Reviewing as many options as possible while I continue to brainstorm.
Giant. Robot. Combat! Let’s talk about some Mecha games, shall we? I’ve been a mecha fan from way back.
I think we all know the big names in the Mecha subgenre. There’s Battletech (technically not an RPG, but…) Robotech, RIFTS, Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, Mecha vs Kaiju, and Mecha Hack just to name some of the big ones. Full disclosure: I backed Mecha Hack and all of its subsequent sourcebooks, so I’m a little biased toward that game. I’m actually a huge fan of everything on that list and some that aren’t.
If we’re going to get technical, Transformers RPG and Power Rangers RPG are mecha games. The Cybertronians of the Transformers universe are literally living mecha. The Power Rangers’ Zords transform from one style of mech to combine and form another. What’s not to love?
I also want to take this opportunity to mention a blast from the R. Talsorian past: Mekton Zeta and Roadstriker 2. These two games were amazeballs when combined with one another. They also converted readily to Cyberpunk 2020 also from R. Talsorian Games. The combination of all three was pure bliss to me, but not as hot with some of my old Grognard buddies back in my college days.
Mecha as a subgenre loops into Anime/Manga style gaming easily.
I haven’t talked about good old Big Eyes, Small Mouth much yet in this series. Mark MacKinnon, creator of BESM in every edition has been accused of bigotry and cultural appropriation by some of the Asian sensitivity readers in the TTRPG industry. He has also been accused of not paying artists the commissions they were owed for prior works. As much as I want to stay clear of any drama in the TTRPG hobby, this one can’t go by unnoticed.
I love BESM in every form it’s ever been printed in. 2E might be the only book I don’t actually own. It has sparked so much creativity from me and fed my love of the anime/mecha genre for decades. I was absolutely heartbroken to hear the things MacKinnon has been accused of.
I ended up reaching out to Mr. MacKinnon to ask if the part about paying up his commissions was true because it sounded very out of character for him or really any major TTRPG imprint that has survived this long. Turns out, according to him, the accusations are false. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Gen Con seminar many years ago, and he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would rip people off, so I’m inclined to believe him.
As far as the cultural appropriation goes, unfortunately I have to tread very carefully with what I say. I love many things Japanese all the way from my sake set all the way to my manga collection and my copy of Fabula Ultima JTTRPG. I sincerely don’t want to offend anyone on a cultural level, but I sometimes struggle with the line between admiration and appropriation. With that in mind, I’m leaving the anime/manga flavor of TTRPG alone.
In terms of the BRP Design Challenge, giant robots are still in play.
Just because a setting uses mecha, cyberware, and possibly huge starships, doesn’t mean it’s anime related. Honestly the players/GM/reader is free to picture it in their mind any way they’d like. Battletech and The Stars Are Fire for Cypher System portray a more Americanized view of the mecha subgenre quite well. Both games are award winners in their own categories.
Personally, I love giant robots so much many of my TTRPG aspirations include them. Not just giant robots, but cool tanks, motorcycles, starships, and aircraft, too. I want to fire electromagnetic railguns and massive missile volleys from long distances away. The best part is, I can work mecha into almost any game setting for any subgenre. A lot of my brainstorming has included mechs of some sort.
The downside to mecha games.
Ever heard of Beamswords & Bazookas from Sweaterpunk Studios before now? I would dare say most TTRPG enthusiasts have not unless they are mecha nerds like me. Unfortunately, we’re few and far between as a TTRPG subculture.
It can be difficult enough to get a group together to play a session or two of that one really popular fantasy TTRPG, much less a mecha game most have never heard of. Without a major franchise behind it, times are difficult for any mecha TTRPG. I won’t say it’s impossible, but I will say it’s very difficult at best.
I’m not letting it deter me in my BRP Design Challenge goals, however. It’s just a matter of hybridizing mecha into other genres. For example, the anime My Vision of Escaflowne combines high fantasy with mecha quite well. Geo Defender Armor Kishin Corps, one of my favorite series, combines Dieselpunk with giant robots. One last example, Giant Robo and Big O combine giant robots with the superhero genre. If it works for anime, it can work for a TTRPG, no problem.
I’ve also had a space mecha game in my head on the back burner for many years. Imagine if Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, or the Terminator franchise used giant robots in with their other tropes. How cool would that be? Giant semi-sentient robots capable of maneuvering on a dime in space. Makes me think of Knights of Cydonia only live action. I could really get into it if I could find other willing participants.
Thinking about market viability in terms of mecha games, though.
It makes me a little sad when I think about making a game that might be widely unappreciated and undervalued just because it includes mecha. I know it’s sometimes very hard to get people to embrace change. I’m going to have to explore ways of converting fantasy and horror fans over to other subgenres of games. The hardest part of this challenge is finding a way for the book to make money and convince others they should try it.
Thanks for stopping by. Let’s see what else springs up. I appreciate you being here. Embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 