MECHA WORLD AUTHORS NOTES
Hello Avid Gamer! I'd like to take a moment to thank you for
picking up this hack, and it is most definitely a hack, maybe
even a kludge? But I do think, and I hope you find that it will
let you run exciting, engaging, enthralling adventures with big
robots of carnage in epic space tales.
I had started out intending on making a far smaller product
simply a page of rules, three playbooks and four mecha
playbooks, just enough to serve as a platform to get you
started. It became a bit more then that and took a lot more
time than I had hoped. But that I suppose is the way things
go sometimes. I could have kept on writing, but I think then
I'd have been subverting what I wanted to do which was
create a quick and easy collection of playbooks to let folks
play a game.
I thought it would be important for me to talk to you directly.
Q&A
Do I need Dungeon World or Apocalypse World to play?
This is very much a Dungeon World & Apocalypse World hack,
and you really need to be familiar with one of those two to be
able to fully exploit this hack. Now I think there's just about
enough to play with the spreads alone, but it would be useful
at least to look at the openly available material for DW & AW
https://www.dungeonworldsrd.com/
http://apocalypse-world.com/
I love these games and the hacks and PBTA material around
them. If you haven't played them, go do so now!
You Do Know Mecha isn't Just Giant Robots?!
Yes. I think there is enough here that with a bit of creativity
you can create any kind of mecha from an AI controlled Bike
to an inter planetary battle cruiser or moon sized battle
station. However I wanted to focus on the small scale, single
squad, or single hero with a bipedal machine.
XYZ isn't well enough defined!
I expect you are right, let me know and I'll make a revision.
The Combat Seems Convoluted?
I wanted to be able to satisfy both a more involved tactical
combat on the one hand and a looser "purer" PBTA style
combat. My players like to have some back and forth in
combat, so I tried to give options for both camps. If there is
a lot of issue around it, or a lot of interest, I will branch off
two different combat systems. A Narrative Combat system
and a Tactical Combat system. As it is I'm afraid I'll have to
ask the ST to endure a bit more cognitive load.
What about X playbook?
So I can imagine dozens of potential playbooks and about
halfway through I completely pivoted from the Dungeon
World all inclusive playbooks to something more like The Veil
with smaller more specific playbooks with fewer moves and
then I leaned on the concept of compendium classes.
Again if there is interest this is an area that I'd really like to
expand and will probably expand on anyway if I am honest.
I Have Seen X Image elsewhere have you stolen it?
No, I used adobe stock image standard license.
https://stock.adobe.com/
Do You Plan on Improving This for Free?
Yes, but I also plan on releasing expansions such as new
playbooks, move books, and series guides on a Pay What You
Want basis.
There isn't Much Narrative?
As I set out to just make a quick and dirty hack I didn't want
to add in extra stuff. That may come if/when I create an all in
one book.
What is the Alternative Mecha Playbook?
So when I first created the hack, I was thinking more about
Aldnoah Zero, Gasaraki and, Votoms when I knocked together
the first version of the hack, I then added the alternative book
to give that more narrative and exploratory feel to Mecha like
you get in a Gundam or a Vandred. It's a lot less fleshed out
but again I think there is enough here to have fun. I'd like to
know your thoughts on it.
What about idols or romance?
A thing I am thinking about for a future expansion. There are
a lot of things that I think could be added, in the vein of
original Traveller. Pirates & Patrol Officers, Aliens & Scouts,
Idols & Students. Something like that. We'll see.
You missed X device!?
Just add it, if you're using the more narrative focused
alternative books just add a tag, if you're using the more
tactical books, I'd create a piece of equipment and make a
quick move to represent what you want and then let the
players add it to their machine.
I Think XYZ is bad!
That's cool, change it. I ignore system rules all the time
because I don't like them and so should you, there is no right
way to roleplay if you're having fun, you're doing it right!
Are you going to be making anything else?
The next thing I'm thinking about is something like "How to
Run a Dungeon" that will be a smaller product!
FINAL THOUGHT
If you liked it, hated it, or were middling on it, let me know and
let me know what you'd like to see improved, what you'd like
to see discarded and what you think can be tweaked. I'll see
what I can do. Regardless I hope you had fun!