Setting for Mekton Z

[Tachyon]

"Also near the top of the list will be a Mekton Zeta world book. We feel that while our emphasis with Mekton has been the ability to adapt it to all sorts of mecha anime, that the line has suffered from the lack of its own setting."

This from the R. Talsorian Web page. I've been saying this all along! It's harder for gamers to sink their teeth into a game when there's no published setting.

[Fokker]

Hey, do you play Mekton much? I've always wondered whether it'd be a good game to play... If you have any gaming groups that you play with, I'd love to sit in and check it out...

[Tachyon]

No gaming groups at the moment. It's real hard to match up schedules with a group of people. Perhaps next summer.

[Nu Soard Graphite]

If you like to roleplay Mecha anime, Mekton Z is the way to go. Its built specifically for that style/genre of play. You need the Mekton Z+ techbook to get really crazy with the mecha design, but with that and the main rulesbook, you are pretty much ready to go with whatever mecha series you want to recreate.

WARNING: The characters in MZ aren't nearly as detailed as the mecha are, and such things as Superpowers/Psionics/Magic that often goes hand-in-hand with many mecha anime are missing. There is a (very) basic Psionics system in the MZ+ book (techbook) but it needs a lot of work. Thus, if you want to simulate something like Five Star Stories or Giant Robo or Dangaioh, where the characters have superpowers, you are better off using BESM, The Hero System 5th edition, or GURPS.

[Zoxesyr]

I'll have to tell Benjamin Wright about this place! He'll get a kick out of it.

NSG, I actually think that Fuzion would have been a better match to MZ+, if they had completed it.

Currently I am in a BBS game based loosely on the Star Blade Battalion book.

[Tachyon]

Yeah! Ask Benjamin Wright to stop by. I met him at a few California anime cons. Cool guy.

[Grebo Guru]

Okay, Im here. I just posted a big glob about the Gundam RPG in the other thread there. As for Mekton Z... what can I tell ya? I dunno. Its pretty neat, tho over time I have come to see some flaws in it that I'd like to change. I still think its the best mecha RPG out there. Superior to BESM, D20 mecha, Silouhette, Battletech, etc. Thats just my opinion, but hey.

[Nu Soard Graphite]

Okay, Im here. I just posted a big glob about the Gundam RPG in the other thread there. As for Mekton Z... what can I tell ya? I dunno. Its pretty neat, tho over time I have come to see some flaws in it that I'd like to change. I still think its the best mecha RPG out there. Superior to BESM, D20 mecha, Silouhette, Battletech, etc. Thats just my opinion, but hey.

Ben?

Hey dude. We met several years back at Anime Expo and hung out a bit, talking about the flaws of the (new at the time) Fuzion system. (doubt if you remember...black dude with glasses)

[Grebo Guru]

Hey hey!

I do, kinda, remember... I always enjoy talking mecha-RPG geekitude with fellow fans!

There are actually several decent settings out there for MZ, both online and in books, but sadly few have gotten very in-depth.

What Id like to see is a Super Robot setting to roleplay in. This is virtually unheard of both in America AND in Japan. Effectively all of the mecha RPGs that exist both in America and Japan are Real Robot style. There aren't any RPG settings that seem to follow the style of, say, Power Rangers or Getter Robo or the Brave Series or anything like that. (Personally, Id also like to see... hell, I'd like to WRITE... a Transformers RPG.)

[Tachyon]

What do you think would be the best way to approach a super robot campaign setting for Mekton Z? It's easier for me to find a way to fit in a group of player characters in Z Gundam or Macross (first series) but Mazinger or Getter Robo gets tougher for me.

[Grebo Guru]

I think it would actually be pretty easy. I mean, a Super Robot story is pretty much exactly the same as a Super Hero story... And plenty of people love to play super hero games.

A Super Robot show would follow pretty much exactly the same conventions, except that instead of the characters changing into their costumes, they get into their giant robots.

I mean, why not?

[Ryusei_Zero]

I've always had trouble trying to get my friends to play this game, probably for this reason.

They just need to watch more Mecha stuff. ^^

[Nightmare of Solomon]

In regards to adapting Mekton to Super Robot Genre-

The system can easily design the Robots- I'd personally lean toward smaller - lighter designs - with lower MV's that have been scaled up to either Corvette or Ship Scale-

Rocket fist type weapons could be built as remotes- big Mega swords could be space efficient 1- 2 Kill base weapons- scaled up even one level higher than the Mekton itself- I hit- one (hundred) kill(s)- no problem

Absolutely massive robots with no apparent time lag in the reacton speeds-

Trickier to do in Mekton are the empathic properties of many of the Super Robots- Ultimately its not the stronger mecha which wins- its the stronger pilot-

I'd probably tweak the V-max and Esper lens rules to suit the specifics of the genre-

A much more primative method (which may have been an initial inspirationn for Fuzion) is to Use the Hero system to build the characters- then literally "bolt on" the Mektons- OCV and DCV (and perhaps ECV) are directly affected by the mecha's MV- the Extra actions add or actions lost due to damage directly affect Speed- The pilot with more skill levels pumps them into the DCV / OCV/ (perhaps even completely negating the MV penalty) and chrushes his opponenent-

might be worth a try- anyway-

I know some freinds who gamed with that combo of systems but it was 10-15 years ago-

still don't know BESM well enough to say whether it would be a better choice or not- but it does have potential-

have fun either way-

[Tachyon]

I wish I could talk my local friends into doing a Mekton Z game. Right now we're starting an Aberrant game. Perhaps in the future.

[Ryusei_Zero]

Super Robots are fun to do, the only thing I've ever had trouble with is the truely massive attacks or Armor like Mazinkaisers...otherwise, its been good, though It is hard to incorparate the pilot's strength.

Besm is good if you want to have a multiple genre game, I.E, not everyone is playing a giant robot, and its also easier to learn and exectute; but the overall effect is much less Dynamic then Mekton Zeta is.

I can't get my friends to play the game for the life of me, even though I know any Mekton Zeta Game I run will be ten times better then any other game I can GM. Ah well...Does anyone still play online?