapons. Even within those constraints, however, a great deal of variety can be achieved. Moreover, there are systems that are not universal to mecha, but still common: specialized sensors, boosters, alternate generator systems, and transformation systems. All of this comes into play as you design your mecha's frame. Note that most of these frame components can alter stats, both secondary and primary. These alterations are independent of normal stat calculations. Higher Stamina does not translate directly into extra health, and so forth. The primary advantage to altering stats in this area is that you are no longer restricted by the 30-point limit - sink points into stats to your heart's delight. You are, however, still restricted to a maximum of 10 (until the next phase). An Incredibly Quick Lesson On Frames & Weapons
"Oh, man, I feel naked without my gun..." Each section will refer to the number of hardpoints provided by a piece of the frame. This might be familiar territory for you, but on the chance it isn't, and since the terminology is used at least somewhat loosely, here's an incredibly quick & dirty explanation of how it works. Hardpoints are locations on a mecha where weapons can be mounted externally without major structural problems. (For those of you really unfamiliar with these things, major structural problems are a bad thing.) Physically, it's probably possible to slap more weapons onto the mecha, but the number of hardpoints indicate how many can be included without any real adverse effects to the structure, and can be fired reliably. For example, reverse-joint legs could theoretically have two hardpoints, but due to their movement pattern and the structure of the legs, it's really not a good idea to stick more weapons there. Enhanced hardpoints indicate a larger surface on which to mount weapons. All weaponry may be mounted on hardpoints. These weapons are not quite built-in, so there is a limit to the number of weapons that may be mounted in such a fashion. Built-in weapons take up no hardpoints - they are integrated directly into the frame's interior. In addition, weapons may replace lower arms, removing no hardpoints, but also removing the use of hands. These are integrated, but do not take up space, and the cost of adding in fire controls is balanced by the chance to remove the controls for the hand. Torso Every mecha has a torso. It's required. The torso is where the generator is housed, sometimes where the cockpit rests, often a storehouse for weapons - in short, it is the most important part of a mecha. Without the torso, there is no mecha to speak of. Of course, that isn't to say that it can't be modified. Under normal situations, the torso has 2 hardpoints, and no bonuses to armor or Stamina. Augmentation: For 1 CP, you may add +1 to Stamina or +2 to armor. In addition, 1 CP increases the number of hardpoints to four, but the number may not be increased beyond that. No Arms: If you want to construct an animal-style mecha, this is how to do it. You get 3 extra CPs, but you no longer have any arms. You cannot mount weapons in place of arms, or anything of the sort. The mecha is, essentially, a head, a torso, and legs, with some weapons strapped on. No extra hardpoints are gained (though the 1 CP cost starts to look more attractive). Extra Arms: On the other hand, maybe you want a second set of arms. An extra pair of arms costs 3 CP, but allows a completely separate set of arms to deal with as desired. This cannot be purchased more than once, as it becomes physically impossible to still retain the normal number of arm hardpoints and the ilk. Head "Head" might be a bit misleading, because not every form of mecha will have one. Can you see a car or a jet with a readily identifiable "head"? However, every single mecha will have some form of central control built into it, or the mecha would barely be worth its weight in sand. Since the vast majority of the mecha that this system is expected to be used for will probably be humanoid, the term "head" is used for convenience and ease of reference. Note that a head need not be small, or even conventional. Among the examples of more extreme head designs are the AT-ST from Star Wars, the Mad Cat/Timber Wolf from Battletech, and Dorkas from Virtual On. A head has no basic stats - it is too small for conventional hardpoints. Augmentation: 1 CP increases Response by +1. A head may not have hardpoints. It may only have one weapon built-in. Sensors: While most pilots are satisfied with little more than the basic video feed, others opt for something a little more diverse and applicable to a wider range of tasks. Normal sensors suites, bought for 2 CP, include thermal and seismic sensors, as well as rudimentary radar. Another 2 CP adds the ability to switch along the entire electromagnetic spectrum for visuals and a more in-depth radar system. Although none of these sensors provide flat-out bonuses, the GM should award players who use them creatively - for example, using the radar to spot incoming attacks, or using the thermal sensors to pick out other mecha hiding in the trees. For a final 2 CP, the mecha can analyze the stats of enemy mecha at will, and the GM should allow the player to see the stats of enemy mecha should they so desire. Some GMs may simply declare that one of these levels applies to all mecha and be done with it. Thought Control: Though most mecha feature manual control systems, it is certainly possible for a mecha to be controlled by mere brain waves. (Well, possible in the sense that any death machine three times human height is possible.) This doesn't have any direct benefits, although such mecha usually have high response and are likely to be granted with a psychic link with their pilot. They're also fodder for Focus Systems (see below) like Zen No Mind. Legs "Legs" might be misleading, actually, because this category covers all and any methods of locomotion by mecha (aside from flight - keep scrolling down). To list every single conceivable type of motion here would be mind-numbing, so for claritiy's sake, all basic (useful) types can be broken down into the following categories:
Type Move Stability Hardpoints Other Humanoid +0 +0 2 N/A Reverse +1 +0 0 N/A Quad +0 +2 2 1 CP cost Spider -1 +2 2 N/A Wheeled +0 +0 4 Lack of legs Tracked -1 +2 4 Lack of legs Hover +1 -2 2 Lack of legsAugmentation: Legs can be augmented to some extend. For 1 CP, the Move bonus can be increased by +1, or Stability can be increased by +2. 2 more hardpoints may be added for 1 CP, but this may only be done once. For example, humanoid legs can have 4 hardpoints, but no more. Arms Arms are different from the other mentioned systems. Every mecha needs a torso, legs and a head (or cockpit), but not every mecha needs (or uses) arms. However, amongst vaguely humanoid mecha, it is more common to see arms than to not see them. Then again, some mecha might have normal arms, while others might use their arms to cram even more weaponry onto their mecha. It's all in the designer's hands. For our purposes, there are two basic types of arms - humanoid arms and weapon arms. Humanoid arms are just that - normal, humanoid arms. Weapon arms are arms that have weapons mounted in place of their normal arms. The weapon rules slightly ahead explain in more detail how weapons can be mounted in weapon arms. In general, however, both types have two hardpoints per arm, and each arm can certainly be a different type. Note also that weapon arms are unable to grasp objects, or perform any grab maneuvers. Any punch maneuvers are at -2 accuracy with a weapon arm. Augmentation: Arms can certainly be augmented, especially considering they provide the largest number of hardpoints. (Four, total.) For 1 CP, the mecha can gain +1 to Strength, or can gain two extra hardpoints. Each arm may sport up to four hardpoints (eight total hardpoints for the pair), so the two hardpoints may be arranged as desired. Generator Systems (Optional) In truth, generator systems in and of themselves aren't optional. Every mecha has some sort of generator by necessity - that's how they manage to have a Power stat. Generators are essential to the mecha's continued operation. So, if every mecha has a system, why is this part optional? Because there are a wide variety of possible power sources, in truth. And depending on the style of the campaign, how a mecha is powered might be very important. If a mecha only runs on argon, what happens when the argon supply runs out? There's more to mecha than simply having power. And there are different ideas about how mecha generators run. These can generally be split into three different categories:
Generator Augmentation: 1 CP adds +1 to Power or +5 to EP, similar to the other frame parts. Since a generator is mounted inside of a torso, it obviously has no hardpoints. Universal Generators: Under normal circumstances, mecha are assumed to normally have the Finite Power system. However, that doesn't mean that every single mecha campaign will fit with this. A Robotech campaign would be far closer to the game system if it used Cycling Power, while Xenogears wouldn't make sense without Rechargeable Power. To simulate this, you can state that another system is the normal system for mecha. However, should you allow players to change power systems, simply reduce all CP costs by the normal cost for your universal system. For example, if every mecha was assumed to have Cycling Power, Finite Power would award 4 CP, Rechargeable Power would yield 2 CP, and Cycling Power would cost nothing. Boosters (Optional) Sooner or later, mecha are going to run up against something they can't just jump over, or something that they need to avoid for whatever reason. In short, they'll need to move in a manner that wouldn't conventionally be possible. That's where boosters come in. Boosters aren't necessary parts on a mecha, but they are the system that allows mecha to take their conflict beyond the ground, to the sky, the ocean, and even deep space. The basic booster system costs 1 CP, and can allow movement in air, space, or underwater. Note that this is only movement. If your mecha isn't sealed against the vacuum of space, this WON'T fix that problem, but it WILL mean that your mecha can fly in aforementioned vacuum. Your mecha need not be able to fly in air to be able to fly in space, and vice versa. (For the unaware, flight systems in an atmosphere are quite different from those out of an atmosphere.) Although the systems allow flight (or similar underwater movement), they do not add any movement bonuses on the ground. In addition, at the basic level, activating boosters costs 1 EP, and requires 1 EP for each round remaining in flight (or swimming). Extra Movement Modes: 1 CP allows the boosters to operate in another environment besides their primary one. So, airborne boosters could also allow space flight. Movement Bonuses: Some mecha are more or less agile in the air (or water) than on solid ground. This might be to aerodynamics of the design, an abundance or lack of thrust-vector ports, or simply quirks of operation. 1 CP adds a +1 to Move while the booster system is active. Or, if you have a less-than-effective airborne (or seaborne) system, you gain 1 CP for each -1 to move while the boosters are activated. No Legs: If you want a jet for a mecha, this is the system. You gain 5 CPs, but you lose any access to legs and accompanying hardpoints. Effectively, your mecha must have boosters active to be in movement at all. On the other hand, you may increase torso hardpoints up to six, at the normal CP cost. Non-VTOL: Normally, boosters are assumed to provide VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing), so that a mecha using them can simply activate or deactivate them at will. However, certain mecha (most fighter jets) require some movement before takeoff. This disadvantage gives 2 CPs, but also means that your mecha must spend half their AP moving in a straight line the round they activate their boosters, and must move at least one hex each turn the boosters are active (elevation levels do not count). Ground Movement: Triggering a quick burst from booster systems can help a mecha fighting on the ground in certain cases. This can only be used for situations where the mecha is surrounded by their medium of movement (normal conditions for air, underwater for underwater systems, and on a planet or asteroid without an atmosphere to speak of for space). For 1 CP, the booster can be activated as normal, but doubles Move for all movement purposes while active. In this case, the mecha must move at least one hex each round the system is active. It's up to the GM whether any movement bonuses from normal booster movement apply to this. Reduced Energy Consumption: For every 1 CP spent on it, the number of rounds before there is any EP consumption is increased by one. For example, 3 CP would mean that the mecha only had to spend 1 EP every four rounds using the booster. The 1 EP activation cost remains. Universal Boosters: In some games, all mecha will be assumed to have some sort of booster system. This is simply achieved - simply declare the basic stats of this system and offer it for 0 CP. If any of the enhancements are removed (or the system is foregone), its normal cost is instead a rewarded amount of CP. For example, if the base system allows air and space flight, consuming 1 EP for every two rounds active, a player could remove air or space flight for 1 extra CP, could increase EP consumption for 1 extra CP, or ditch the entire system for 3 extra CP.
"I can't transform..." Sooner or later, every designer runs into the inevitable problem: there's no way they can fit everything they want to onto the current design, or they are torn between two equally functional designs. In reality, the answer usually takes some thorough debate. Ever since Macross, however, mecha have had a different answer: make a mecha that changes its form. And from the variations on the jet theme in Macross, transforming mecha have gone on to have nearly every form imaginable - and then some. Not every mecha can transform, but it's certainly one of the more commonly-seen ideals of mecha series. 2 CP must be paid for each form you want your mecha to have. In that form, you essentially go through frame construction all over again, although you cannot change certain things. For quick reference:
Transformation Speed: Normally, transformation requires half of the mecha's total APs, rounded down. For 3 CPs, the transformation moves far faster, and only takes one-fourth of the mecha's total APs to be completed. On the other hand, you can have the transformation take all of the mecha's APs in one round and gain 3 CPs.
"Predacons! Form PREDAKING!" Sometimes, one mecha isn't enough. Sometimes, not even five is enough. Certain situations call for a pooling of power into one distinct form. As in other cases, mecha have developed an answer to precisely that problem. Multiple mecha can all join together to form one massive, extremely powerful, unquestionable expression of mecha power. In short, a gestalt. Gestalt is a psychological term, indicating something that is more than merely the sum of its parts. It is derived from the terminology of Transformers fandom, which refers to all combining groups of robots as gestalts. Examples include several groups from Transformers, Voltron, and the Element Gears from Xenogears. Although gestalts aren't necessarily unbelievably uncommon, GMs should be careful to avoid having massive numbers of gestalts running around - they are easily ungodlike in their power levels. Constructing them is fairly easy. Add up the total CP of each mecha involved in the gestalt (60 for starting mecha). The gestalt form of the various mecha has CP to spend on creation equal to the total sum of CP totals involved. For example: a five-mecha gestalt using starting mecha (60 CP) has (60+60+60+60+60) CP to be built with, or 300 CP. Gestalts, obviously, are very powerful. During the merge, their base height is considered to be at least twice the usual base height - for example, since this author assumes five meters as a base height normally, a gestalt would be around ten meters. Gestalt Merging: Gestalts don't always operate combined. To merge reduces their EP by half of their maximum EP. Operating as a gestalt also puts a big drain on the gestalt's own power supply (considered to be independent) - they drain one EP every round. When its EP reaches zero, it breaks up. EP is automatically refilled when it merges again - but for obvious reasons, merging very often is simply not fesable. Normally, the merge takes up half of the mecha APs of all the pilots, but Fast or Slow merges may be bought just like for Transformation. Gestalt Piloting: Gestalts, in gestalt form, are more or less just really big mecha, so they can only have one pilot at a time, or two if they have the Tailgunner advantage. The current pilot can be switched at the cost of 1 AP. Otherwise, they act like normally piloted mecha in all respects. AP totals do change with pilots, but on the round after the pilot changes. Common Traits: Gestalts already have several levels of Huge Size counted against them without any extra points - Small Size can be quite useful, or just go with the flow and up the Huge Size. They are rarely very quick, but have devestating weaponry. If one of their components possesses something like ECM or Ether Machine, the gestalt will likely possess it at least at the same level as their component - if not at a higher level. Plain and simple, you have lots of points to spend - craft your powerful mecha. Reverse Gestalts: Before the question gets asked - yes, starting mecha can be turned into gestalts. It's possible to create mecha where the merged form is the "actual" form, and the separate form is the "alternate" form. Just divide the total points of the main form amongst all of the lesser forms. (So a starting mecha made into a 5-vehicle reverse gestalt would give each vehicle an average of 12 CP.) Each vehicle in the group is considered to be under the Remote Piloting advantage as long as the pilot is in one of the vehicles. Eject Gestalts: Seen in the original Gundam's Core Block System and in certain other mecha systems, this is an emergency ejection system that allows a vehicle to break away and run when the main mecha is destroyed. This works more or less the same as normal reverse gestalts, with two restrictions - the escape pod can't cost more than 1/3rd of the mecha's total CP (20 CP for a starting mecha), and the other 2/3rds of the points can't be spent on anything (that's the hunk of metal that gets blown up). It costs 2 CP to implement this system. Melee Weapons Be they anything from claws to beam swords, melee weapons include all weapons that require being within close combat range. Despite the fact that most mecha series take place in the distant future, when logic would dictate closer-range weapon would largely be obsolete, it has never gone out of vogue to see close-combat weapons on mecha. Basic Construction: Melee Weapons start out at a reach of 1 and all other stats 0 for 1 CP. Increasing Reach by 1, Accuracy by +1, Damage by +1, Move by +1, or lowering the AP cost by 1 costs 1 CP. On the other hand, lowering Accuracy by -1, Damage by -1, Move by -1, or increasing the AP cost by 1 provides 1 extra CP. You can also gain 1 extra CP by increasing the number of hands required for the weapon by 1. The cost of a weapon may never drop below 1. In addition, every time the cost of the weapon reaches a multiple of 6 (6, 12, 18, 24... you probably won't get past that, plus you get the idea), it requires either one additional hand or 2 extra CPs. This only applies to basic modifications - adding special effects like entangling does not count towards the 6 CP barrier. Energy Weaponry: It's not uncommon to see energy-based versions of these weapons in mecha. Energy-based variants are faster, lighter, and more powerful, but their primary advantage is the fact that they do not use an actual material blade, minimizing weight and clumsiness. Any weapon may be upgraded to a basic energy model for 3 more CPs, which adds +1 to accuracy, -1 to APs, and +1 to damage over the basic model. They also do not require any addition hands or CP when they pass multiples of 6. Vibro-Weapons: Rather nasty pieces of work, Vibro-Weapons actually have rapidly vibrating blades/points/whatever that deal even more damage when they hit. Double the cost of the weapon for the Vibro version, and roll twice as many dice for each blow in addition to the damage bonus. Vibro-Weapons cannot have any other melee weapon add-ons, although they may still buy up Damage, Move, etc. Special Effects: For 1 CP, the weapon entangles its victim upon a successful attack, and the victim must spend 5 APs and make a contested strength roll vs. the weapon's damage bonus and the wielder's strength to break free. For 1 CP, the weapon is a throwing weapon, and can be thrown Strength hexes, but it must be retrieved manually and does not return automatically unless 1 extra CP is spent. Weapon Mounting: Most close-range weapons are hand-held. A one-hand weapon may be mounted on an arm hardpoint and still used, or integrated in place of a lower arm, like firearms. Although this costs nothing, it prohibits usage of a hand, which balances things. Multi-handed weapons may still be integrated into the design according to the rules for multi-handed firearms as described below, in the section titled (appropriately enough) Firearms. Firearms Unlike the standard Thrash rules, Mecha Thrash uses a great deal of firearms, since they are very common in most mecha series. Mecha might use a lot of swords and spears, but few avoid having at least one übercannon. (The exception, of course, being Xenogears - and yes, I will probably reference that game often.) Weapons, for the sake of customization, are more or less built from the ground up by the mecha's creator. Note that projectile type doesn't matter - you can have missiles, bullets, coins, or whatever coming out of the business end of the firearm, just as long as you've defined everything in system terms. Damage: Firearms can deal a base of 1d6 for 2 CPs, 1d8 for 3 CPs, 1d10 for 4 CPs, or 1d12 for 5 CPs. Each extra die of damage costs 2 more CPs. So, if you want a weapon that deals 3d8 damage, you spend 3 CP for base 8, then 4 CP for two extra dice, for a grand total of 7 CPs. APs: Weapons cost a base number of APs to fire equal to their damage rating (6 for d6, 8 for d8, 10 for d10). For 2 CPs, you can decrease the AP cost by 1, to a minimum of 1 AP per shot. You can also gain 2 CPs by increasing the AP cost by 1. Accuracy: At base, all weapons have a +0 to Accuracy. For 1 CP, this may be increased by one, or it may be reduced by one for 1 CP. However, the maximum in either direction is 4, so it may have up to +4 or down to -4. Range: Firearms start at a range of 6 hexes. This can be increased by 1 hex per CP spent on the weapon, or can reward 1 CP per hex of reduction. Ammo: Firearms start at 15 shots. For 1 CP, five shots can be tacked on, while you can gain 1 CP for only having 10 shots, or 2 CPs for only having 5 shots. Special Effects: Chi Blasts might take the cake for bizzare variations, but there are plenty of mecha firearms that have some rather unique effects characteristic to them. What follows are some of the more common variations.
Step Three: Mecha Advantages / Disadvantages Mecha might not suffer from psychological disorders, but they can have awkward chinks in their armor. On the other side of the fence, while they might not have a learning advantage, they can have the ability to channel more powerful Focus maneuvers through their frames. Though the theme of advantages and disadvantages is different from those of characters, the idea is the same: extra bonuses or weaknesses that deplete or add to your mecha's total pool of points. Life may not be fair, but all character points were created equal. Advantages Advanced Manueverability (2 per +2): Your mecha has a greater range of motion than most - perhaps it's constructed from ultralight metals, or simply more responsive. The bonus is added directly to melee attacks, piloting rolls, and dodging. Autopilot (2/4): The mecha has at least a rudimentary intelligence that allows it to operate by its own in some situations. Depending on the CPs spent, this may be a rather elaborate system, or simply a dummy program that can hold down the fort. At 2 CPs, the mecha operates with mental stats of 3, and can obey any simple commands short of entering combat. At 4 CPs, the mecha operates with mental stats of 5, and can perform any moderately complex task, up to engaging in one-on-one combat. Cloaking (5/level): Cloaking makes your mecha virtually invisible to all forms of detection - thermal, visual, etc. It costs 1 EP per round to maintain a cloak, but nobody else is aware of you unless you make them aware. Should another mecha have the chance to see through the cloak and locate your mecha - usually after you've attacked - they roll Intelligence vs. your mecha's Response and levels in Cloaking. Success negates the invisibility (with respect to that enemy), while failure means you can continue to dance around without being seen... Dimensional Storage (2 per 5 cubic meters of "space"): Rather than storing items within its body, the mecha can shunt its weapons and other objects into another subdimension (affectionately known among Transfans as "subspace"). There is still a limit to how much can be shunted in, and this cannot be used to store living creatures, but otherwise it allows a mecha instant access to anything it has stored with but a thought. ECM (2/level): ECM, shorthand for electronic countermeasures, is the name given to a wide variety of systems designed to seriously screw with mecha sensors, hopefully to prevent your opponents from getting anything but a field of white snow on their targeting computer. For each level of ECM, any sensor rolls made by enemy mecha gain a +1 to difficulty, including any attack rolls. It's generally assumed friendly systems are immune to ECM on their side, but if all of the mecha are from wildly different sources, the GM is within their power to state that it effects all mecha within its area of effect. ECM can be turned on and off at will, and affects targets up to (Response x 2) hexes away.
ECCM (1/level): ECCM is the direct response to ECM - a system designed to prevent ECM from effectively taking hold. However, it doesn't do anything like ECM - just prevents the usage of ECM. For each level in ECCM, the mecha can negate one level of ECM acting on them. If the level of ECCM is higher than any ECM systems working on the mecha, the ECCM maybe extended out in a radius of 1 hex per extra level. Eject (1/2): Basically, a last-ditch attempt of the pilot to avoid going down with the mecha. For one point, this is simply having your control seat hurled out of the exploding mecha, leaving you more or less defenseless and hoping you land on something that won't explode. For two points, the eject system ejects a small pod, which has 5 health points and is vacuum-sealed if the mecha itself is. Neither system will actually provide you with transport - once you've landed, it's time to get far away from the battle as fast as possible, or time to get stepped on by a mecha. Enhanced Hydraulics (2): Maybe your mecha was originally designed to be a construction robot and you later slapped guns on it, maybe it's just really strong. For whatever reason, you don't have much trouble Ether Machine (1/level): Your mecha is designed to allow you the ability to use Focus maneuvers through it as if it were your own body. In addition, for each level past the first, the machine adds +1 to your Focus while you're in the mecha. (In some games, such as Xenogears, the GM might simply declare that ALL mecha have this ability, and that this advantage directly gives the +1 per level.) Exceptional Attribute (2 per +1): All mecha have a limit of 10 in all five of their attributes. Your mecha, however, is capable of reaching beyond that. For every two CPs used, your mecha can go one point higher in that stat than usual. This doesn't include that extra point, which you'll have to pay for yourself. Parachute (1): Nothing much to say - a big piece of cloth designed to keep the mecha from crashing into the earth when falling. Can also be used for swifter stops for mecha moving at extremely high speeds (such as dragsters). Passenger Storage (varies): The mecha or vehicle is made to hold extra passengers. For passenger vehicles such as airline cruisers, the vehicle can store 20 people per CP alloted to the advantage. For other mecha, 1 CP will allow you take up to 3 people with you. The passengers may not interact with your operation of the vehicle unless you pick up the Tailgunner advantage. Pinpoint Barrier (1 per 4 health points): Similar to a normal shield, this gives your mecha a small, energy-based barrier that requires no hardpoints to generate. This can absorb a certain amount of damage if used. If you decide to use the system, you spend 1 EP and all incoming damage that round is applied instead to the barrier (the rest is ignored). The shield soaks damage with Power and nothing else. Once reduced to 0, the shield requires 1 EP to regenerate, and must be given five rounds to fully reactivate. Material Storage (1 per 5 cubic meters of space): Your mecha has a speacial storage compartment that allows you to store extra cargo. Such mecha tend to have this space in a sort of 'backpack', if humanoid. Micromanipulators (2): Via utility arms, energy manifestations, or any pseudoscience explanation you can come up with, the mecha can manipulate objects down on human scale. This is rather awkward, fairly useless in combat, and does not exactly make the mecha eligible to hold a position as a waiter, but it can allows for relatively fine manipulation. Nanotech (6): Nanites (tiny robots) inhabit the mecha's body and help it self-repair at an amazing rate. The mecha automatically regenerates 1 point of Health every round of combat it's below full. Outside of combat, the mecha autorepairs 1d10 damage per day, and can regenerate any destroyed components of its body within 1d10 days. Reinforced Knuckles (1 per +2): The mecha's knuckles are reinforced with several layers of extra metal or some spikes, giving it a +2 bonus to punching damage. This advantage can also be used as "Reinforced Feet" for kicking damage. Shield (1 per 6 health points): On one of your mecha's arm hardpoints sits a plate of reinforced steel that acts similar to a shield by the european knights of old. This shield can be used to parry damage that might normally cripple or destroy your mecha. All the character has to do is declare that he's going to parry the incomming attack with the shield and 1\2 of whatever damage is done is absorbed by the shield (the other half is not counted). No weapons mounted on that arm may be used when parrying with the shield. If the shield's Health rating (rating x 6) reaches zero, it is now a molten piece of scrap metal. Silent Running (1/3): If you ever sell your mecha via infomercial, you can't go wrong with this - your mecha is whisper-quiet when running, making it difficult to detect by sound. One point only confers this effect on your mecha - it still makes noise when you step on things, crash through a forest, but your weapons fire silently. At three points, your mecha has sound-dampening equipment installed, actually removing ambient sound and cancelling even resultant sounds from your operation. Small Size (1/level): While mecha are generally considered to be around five meters tall, your mecha is unusually small, making it hard to notice or hit. For each level of this advantage, your mecha loses .5 meters of height, and other mecha suffer a -1 penalty to hit or detect your mecha. This is common among quick, lightly armed and armored mecha. (It can also be ludicrous if you form the "Leprechaun Brigade" of .5-meter-tall mecha human beings are supposedly piloting.) Tailgunner (4): Your mecha is designed to be run with more than one pilot. The advantage to this is obvious - one person can concentrate completely on moving the mecha, while the other one can fire weaponry. (Why did you think it was called a tailGUNNER?) The tailgunner can either be an autopilot system (in which case you need the earlier advantage - it will still act with mental stats & skills as before, but can enter combat normally), or another person entirely (which requires the Passenger Storage advantage). Techno-Organic (6): The mecha is a synthesis of organic and technological elements. Although it is not sentient, it does regenerate its "body" at a rate of 2d6 Health per day. It can also regrow any lost body elements in 1d10 days. Vacuum Sealing (1): Your mecha is self-contained, and can operate inside a vacuum, underwater, or what have you, without the pilot instantly dying. Also note that if you run out of EP while in said environments, the sealing's life support systems cut out - meaning that you still want to be in an atmosphere before you power down. Disadvantages Defective Fire Controls: (1 per -1): Your mecha's targeting system has a few flaws in it - namely, that it likes to say it has a lock when it doesn't, causing you to waste ammo and effort needlessly. Any rolls to hit a target apply a -1 modifier per level of this disadvantage. Defective Sensors (1 per +1): The state-of-the-art sensors inside your mecha have a wonderful habit of going on the blink when there's anything important happening. Whenever you need to make a roll with your sensors (excluding fire controls - though taking both disadvantages does make sense), you have to make a Pilot Mecha + Intelligence roll against a difficulty of 15 + 1 per level of the disadvantage just to keep your sensors functional. Needless to say, this can get irritating. Huge Size (1 per +1): While most mecha are supposed to be fairly big (I usually assume around 5 meters), your mecha is even bigger, and consequently sticks out like a sore thumb. Since it's easier to hit a massive mecha, you make a wonderful target as a result. Each level tacks on .5 meters of height, and all other mecha get +1 to hit your mecha and +1 to detect your mecha per level. On the other hand, for every five levels of this disadvantage, you may buy hardpoint expansions for each body part one extra time. (Sooner or later, with all that extra space...) This disadvantage goes well with those wanting a heavy mecha with loads of heavy armor. Large Crew (1/level): Three or more people are required to run the mecha, and that is a bad thing. Instead of the normal method of determining mecha AP, each person piloting adds 3 AP, which sounds like a benefit - but styles cannot be used and Move is not added to APs, nor can any maneuvers be implemented, unless all of the pilots are using the same style and maneuver. Even if they all have the same style, style APs are not added. Relevant skills are the average of all the crew members' skill values. Overheating (4): Your mecha tends to run pretty hot in combat - and we mean furnace-level heat. Every round of combat after the first (or every two minutes of a non-combat, high-activity situation), roll 1d10. If you get a 1, the mecha is overheating, and the pilot takes 1d4 damage every round / two minutes until they spend one round / two minutes letting their mecha cool off. Poor Armor Quality (3): Your armor is made of shoddy material or was poorly made. As a result you get (stamina x 6) for HP. Poor Fire Controls (2): For whatever reason, your mecha's targeting system has trouble locking on to things if you've been moving around first. If you move at least 1 hex, then you incur a -2 penalty to any to-hit rolls. Random Shutdown (6): Sometimes, the darn thing just doesn't want to start - and multi-ton machines tend to do what they want. This works like Overheating, but if you roll 1, your mecha cannot do ANYTHING (except watch things fall apart and get pummeled) for 1d4 rounds / 1d8 minutes. Roll 1d10 again before it restarts - if you get another 1, you're still shut down, and have to wait another few rounds/minutes... Weak point (1 per weak point): Some area of your mecha's armor is seriously flawed. When someone hits in that spot, it takes much more damage than normal. If hit on a called shot, that part takes 1.5 times the normal damage. The head, legs, arms, torso, or back are common weak points. Focus Systems (Optional) In certain situations, mecha may have abilities that go beyond those described here, such as teleportation, invisibility, nanite repair armies, and so on. If you don't want the pilot to have these same abilities and have no desire to install an Ether Machine (logical if the campaign really isn't "mystical martial arts crap"), your mecha can still possess these abilities, assuming your GM okays using Focus Systems. Focus systems are fairly simple - buy a Focus maneuver with CP, then give it a system name. (Teleportation could be Phase Shifting, Displacement, and so on...) For any references to Focus or Will, use Power. Move substitutes for Agility, should it be necessary. Add-ons can be purchased normally - but you do not have to purchase multiple focus systems to change the method of performance. In addition, damaging maneuvers should be altered for damage as indicated in Chapter Four. Example: Rob's mecha is going to be teleport-capable, just on the off chance it needs to move but fast. He buys Teleport - with a Power of 6, he can 'port 12 hexes - then purchases Instant Teleport for +2 and Aerial Usage for +1. This brings the total cost of the Quantum Displacement System (nice name, Rob) to 8 CP. He doesn't have to use either Instant Teleport or Aerial Usage when the system activates, however - he can use those at his discretion. Weird Powers
"New package, same product... losers." Cybernetics: Oh, come on.
Psychics: Well, mecha themselves can't be psychics, but their pilots certainly can, and can often take advantage of this factor, either by establishing a psionic link with their mecha (see the next chapter), or by telepathically invading the opposing pilot. If you want to throw around psionics and mecha, then you might want to buy up some Psionic Shielding (2/level). A mecha with Psionic Shielding cannot be affected or penetrated by psionic Disciplines lower than or equal to its level of Shielding, and is unaffected by any Psychic-based maneuvers unless the psychic in question has a Psychic level higher than that of the Shielding. Mutant Animals: Within logic, mecha can most certainly possess these traits. As is common, the CP cost for characters is the same as the CP cost for the mecha. If the pilot is not a mutant animal, they may learn the maneuvers at half CP cost (see the next chapter for more details on mecha maneuvers vs. normal maneuvers). Elementals: Since mecha aren't creatures of flesh and blood, they can't bond with the elements. However, if their pilots are Elementals, then they can most certainly extend their abilities through an Ether Machine, and can create the illusion that their abilities do originate from the mecha. Transformations: Although rare, it is possible for a mecha to have an alternate form besides one granted by the Transformation system - usually, one that is much more powerful, and often less than friendly. (Again, I refer to the masterpiece that is Xenogears, and the relationship between Weltall and Id's Gear.) The most logical use of this Transformation is for it to accompany the transformation of the pilot (a -5 trigger). The Nudity condition cannot be used, and the Chi Cost condition is instead an EP Cost, but otherwise the Transformation works normally. Any weapons, advantages, powers, and whatnot may be bought, and are utterly inaccessible without the transformed mecha. Generic Powers: Energy Reserve makes a pointed amount of sense for mecha, although the storage medium would be EP instead of Chi. Advanced Chi Blasting and Slash Power do not, since any such uses would be channeled through an Ether Machine by the pilot. Power of Cloth... well, I can't understand why you would want it, but hey, if you can create a relatively rational explanation, why not? Anime Shticks don't really make much sense, either, but if you want a mecha with a Shojo Mallet ability... er, go ahead. Step Four: Finishing Touches You have your mecha's stats, picked the advantages\disadvantages, and armed them with whatever weaponry was neccessary, so what's left to do? First make sure to complete the mecha's design concept with whatever adventure hooks you want to attach to it. Also, note the base height you'll be working with for your mecha. (Most everything in this book assumes 5 meters... yours might be different.) Also you should give your mecha a name, preferably something a bit more distinctive and recognizable than "that big metal thing Mike is piloting". Aside from the serial number approach used by Macross and Gundam, you might want to consider the commonly used names that the organization that created the mecha. Animal names (specifically mammals, reptiles, and aquatic life), prominent historical figures (particularly for tanks!), mythological creatures (Dragons, Chimera, Griffons, ect.), dinosaurs, are all common naming conventions. Beyond Construction: Improving your Mecha All right, so your mecha has some things you'd like to improve on. This is probable - if you enjoyed designing the thing, you're going to want to add on more customizations. There are several ways to go about this. One is to use XP to upgrade stats and weaponry. Though this works well in the abstract, it does get a little unrealistic. (Your mecha works better because it's older? Huh?) Stat: Current level x 3 Advantage: Cost x 3 Weapon: CP cost Health\EP: 1 per +1 Another way is to use money to do the upgrades. This would imply that you plan on paying characters money (be it credits, dollars, yen, Gold Pieces, meseta, Gil, or tin cans) for the adventures they do. This might work okay for an Armored Core type approach but might cause the players to focus only on getting money and not the game itself. Stats: Current level x 1000 Advantage: Cost x 3000 Weapon: CP cost x 1000 Health\EP: 1000 Thus upgrading from a Strength of 5 to 6 would cost $5000. It's recommended by Mr. Pool you give 1000 x the XP the characters earned for each adventure, but this author feels that cash earned should be earned through its own methods. The above is a good benchmark, however. New Hardpoints? Invariably, there will come a time when players want to start adding more hardpoints. They're probably sick of paying for having an extra built-in weapon, while they've already used up all of their hardpoints (which tend to go surprisingly quickly, you'll notice). So they ask the obvious question: "Can I buy new hardpoints for my mecha?" Well, no. And yes. Normally, once a mecha is set up, it's set up, period, fini. No hardpoints can be added without comprising the design's integrity. However, certain mecha are designed to swap out certain parts and still retain their fully integrity. This modular construction DOES allow the addition of new frame parts, and CAN increase the number of hardpoints... although it costs 1 XP or 1000 monetary units to add two hardpoints in such a manner. However, don't let players abuse this rule. Generally, mecha must stay within the same basic design. They can add on new parts of the same GENERAL type, but not completely different types. (A reverse-joint mecha could buy more hardpoints, but not change to a wheeled mecha.) In addition, this system should not be available to transformable mecha. Transformation requires more concrete design - after all, the design already has been altered to the point where it can support at least two completely different frames. Future sourcebooks will address the process of part-swapping in more detail, but if it's not a major part of your game, this should suffice.
I live by the belief that in order to teach someone, you have to show them by example. (I also live by the belief that Erin is the most perfect woman in the world, but that has virtually no bearing on this document.) So I'm including this example mecha, the Paladin, to show off how easily you can do this. First off, what kind of mecha do I wanna make? A humanoid design will be a must considering the fantasy mecha setting that is starting to rattle around in my head. So we want an armored knight mecha - Paladin sounds good enough a name for now. 60 CPs. What to spend it on.... I'll put 28 points just into stats. 7 in Strength, 4 in Power, 6 in Move, 7 in Stamina, and 4 in Response. 7 x 10 is 70, so I have 70 Health for my mecha while 4 x 5 gives me an EP rating of 20 and 7 + 6 + 20 gives me a Stability of 33. So far the Paladin looks like this: Strength: 7 Stamina: 7 Power: 4 Move: 6 Response: 4 Health: 70 EP: 20 Stability: 33 Onto the frame construction. I don't really want to mess with this much - he's supposed to be a basic humanoid mecha, so I'll grab a normal torso, normal head, normal legs, and normal arms. However, since he's supposed to be a knight, armor easily fits the theme, so I'll modify the torso to give him a total of +4 armor. No reason to change the generator, but I do want him to be pretty mobile, and I don't know if boosters will be constant, so I'll hedge my bets with a basic booster system with air movement, and add in ground movement for 2 CP. He'll be pretty nimble for an armored knight. So, he now looks like this:
Strength: 7
Stamina: 7
Power: 4
Move: 6 (12 boosted)
Response: 4
Health: 70
EP: 20
Stability: 33
Armor: 4
Hardpoints: 2 Torso
2 R. Arm
2 L. Arm
2 Legs
Booster: Air (Ground Movement)
28 more CP left and I still need to pick weapons. He'll have to have a sword so we'll give him a Vibrosword to fit the knight look. It's one-handed, +2 damage, -2 AP, +1 Acc... 10 CP. We'll mount that as a hand-held weapon, since I don't really want to use up any of his eight hardpoints. Since this is a more fantasy campaign I'll also give him a built-in chest cannon. I'll pick up a base d6, add on three dice of damage (bringing us to 4d6), tack on 10 extra shots, and throw in an extra hex of range. Good enough for government work. That's 11 CP - 53 down total, 7 to go. Got to have the shield so we'll put 5 CP into that (bringing me down now to 2 CP), mounting it on the one of his left-arm hardpoints. I like my mecha highly manueverable, so I'll take the Advanced Maneuverability advantage for that last 2 CP. What about disadvantages? I'm happy with him so I'll stick with what I have for now. All together, this is what the Paladin looks like:
Strength: 7
Stamina: 7
Power: 4
Move: 6 (12 boosted)
Response: 4
Health: 70
EP: 20
Stability: 33
Armor: 4
Hardpoints: 2 Torso
2 R. Arm
1 L. Arm
2 Legs
Booster: Air (Ground Movement)
Advantages:
Advanced Maneuverability (+2)
Shield (30 Health, L. Arm)
Disadvantages:
None
Weapons:
VibroSword (+1d*+2 damage, -2 AP, +1 Acc, hand-held weapon)
Chest Cannon (4d6 damage, 25 shots, 7 hexes, built-in torso)
 Chapter Three: Mecha Thrash Character Traits
"Even if you had the best Gear parts possible, you still wouldn't stand a chance against Rico." Behind every great mecha is an equally good pilot. ("Equally" not meaning the pilot also bristles with weapons and is made of metal - although they can.) The most formidable mecha in the world is nothing except a large paperweight without someone to pilot it. Of course, the pilot of your mecha is going to be your character, and considering the wide range of options available to normal Thrash characters, it's pretty clear that the options available to pilots is expansive. This chapter is designed to allow you to craft not only the better mecha, but the better pilot as well. New Skills
"Sir Sabin! How might one operate this monstrosity?"
Build/Repair: This is specific knowledge in building, maintaining, and augmenting mecha. It must be taken for each specific category (trucks, cars, humanoid mecha, animal mecha). New Discipline
Zero-G Training New Advantages Dimensional Bonding (6): The mecha your character pilots doesn't take up any physical space unless the character so desires. When in use, the mecha performs normally, but when not in use, the mecha shunts itself into a sort of "side dimension" until it is needed again. On the downside, this sort of bonding means that should the mecha be destroyed, the character is dead as well, with no hope of survival. On the other hand, it clears up the issue of storage, and assures that you will always have your mecha with you. Garage (2/level): Instead of drifting from place to place when you need your mecha serviced/upgraded/whatever, your character has some facility specifically for the augmentation and repair of mecha. This doesn't mean they have an automatic "get-upgrade-for-free" card - mecha upgrades still take time and resources. However, it does mean that they can count on having someplace to repair a damaged mecha - which can be quite a good thing to count on. Having a high-level garage doesn't imply it's staffed, just that the facilities are very good. For staff, you'll either need Resources to hire them or Allies who are willing to lend their skills. Mechanical Genius (1 per +1): For whatever reason, mechanics and engineering simply come naturally to you - something that comes in handy when you're trying to hook up a new überweapon to your mecha. For every level of this advantage, you gain +1 to any rolls related to mechanical applications, such as Build/Repair, Engineering, or Rerouting. (This could be adapted for other fields, but "Artistic Genius" doesn't have much to do with this sourcebook...) Pyschic Link (7): Mostly applicable for psychics, though by no means only usable by psychics, this represents a psionic link to the mecha by the pilot. The result is that the mecha is not piloted in the conventional manner, but is moved just like the pilot's actual body. The result is simple: the pilot need not purchase mecha-specific versions of any maneuvers, as they can use them just as naturally through their mecha as through their body. The downside, however, is that when the mecha is damaged, the mental backlash harms the pilot as well. For every three points of damage the mecha suffers, the pilot suffers a point of damage automatically. If the mecha is destroyed, the pilot automatically faints, regardless of remaining health. Moreover, there can be long-term psychological damage from such a destruction. Remote Piloting (3): Most understandable for those with a Psychic Link to their mecha, Remote Piloting allows a character to send their mecha forth without actually being in the cockpit. If the character is giving their full attention to piloting the mecha, then it acts normally, save that there is no pilot. If the character is engaging in another mild activity, such as talking, running, or writing, they impose a -5 penalty to all of the mecha's rolls. In a complex action such as combat, they cannot command the mecha. Zero-G Affinity (4): The character has absolutely no problem fighting (or piloting) in microgravity, due to extended senses, special perceptions, or simple dumb luck. Regardless, this means they have no penalties to rolls while in a micrograv environment. New Disadvantages Body Extension (2): Often present in those linked with their mecha, this is a mental condition that causes the sufferer to actually believe that the mecha they pilot is an extension of their own body - or the mecha is their body. They will act overprotective of the mecha, and often will act as if they were in the mecha even when they aren't. Many will be reluctant to leave their mecha unless absolutely necessary. Although this is pronounced, it probably does not always interfere with the ability to function normally. More points might be in order if this develops into full-fledged insanity. Combat Paralysis (6): No matter how well trained the character is supposed to be, a trauma out of their past tends to leave them frozen with indecision when actual combat breaks out. Any time combat is supposed to start, they must roll Will + Focus against a difficulty of 20. Failure halves their AP and gives them -6 to all rolls. This must be rolled at the beginning of each round, even if the character beat the paralysis in a previous round. Debt (1 per $10,000): Some people are satisfied with the simple standby "I owe you one", but this Disadvantage refers to a debt that requires a substantial amount of something more concrete - money. For every $10,000 (or equivalent monetary unit) you owe, this rewards 1 CP. Of course, if you aren't very careful to try and pay up fairly quickly, most organizations with plenty of money might send some people to remind you of your debt... Enemy (2/4/8): Along the line, you manage to pick up somebody who's none too fond of you. For whatever reason, this person wants to see you dead, humiliated, and eradicated from the face of the universe. At 2 points, this person is roughly as powerful as you are, while 4 points means your rival is more powerful than you are. 8 points is an enemy with incredible scope who can exert near-constant force in your life (like Lord Vega, Khyron, or Krelian). Sooner or later, you're probably going to pay hard for this. In For Life (6): An organization controls you. This is more than simply membership - this is almost absolute ownership, to the point where your superiors can order you to do anything without any reason whatsoever. Rejecting orders is not an option. A member of the Yakuza would be In For Life - there's no way out other than the sleep of death. Mecha Fear (4): This is not a phobia, but rather a debilitating, paralytic awe and terror in regards to mecha. If a mecha is within eyeshot, the character will be nervous and focus on the mecha. Whenever the character comes within about 6 meters of a mecha, they freeze completely, unable to move until the mecha moves away or somebody strikes them. Since this could conceivably involve getting hit by a car, it's anyone's call as to whether or not they are in any shape to respond to such an action. Obviously, such a character may only be a pilot under EXTREMELY bizzare circumstances. Mechanical Ineptitude (1 per -1): The opposite of Mechanical Genius, this represents your character's absolute lack of skill with machines. They might spout the lingo like a pro, but when it comes to actual action, they tend to screw up royaly. All mechanical rolls are reduced by 1 per level of the disadvantage. (Again, this can easily be adapted for other fields which do not fall under this sourcebook's auspices.) Special Note: It's not difficult to envision other disadvantages tying in with the nature of mecha. For example, look at the often-done (but relatively effective) idea of an Anachronism combining the Filtered Perception that all machines are demons of some sort, or a Phobia of these strange metal beasts. Or, imagine a robot with a Filtered Perception that all mecha are actually sentient. Perhaps a Delusion that all mechanical devices are tools of the devil? You see where we're going with this. Mecha, Maneuvers and Styles
"How strong are you outside of Seibzhen?" As mentioned before, inside a mecha, it's a mecha's strength that matters. However, mecha don't pilot themselves. They require the skills and knowledge of a pilot, just as a martial artist's body requires the knowledge of the martial artist to be truly deadly. Of course, moving a mecha and moving your body are two different things... though for most mecha, not entirely dissimilar. Mecha Styles First of all, it's worth noting that, unlike martial artists, mecha need not have a style. In fact, if they're not really going to be going toe-to-toe very often, but mostly hanging back and firing, occasionally making a clumsy punch or sword swipe, then there might not be much purpose in anything besides a level or two in Brawling. It need not even have that. Of course, your APs will be hampered, but that's the price you pay. However, if you plan to have your mecha really slug it out - and if you really want to shout "Shoryuken!" in a VF-19 - your mecha will need some form of style. The cost of a mecha style depends on the character's other styles. If the character does not possess the style they want to use for their mecha, then they must pay full price for it. Free maneuvers are automatically part of the mecha's repertoire of maneuvers, but the character does gain any stat bonuses. In addition, maneuver restrictions are only in effect for the mecha's maneuvers. If the character does possess the style, then they can buy the mecha version for half price (2 points per level, or 1 for Discipline Styles). They do not gain any new stat bonuses, although the maneuvers still go directly to the mecha. This reduced cost is only in effect as long as the style level is below or equal to the character style level. Any higher levels cost the normal 4 points. However, higher levels of the character style with a higher mecha style are at half cost. For all styles, usage of the mecha's firearms is considered inclusive - part of what seperates the styles. However, in a pinch, the two may be interchanged (i.e., the character may try to fight with a mecha style while out of the mecha, or vice versa). The unusual style's APs, however, are not added to the normal total. In addition, not all styles are appropriate for certain mecha. Mecha lacking legs, for example, could not select Capoeria or Kickboxing, styles that focus almost completely on kicks. On the flip side, mecha without arms wouldn't logically be Boxing. Use some logic in your choice. Vehicle mecha will probably be without a style; this is compensated somewhat by their probably larger arsenal. Mecha Maneuvers With a good pilot, a humanoid mecha can conceivably do everything that a normal human could do. In fact, it's quite possible multi-armed mecha can do even better. The easy, blanket rule would be that mecha can act as do humans in terms of maneuvers, but that's simply illogical. Have you seen a car do a Crescent Kick? Normally, a mecha maneuver is purchased similarly to mecha styles. If the character already has the maneuver, it costs half - otherwise, it costs full. Unless the mecha has an Ether Machine (see the Advantages section), they may not include any chi-derived modifications to the maneuver. In a pinch, any maneuver that the pilot can perform that can be used in the mecha (in accordance to the lower rules) can be used improv in the mecha, but with -5 to Accuracy and costing 1 extra AP. The flip side, of course, is also true. However, what maneuvers can be used depends on the compatibility of the mecha. General restrictions are imposed and detailed below. A large part of this, however, falls back upon common sense. Should you run into questions, make a snap decision and run with it. As long as it makes sense, go for it.
"I am automated perfection!" In the Thrash Sourcebook, rules for the basic construction of robots is covered. However, these rules are intended primarily for robots created by the GM and after play is started, not as player characters. These are, for lack of a better term, stereotypes. With Mecha Thrash, it is possible to establish a different system that allows players to begin play with a robot character. This system need not replace the other method, but it is recommended. Step 0: Concept Okay, we KNOW what this step is by now. However, it's also important to note what scale this robot is on. Although it could easily be human-sized, it might be mecha-sized, or something similar. This has an important effect in system terms, and it also helps give a frame of reference. If the robot is at human scale, weapon damages will be decreased and maneuvers will do normal damage. If the robot is at mecha scale, weapon damage will be normal and maneuver damage will be stepped up. Also, determine whether your robot's mind is living or artificial. Most will be artificial, but it is completely possible to instead have a living mind (or at least, a formerly living mind). This need not have any bearing on the character's state - whether the robot is "alive" or not is completely up to the GM (and could easily be the focus of a few more intellectual adventures). Step 1: Attributes Much like mecha, robots get a set allocation of points with which to be built. However, unlike mecha, robots are self-contained. Rather than having to only worry about their physical structure, they are in and of themselves individuals, and therefore have a larger number of points upon which to draw. Robots get 95 CPs - or, if you prefer, BPs. (The two are generally interchangeable.) The first step is to distribute up to 36 (or 43) points amongst the six (or seven) basic attributes, described below: Strength: As the normal Thrash/Mecha Thrash stat. 1 CP buys 1 point. Basic Damage is calculated on human scale, but not on mecha scale. Agility: As the normal Thrash stat. Any enhancements that would normally augment Move augment Agility for a robot. 1 CP buys 1 point. Stamina: As the normal Thrash/Mecha Thrash. 1 CP buys 1 point. Intelligence: As the normal Thrash stat. 1 CP buys 1 point. Charisma: As the normal Thrash stat. 1 CP buys 1 point. There may still be a penalty to this stat when interacting with humans - even if a deathbot quotes Shakespeare, people still see it as a deathbot, and robots usually aren't as good at hiding these things. Will: Since robot intelligence is considered potent enough to be truly sentient, Will is an issue, and is handled as the normal Thrash stat. 1 CP buys 1 point. Focus: Not all robots will have an Ether Machine, just like not all mecha will have an Ether Machine. If it does have an Ether Machine, however, Focus may be purchased. 2 CP are required for the first point, but subsequent points are purchased at the rate of 1 CP per point. Robots also have the following derived attributes: Health: Just like mecha, robots have (Stamina x 10) health, and this can be increased by +5 for 1 CP. While this may seem excessive if the robot is at human scale, keep in mind that most robots will win out over humans in a fight simply by virtue of their superior health. (That, and the arsenal of flesh-shredding bullets.) Chi: If an Ether Machine is installed, the robot has normal Chi: (Focus x 2) + Will. This may be increased by +5 for 1 CP. APs: Like mecha, robots have AP equal to their Agility + Style. Stability: Just like mecha, robots have Stability instead of a Dizzy Threshold, which is equal to Stamina + Move + 20. Rage Threshold: Although some robots may not be capable of emotions (mostly up to the player, although those with a Charisma of 3 or lower are excellent candidates), all can reach a breaking point like humans. For unemotional robots, this is simply the point where their internal safeties kick off due to excessive damage. As normal, Rage Threshold is equal to Stamina + Will + Focus + 20. If the robot has no Ether Machine, they'll simply fly off the handle more easily - but they might not carry the destructive force of a chi-capable robot. Basic Damage: If the mecha is on human scale, Basic Damage is calculated as usual. Even if not, Focus is calculated. Step 2: Frame Assembly
For the most part, Frame Assembly is the same for robots as for mecha, with the same costs and limitations. Of course, generator systems are unimportant. The one difference is the ranged weapons. For starters, built-in energy weapons run off their own clips, rather than EP. Secondly, if a robot is toting a ranged weapon but is human-scale, the damage is one lower die face. Step 3: Advantages, Disadvantages, Skills, Disciplines, Styles, Maneuvers, and other such expenditures Now that the stats and the frame are assembled, go wild with the rest of the details. The robot may buy any appropriate Advantages, Disadvantages, etc. Since your character does have to also serve as a "self-pilot", don't forget to buy skills and the ilk. In short, finish building your character. Focus maneuvers, naturally, can only be selected by robots with an Ether Machine. Step 4: Finishing Touches Just like for any other Thrash character, finishing rounding out your robot. Motivations? Past? Friends? Family? If family, HOW? Don't skimp off just because it's metal. For some stock robots, it might not be necessary to elaborate on their personal past, but their production history might at least give the heroes some hints on how to deal with them.  Chapter Four: Let Loose the Dogs of War
"Cry havoc! and let slip the dogs of war..." Admit it, you've been waiting for this sort of thing. You've got your mecha created, so now you're eager as heck to start pounding on things with aforementioned. Why not? There wouldn't be much purpose to arming your mecha so extensively otherwise. So... how do you go about it? Well, for the most part, mecha combat is the same as ordinary combat. Hexes are considered to be larger - 3 meters per 5 meters of mecha height, rounded up - and hitting a target requires a roll of 1d10 + Style + Response + Accuracy instead of Agility, but otherwise combat flows normally. In addition, damage for maneuvers rolls one additional die, and the mecha's Strength or pilot's Focus is added directly to damage rather than being broken down into basic damage. This augmented damage balances out the differences between the amount of mecha health and the amount of character health. For soak purposes, Armor is added directly to the soak total, but otherwise soak is handled normally. Example: The Paladin, our example mecha from earlier, has its back to the wall. It's already exhausted its chest cannon's ammo, and it has lost its sword during a recent tussle. Luckily, the Paladin's no slouch in hand-to-hand combat either. As an opponent comes down in a kick, the Paladin happily smacks it with an Uppercut. It connects, and therefore damage is inflicted. The normal damage for an Uppercut is 1d6, and the Paladin has a Strength of 7. Since this maneuver is being used by a mecha, the damage is 2d6, inflicting a total of 2d6 + 7. After rolling for damage, the Paladin deals 14 points of damage - enough to make the opposing mecha think twice before trying that move again. Trying for a soak without armor and Stamina 6, the opposing mecha reduces the damage by 2 points, leaving him with 12 fewer health. Figuring Size Presumably, you already have at least a bit of an idea about figuring out the relative bonuses/penalties granted by conflicting levels of Small Size and Huge Size. The next category down deals with the actual height of these things, but here, we'll handle figuring what the actual bonus is. The formula is as follows:
(Other's Huge Size - Other's Small Size) - (Your Huge Size - Your Small Size) = + to you / - to them
Example 1: You - Huge Size 4, Them - Huge Size 7. (7 - 0) - (4 - 0) = 7 - 4 = +3 for you, -3 for them.
Example 2: You - Small Size 3, Them - Small Size 5. (0 - 5) - (0 - 3) = -5 - -3 = + -2 for you, - -2 for them = -2 for you, +2 for them.
Example 3: You - Small Size 3, Them - Huge Size 4. (4 - 0) - (0 - 3) = 4 - -3 = +7 for you, -7 for them. Mecha Damage vs. Normal Damage
"Fei rushed into battle with that thing, without a Gear..."
Take it to the Skies!
The basic concept is that of Elevation, which is not expressed in terms of meters but simply levels. One level of elevation is equal to the average height of the combatants involved. So, for humans one level would be 2 meters, while mecha would instead deal in 5-meter levels. (We are sacrificing realism for simplicity of play - and heck, it's anime. How much does reality matter anyways?) 1 hex of movement horizontally translates into one extra level of elevation. So, the basic Move maneuver could move a flying individual up 1 level, and 5 APs worth of movement could be used to fly up a level, move forward two hexes, fly up another level, and move forward one last hex. Although flight can produce elevation, terrain can also have elevations above 0 (considered ground level). All Jump maneuvers are considered to move the character up 1 elevation automatically, and they may subsequently move upwards in elevation just like a flying character. (Technically, according to physics, the character should also choose a "high point" for their jump, and model their motion as a projectile... but once again, we'll sacrifice realism. If you know enough physics to really care, then you can probably model things yourself, but I don't want to bother with projectile motion right now.) Unless characters are at the same elevation as well as next to one another, they can't pull off close-range attacks - and they need Aerial Maneuvers as it is. However, ranged attacks can be fired off at those of lower elevation. For one level higher (such as a jump), there are no range bonuses provided. For every higher level, range is increased by 25% of the maximum range for the attack. So, if a Chi Blast has a 12-hex range, at Level 1 it works normally, at Level 2 it can hit within a 15-hex range, 18 at Level 3, 21 hexes at Level 4, and a whopping 24 hexes at Level 5. Note: All of these rules can easily be applied to underwater or space combat as well.  chapter five: gm section
"Free will is wasted on most people. They simply cannot handle it." In any other game system, this would be screaming for problems. Mecha are some of the most powerful pieces of equipment in existence - to suddenly introduce them into a game system not set up for them would be like allowing a four-year-old access to an AK-47. But Thrash is not for power gamers - it is classically skilled at chewing up munchkins and destroying them indiscriminately. Still, doing so will take some work on behalf of the GM - more than usual. This chapter is designed to give a hand in that department, and try and keep those who take the responsibilty of running the game sane. The Inclusion You've read the whole supplement. You've memorized the weapon and leg tables, test-built a few mecha, and so on. Now, you're ready to run a campaign. You're ready to dive headfirst into the world of gigantic robots throwing each other around. There's just one question to ask: how? Do you want people just in vehicles, or do you really like dueling gestalt teams? How will this affect your play style? Are mecha a central feature of the story, or sort of a footnote? What follows is just a few suggestions on how you can integrate mecha into your campaign - from simple things to complex weavings of mecha. You may feel free to use or not use these ideas, but they can provide a good point for GMs to jump off from. Who Needs Newness? Do you need to change your current campaign massively for Mecha Thrash? If you only have some select usage of it, no. Remember, this also covers such things as tanks and cars. There's no rule stating that you have to include giant robots just because you can. Being able to measure how much damage a car with guns slapped on it can take may well be all you need the supplement for. Even then, this sourcebook can invigorate the opponents your players face. Sick of smacking around thugs all the time? Maybe the thugs got smart and took a car this time. Or a tank. On the flip side, maybe the PCs had the good sense to take in a souped-up Dodge Viper before they burst in with Chi Blasts flying. It is anime, so why are the PCs fighting a gunner when they can fight the whole blasted helicopter? Home Sweet Home If you so desire, you may just leech off of a precreated setting. Not that there's really anything wrong with it. Although it can take a certain amount of fun out of creating a whole new setting, it also gives you plenty of background material (especially if the players are already familiar with the series themselves) and allows you to spend the time you'd otherwise spend on background just planning out the future. Might there be another Macross colony ship being sent out? Could a new Mobile Suit Gundam be developed... and subsequently stolen? (Wow, that's never happened before!) Might the universe again need a team like Voltron? Did Deus really stop every Gear from operating (Xenogears itself seemed fine, if not better)? With comparatively little work, you can use established mecha worlds to great effect. Turn for the Stranger This is similar to the previous idea, but involves twisting the basic premise - sometimes slightly, sometimes not so slightly. Although the world is similar to what the players are expecting, there are some critical differences that make it a distinctly new place to adventure. It also keeps players from taking everything that happens completely for granted, because while your world might bear vestigal similarities to the original, there are fundamental differences. What if Macross: Do You Remember Love? was not a dramatization, but the actual events of the first series? (This, as most anime fans know, actually was done.) What if the Core Block system of the original Gundam had become the standard? Could Neo Genesis Evangelion be written with gestalts (or a slightly less depressing tone)? What if Voltron was only one of a series of gestalt teams? This takes more work than the above, but can ultimately be far more rewarding. Brave New World Finally, there's the ever-present idea - start from scratch. Every great mecha series has been started from scratch at some point, and nothing's stopping you from doing the same. This will take a great deal of work, since you have to define everything about the game world from the ground up, but it also allows you to be more certain of the way you want it to work out, since you're in charge. The players will be discovering the world anew, and you'll have to guide them through it with great care to make it as memorable as any other mecha series. What would life be like if giant robots were a part of normal everyday activities? What about an underwater human society built around the massive mecha? Could certain humans be drawing dangerously powerful mechanical suits out of nowhere, causing incredible devestation? Would the long-term costs of a full-scale mecha war be worth the minor gains that would come in the process? All of these ideas are loosely based off established mecha continuities, but can be taken in nearly any direction. Running Mecha It can be hard enough just dealing with getting together a setting and figuring out where mecha figure into the grand scheme of things. Once any GM does that, they're feeling pretty high on the horse, like they know what's going on in their world. Of course, any GM also knows that the second players get their hands on the setting, they will run rampant with it, and often the GM gets relegated to the status of damage control. It's not a pretty picture, so actually running a campaign filled with mecha requires some forethought and some warning about the problems involved. Character Creation In general, mecha should be created along with the character, since what the character pilots is an essential part of their background and often says something about their personality. (It says something about Elhaym that she uses the Ether-heavy Vierge, and that she is so reluctant to pilot Regurus, for example.) At the GM's option, CP from characters may be exchanged with Mecha CP at a 1-1 ratio, to either create a weak mecha with an extremely skilled pilot or an extremely strong mecha with a weaker pilot. This might be best off if limited to a certain number of CP transferrable (10-15, perhaps). Regardless, it should be determined early on whether the characters will be expected to create pilots or martial artists that happen to pilot mecha. Pilots will most load up on mecha styles/maneuvers and skills, while martial artists face the difficult task of splitting their attention between both personal and mecha maneuvers. Comparitive Mecha A worthwhile question comes to mind when dealing with mecha designs: size. It's been stated before that mecha are assumed to be five meters tall on average - but what if that's not the campaign you're running? If you ran a Macross campaign like that, every mecha would have 8 levels of Huge Size. Obviously, not everything works figured like that. Mecha designs, therefore, should always note their base height on their character sheet. When running with mecha of other sizes, they are treated as having the appropriate levels of Huge Size or Small Size, yet without any extra points or fewer points. These mecha are being brought over from completely different sorts of design worlds, so they are either a lot more powerful at small sizes or a lot less powerful at big sizes. It's the clash of world technologies. Certain things are constant, however - animal-type mecha are almost always considered to be half as tall as the base, and vehicles are considered to be about 40% the size of normal mecha. This doesn't factor into Small Size / Huge Size calculations - the base target profile takes these things into account.
Example: Shiro, pilot of the 5-meter-base Paladin, falls through an interdimensional wormhole into a world full of transforming jets - the world of Macross. While he's in the world, he's treated as having 8 levels of Small Size, even though it costs him nothing. It seems that on Shiro's world, they make smaller, deadlier mecha.
Later on, Shiro falls through another wormhole, but this time to a world where mecha work on a base of 3 meters. Until he actually manages to get home, he suffers from having 2 levels of Huge Size - they make them REALLY small and deadly on this world.  appendix one: fun with power armor
"Lucky me. Fits like a glove." In Chapter 4, it was mentioned that it could be quite comical to see an unarmed human go up against a fully decked-out mecha. Powered armor can be seen as the otherwise unaugmented human's answer to mecha - except smaller, faster, and in some cases, even deadlier. In some cases, it can be very difficult to draw the line between power armor and mecha (would the Cycloids from Bubblegum Crisis be power armor or a form of mecha?), but for the purposes of this sourcebook, power armor will be defined as any mecha without an independent cockpit, where the pilot moves the armor exactly as they would be able to move their own body. Constructing Power Armor Power armor differs from conventional mecha construction in that pilots do not get 60 CP with which to make an armor of doom - rather, they get a much smaller pool and the free conversion of human CP to mecha CP. In general, power armor construction nets 15 CP to build the armor, plus, as mentioned, the option to convert character CP to build the armor. Power armor construction, however, is less an act of mecha construction than the purchase of abilities:
Power Armor in Combat
"I want power... strength enough to lay this bastard low..." Power armor, as already noted, is the equalizer between human and mecha. It's also the equalizer between human and robot, human and snarling beast from the Abyss, human and hyper-powerful martial artist. Just like every other permutation of mecha, power armor is made to fight, and fight it will. Universally, power armor has certain benefits in combat. First off, as noted above, it uses the pilot's normal APs, maneuvers, and such. The Strength bonus is added in to the pilot's Strength while in the power armor (which does affect Basic Damage), and the Stamina bonus is added in for purposes of Soak rolls. Armor is handled like normal mecha armor. The armor has complete coverage under all circumstances. Against mecha, power armor fares better than normal humans. Mecha go back to soaking 1 point of damage for every 4 points of the soak total, and the benefits of being a small little human remain. Power armor does not get the scaling-up of maneuver damage that mecha do, but that's life. Against humans, for the most part, the power armored combatant gets treated as a mecha, while the unarmored human gets treated like a normal human. When damage is dealt to the character in power armor, it is first subtracted from the Health of the power armor. When that hits zero, the power armor is effectively compromised. All built-in or hardpoint-mounted weapons cease to function, boosters and transformations are unusable, and any other Advantages shut down. As long as the armor still has EP, the Strength, Response, and Move bonuses remain, but it begins burning 1 EP every 5 rounds in action. Once EP is gone, in addition to all those bonuses disappearing, the pilot's AP are halved inside the power armor (hard to move). The Stamina and Armor bonuses remain regardless. Attacks can voluntarily be made to hit the armor - if it is brought to -50% Health, it explodes and is gone for good. If the pilot is still inside, well... GM Note: Centrism This guide generally assumes that the world is populated with mecha. Humanity's ability to build death machines culminates in extremely large vehicles with a cockpit, multiple arsenals, and the ability to do all sorts of amazing things. But is that necessarily the case? Consider, again, Bubblegum Crisis. The world standard for combat mecha is small power armor and Boomers, not übermecha. Would it really be reasonable to assume that the base height of mecha is something taller than 2.5m? Some mecha universes are actually based around power armor rather than large mecha. In these cases, it's usually best to assume that the base height for a mecha is not some arbitrary measurement, but the normal 2-meter height of Power Armor. If somebody builds a 10-meter robot in such a world, they're building something truly awesome - it should act it.  appendix two: warship construction rules
"Star destroyers! Three of them, coming right at us!" What is the difference between a warship and any other mecha? Roughly speaking, the same difference between an atom bomb and a firecracker. Everything that a mecha is gets magnified a thousand times in warships. These are the grand ships, the dark and ominous shadows that flit between galaxy, the things that blow up real good. Naturally, these aren't going to be something the characters get their hands on personally, but they're an important element of most mecha series. Constructing warships could be done with the standard rules for mecha, but it would be problematic to say the least. Although it follows the same basic construction procedure, certain elements are altered for the purposes of warships, and certain new things must be taken into consideration. For that reason, the following construction process, a streamlined and altered version of the main process, should be used instead. Step 0: Concept Noticing a pattern? Warships are huge vehicles of destruction, and the resources to build them are immense indeed. You don't just build them on a whim. Think hard about why the warship was constructed, and whether its intended purpose was different than its stated purpose. (A warship ostensibly for defense but actually a dry-run for a line of attack warships, for example.) Example: Since this might be tough to follow with out an example, I'll use the good ship Rogue Wing throughout this construction section. It's a big warship, serving as the headquarters for the intergalactic army of Earth on a massive outward-bound conquest campaign. Be very afraid. Step 1: Calculating Available CP and Crew This is the critical difference between warships and mecha - CP is not a fixed sum, but is actually based on some math (albeit simple math). For these purposes, the base height of mecha is absolutely necessary, since the calculations cannot be made otherwise. First of all, figure out the dimensions of the ship in question. They probably should not be made to the absolue most outlying point, but should be the general size of the warship in question. You'll need length, height, and width all for this calculation. Multiply all three together, and take note of the number somewhere. It will probably be large. What you've just done is find the volume of the ship in question. Now you have to find exactly how many mecha this is roughly equivalent to. Take the base height of mecha in your campaign world, and cube it (that is, height * height * height). This is the base volume we'll use for each mecha. (It's not exact, but don't worry about it.) Divide the volume of the ship by the volume of each mecha. The number should still be pretty large, but smaller. This is the number of mecha your warship is equivalent to. Multiply that by 60 to get the number of CP used to construct the warship. Divide the number of mecha by 2 to get the number of crew required for the ship. The ship can automatically support this many people without any Passenger Storage. Example: In a world with 20m-tall mecha, Rogue Wing is 500m long, 200m high, and 300m wide - fairly large. Multiplying the three together, I get a volume of 30,000,000 cubic meters - big. For the mecha, I cube 20 (20 * 20 * 20) and get 8,000 cubic meters - also fairly large, but not as big as the ship by any means. Dividing ship volume by mecha volume (30000000 / 8000), I find that the ship is roughly the size of 3,750 mecha. This means that it has (3750 / 2) 1875 crew members required to run it, and (3750 * 60) 225,000 CP to be built with. Step Two: Frame Assembly Just like any other mecha, the frame of the mecha is built from the ground up. There are a few critical differences in the process, however. For starters, attribute bonuses are no longer required, since there is no spending limit on attributes. Second, hardpoints are largely irrelevant, and weapons may freely be placed on hardpoints without worrying about them too much. As a result, warships will rarely need arms or legs. The common warship frame is a No Arms torso, the full (6 CP) sensor system, No Legs, and Space Boosters with Vaccuum Sealing, effectively costing 0 CP. There are other types, of course, with the most extreme being the SDF-01 of Robotech and Macross fame - a transforming gestalt warship. Example: The Rogue Wing is a standard warship in most respects, so I drop out both arms and legs, pick up 6 CP of sensors, and add in space boosters and vacuum sealing. I decide that the ship might sometimes need to enter an invaded planet's atmosphere, however, and therefore add in Atmospheric Boosters, bringing me down to (gasp) 224,999 CP for the ship. Step Three: Attributes, Weaponry, Advantages, & Disadvantages The final, number-crunching part of the process. Attributes have no limits on them whatsoever, so they should be fairly large in accordance with the size of the ship. Weapons can be truly deadly, and can even use the massive d20 as a base damage die (9 CP). Material Storage can be bought up to store a complement of mecha (must equal half the calculated volume of mecha for each mecha stored, since the volume is only a very rough estimate). In short, make a deathship. That's the point.
Example: Now the fun part. With a little benchmark math, I figure out that the "average" stat for a warship this size would be 22500 each, so I'll work from there. Strength is 20000 (relies more on firepower than ramming things), Stamina is 24000 (very well-armored),
Power is 22500 (average generator), Move is 23000 (pretty fast), and
Response is 22500 (good sensor system). All told, I have 112999 CP
left for the rest of the ship. So far:
Strength: 20000
Health: 240000
I'll deal with advantages/disadvantages next. The volume of a mecha for this world is 8,000 cubic meters, which requires 4,000 cubic meters (800 CP) per mecha onboard. This is an invasion ship, so 100 mecha seems quite reasonable, bringing me down to 32999 CP. Passengers (troops) are also in the ship - we'll make it 4000 personel, putting us at 32799 CP. For stealth purposes, it has Cloaking 140, dropping me to 32099 CP. Nanites are logical for the ship, so that drops me to 32093 CP. For defensive purposes, it should have a Pinpoint Barrier with 4000 Health (1000 CP), and ECM at 375 (750 CP), coupled with ECCM at 250 (250 CP). And as long as defense is an issue, might as well slap on 93 CP worth of armor, for 186 points. Total remaining CP is now at 30000. My stats so far:
Strength: 20000
Health: 240000
Advantages:
Finally, we'll need weapons. For the übergun of the ship, we'll use a cannon capable of blasting for a thousand damage for each shot. This'll be a d20 masterpiece (9 CP), and if it'll deal up to 1000 damage, we'll need 49 more dice (98 CP). Since hexes are 12 meters for mecha in this worly (3/5 of mecha base height), 100 hexes will let if fire 1.2 kilometers, which will cost 94 CP, so the weapon costs 201 CP
so far. 4 more CP brings up accuracy (useful) to +4, with a total cost of 205 CP. To save on ammo costs, it'll be built-in (1 CP), and a beam
weapon (3 CP) with +20 damage (17 CP). AP will also be reduced down to
10 (20 CPs). The total cost is only 246 CP, so we'll slap on five (!) of these monstrosities for the ship's Antimatter Cannons. We still have 28770 CP.
Close-range engagements will require smaller weapons. 50d12 damage sounds decent, with +4 to accuracy, energy weapon, built-in, 50-hex range, and only 6 AP to fire, for a Laser Cannon at 167 CP each. 30 of
these will be our secondary arsenal, leaving us with 23490 CP. The ship is also blanked in rocket launchers for repelling boarders, each of which is 50d10 damage, +4 to accuracy, 25-hex range (VERY close), and 5 AP to fire, with 100 shots each - the Micromissile Banks worth 220 CP each. 100 of these coat the ship, leaving me with 1490 CP for a
few final weapons.
Upon further thought, let's give the ship a really nasty weapon for planetary assaults - the Quasar Missile, able to punch through shields with one shot. 200d20 (!) costs 407 CP, and +4 Acc, 100-hex range, and 10 shots makes it cost total of 504 CP. We only need one of these monstrosities, which leaves us with 950 CP. Lastly, some extreme close-range weapons should be mounted on the ship - 3d8 weapons, energy, built-in, +4 Accuracy, 1 AP to fire, for 32 Perimeter Defense Beams at 29 CP each. With 22 more CP, I'll buy up more Armor (+44), so the final stats for
Strength: 20000
Health: 240000
Advantages:
Weapons: Warships in Combat
"Okay, now this is a really big ship. I have got to get me one of these." To say that running a warship in combat would be problematic in systems terms would be an understatement. Some serious preparations would be necessary to even hope to run one with any regularity. The best bet is to run warship-to-warship combat, if anything, although that would still be difficult. Regardless, there are some points to be remembered about warship combat.
 EpilogueAfterword
I want to thank you I simultaneously looked forward to the completion of Mecha Thrash and dreaded it. Make no mistake, I looked forward to finally being done with the thing, not having to listen to people ask when it would be finished, what would be in it, and so forth. And I looked forward to being able to set off a whole slew of sourcebooks based off the Mecha Thrash rules. In short, I looked forward to completing an intrinsic part of the Thrash library of books. But I dreaded the thought of saying, "Okay, everyone, it's done". Because it can't be. Let me rephrase that. Mecha Thrash is fully functional and usable. But for every single line of text in this book, there's another one that was deleted, omitted, altered, or somehow didn't make its way completely into this book. It became clear to me after a while that this would have to be a project of compromises, because some things simply would not wind up coming across correctly. I don't know how true that has turned out to be. "Mecha" is such a broadly encompassing term, it's hard to think you've really satisfied everyone. So what do I think? I think this book creates one of - if not the - most flexible, variable, and universal mecha system in existence. Virtually any mecha conceived can be built with only moderate difficulty, and can subsequently be modified to extremes. The horizons of Thrash expand to incredible levels, and with it the accessibility of the system. Over the course of writing this sourcebook, I've lost a love, found a new one (who kicks some serious arse - I love you, Erin), found some people with truly incredible insight and truly remarkable stupidity on the Thrash list, helped clarify many of my own thoughts about how mecha work, gotten to finally create something important and lasting for an RPG system, and, perhaps most importantly, met someone who I'd like to consider a friend as well as co-author. This has been a big thing. It's taken a lot of time, effort, and thought, but it's finally here. Hopefully, it's been worth the wait. And it isn't over yet. There's more over the horizon springing off of this, and we'll have to change as Thrash does. But overall, this is something that I can be proud of. And that, more than anything else, is what I most looked forward to about finishing this sourcebook - being able to look back on it and say "I did this". With a lot of help, of course. It's done. Enjoy. -Eliot "It's over. Go home." Lefebvre
Addendum with v1.0: Sources Just like Rome, Mecha Thrash wasn't built in a day. (Several months, not counting Rob's work.) And just like any other work, it wasn't without its sources. The following is a list of what games, books, shows, etc. most influenced the design of this sourcebook. Armored Core: Not usually my sort of game, Armored Core has an appeal to it that penetrates beyond the play style. As is evident from the design process, I find that the assembly method is simply enthralling. The frame design section, truthfully, was almost a direct port from the game. Battletech: Here's a tale. FASA sees some anime mecha, wants it, buys it, uses it to make a game about giant robots slugging each other around, gives it a massive backstory that easily equals anime, and creates a phenomenal system. Battletech is giant robot combat at its absolute best, and the multiple iterations it has gone through only serve to reinforce that. Front Mission 3: Square does do things right most of the time (um, yes, we do remember DEtS, we'll just ignore it right now), and the Front Mission series is an excellent example of Square doing both mecha and strategy right. A well-developed, textured game with a definite appeal for the strategist, with a genuine level of challenge and multiple scenarios to keep you guessing, as well as one of the most developed mecha cultures in any environ. Macross Mecha Designs: I am not very familiar with Macross, but the mecha contained herein are enough to make me not care. Aside from excellent graphics and well-written descriptions, this is a textbook example of how to do a supplement right (much like its sister page, Third Invid War). If I ever get around to it, I might even convert some of these mecha over to Mecha Thrash... Robotech RPG: Okay, time for a confession: I have never much liked Robotech, I have never much liked Palladium's rules system, and I really want to talk to Kevin Siembada about comma placement. But I do love mecha, and that is this game's one saving grace. Transformers: Most people who know me on the net know me for Transformers, and that's not something I'm ashamed of. The Transformers are an excellent robot series that can easily give inspiration for a multitude of transforming mecha, and also paint a portrait of robots as being potentially emotional beings. Many of the ideas that hold true for their bodies can easily be ported over to mecha. Voltron: Granted, gestalts are not covered by this sourcebook just yet, but Voltron is still a fun little mecha series. I wouldn't say that it gave massive insight into the nature of mecha (it didn't), but I will say that it's tough to disentangle it from my picture of mecha. Xenogears: Have I mentioned often enough just how much I love this game? Any CRPG fan is doing themselves a disservice if they don't buy it. Aside from some excellent mecha, the game also features an intricate storyline, an inventive combat system, and a creative (if not perfect) graphics engine. Not to mention the anime. In short: it's worth it. As for Mecha Thrash, it gave me a lot of ideas for crossing mecha combat over into physical combat, and making confrontations more than just long-range sniping matches. Bubblegum Crisis: We'll spare you the endless tirades of the UCJAS about this series, the apparent absence of the sun, the fact that most of us want Priss to die horribly, the complete nonsense of plot that every single episode is, to just say this: it has really great music, and really fun mecha visuals, even if for some reason, the Knight Sabers never use the fricking Cycloids when the things multiply their firepower about nine times... sigh. Other Sources: The full list of pieces that gave me ideas about what mecha should run like would take up an awful amount of space, so while those already mentioned were the primary sources, that isn't to say that they were the only sources. So, to quickly list the more important "others" that influenced this sourcebook: the Mega Man series, Iron Man, Final Fantasy VI, Go-Bots, Cyberbots, Exo-Squad, Fuzion, Trinity, Shadowrun, and the Thrash Sourcebook. |
Thrash is fighting games, true, but it is also anime. And it's nearly impossible to go through much anime without coming across mecha - the common term for gigantic combat droids, usually seemingly created for the express purpose of beating the living snot out of each other. Thus, Rob Pool began this sourcebook, designed to allow mecha enthusiasts a vehicle to port their mecha into the game. It was designed to be versatile yet simple, able to define a wide variety of mecha while maintaining the ability of Thrash to be easily customizable. It was designed to be true to the source material. It was designed to, most importantly, be enjoyable.
Step Two: Frame Assembly
Transformation (Optional)
Gestalts (Optional)
Example Mecha: The Paladin
Robots Revisited
Mecha against mecha is one thing, but mecha versus humans is another. It can range from absolutely lethal to almost comical as a 5-meter-tall mecha and a 2-meter-tall human engage in a dance of destruction. Of course, it would have to be quite a human... but we're getting ahead of ourselves. The point is that the two will at some point probably come into conflict. Although the fact that Health for mecha is the same as for humans, there are still some conversions that need to be made.
It's not unlikely that there will be at least a few flight-capable mecha in a game, and it's also not a stretch to imagine that those mecha are going to want to use that advantage to the absolute maximum. Under normal Thrash rules, nothing more complicated than the designation of "Aerial Maneuver" is necessary, but if most characters are able to fly, or even a significant majority, some form of rules are necessary. Luckily, these rules are designed to work for ANY character, be they humans, mecha, robots, or anything else. They overall add a useful dimension to Thrash rules, and are recommended.
