Mecha and the Size Weakness
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blaster219
- Shelled Plebeian
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:08 am
- Location: Manchester, UK
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Mecha and the Size Weakness
Should Mecha automatically start with levels in Size, and should they use the same "scale" as levels would mean for a person?
"Heroes get shot, stabbed, burned, bludgeoned, poisoned, infected, disintegrated, irradiated, electrocuted, exposed to vacuum and fall from great heights. Being a hero is a tough job."
- Alternity GMG, Chapter 6 (Damage and Injury)
- Alternity GMG, Chapter 6 (Damage and Injury)
Like many things, the answer is "it depends."
While there are building-sized mecha, there are plenty of shows where mecha are simply "pretty tall." It also depends on where the mecha is going to be used most of the time. If you were playing a Gundam-like campaign, giving even the very large Gundams the Size Weakness doesn't make a lot of sense. They're in space, and when they're not in space, they're in environments where they can interact and move with little issue.
On the other hand, in an Escaflowne-like campaign, where the mecha fight in compact cities among human-sized bystanders, it makes for a much more logical choice.
As for scale, again, it depends on the kind of game you're playing. It makes a lot of sense for Gundam. It doesn't so much for Project A-Ko, where human-sized fighters thrash and otherwise decimate mecha.
So the basic bottom-line is this: it depends on how the mecha plays with others. If its size will be a constant disadvantage, give it size. If it won't, don't. Likewise, if mecha are portrayed as leaps and bounds more powerful than the Player Characters, use scale. If they are just another one of the guys, so to speak, don't.
Hope that helps!
While there are building-sized mecha, there are plenty of shows where mecha are simply "pretty tall." It also depends on where the mecha is going to be used most of the time. If you were playing a Gundam-like campaign, giving even the very large Gundams the Size Weakness doesn't make a lot of sense. They're in space, and when they're not in space, they're in environments where they can interact and move with little issue.
On the other hand, in an Escaflowne-like campaign, where the mecha fight in compact cities among human-sized bystanders, it makes for a much more logical choice.
As for scale, again, it depends on the kind of game you're playing. It makes a lot of sense for Gundam. It doesn't so much for Project A-Ko, where human-sized fighters thrash and otherwise decimate mecha.
So the basic bottom-line is this: it depends on how the mecha plays with others. If its size will be a constant disadvantage, give it size. If it won't, don't. Likewise, if mecha are portrayed as leaps and bounds more powerful than the Player Characters, use scale. If they are just another one of the guys, so to speak, don't.
Hope that helps!
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blaster219
- Shelled Plebeian
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:08 am
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Contact:
Well, in the series I'm planning to run the character's will have mecha that is about 2x the size of an adult human. The alien mecha, who are their main opposition, are about 1.5x to 2x as large (3x-4x human size). The human mecha will be faster and more agile while the human mecha will be stronger (but not necessarily have better weapons). The main battlegrounds will be urban environments, since its a whole aliens invade earth, win, some time later some plucky resistence band builds their own mecha and fights back. A decent, anime version of Battlefield Earth if you will.
I was planning on using the Scale Factor rule from the blog as it nicely handles the differences between character, human mecha and alien mecha. HM are faster than AM which are faster than humans. Humans are more agile than HM which are more agile than AM. If a human shoots a mecha with small arms fire, then the mecha gets the advantage, if he uses an RPG, then they're equal but if the human uses a shoulder-fired anti-mecha laser cannon then the advantage might go to the human. I really like the Scale Factor Rule.
I was planning on using the Scale Factor rule from the blog as it nicely handles the differences between character, human mecha and alien mecha. HM are faster than AM which are faster than humans. Humans are more agile than HM which are more agile than AM. If a human shoots a mecha with small arms fire, then the mecha gets the advantage, if he uses an RPG, then they're equal but if the human uses a shoulder-fired anti-mecha laser cannon then the advantage might go to the human. I really like the Scale Factor Rule.
"Heroes get shot, stabbed, burned, bludgeoned, poisoned, infected, disintegrated, irradiated, electrocuted, exposed to vacuum and fall from great heights. Being a hero is a tough job."
- Alternity GMG, Chapter 6 (Damage and Injury)
- Alternity GMG, Chapter 6 (Damage and Injury)