An RPG you’d (I’d) like to see: A new space opera game with mecha.

Much like the accessory question, it really boils down to writing it myself. I’m very picky about my space opera/science fantasy gaming. Star Wars and Robotech RPG are very tough shoes to fill.

I’m still fairly annoyed and disgusted with Paizo, so not Starfinder. Traveller is old, scientific, non-mecha, and I don’t much care for the system. Plus Traveller, Star Frontiers, FrontierSpace, and Alien are all more “hard science” types of games. I hear good things about Modiphius’ Star Trek 2d20, but then we’re limited to their universe. Stars Without Number is cool, but again, I didn’t get much of a mecha vibe from it.

My ultimate goal is to produce something under an open license that can be current and enjoyable. Robotech and Battletech are great, but they’re spoken for. Those worlds are almost overdeveloped. The canon is akin to running Star Wars or Star Trek– everyone’s an expert.

Anime Posters Collection by Noem9 Studio is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

There is really only one conclusion that can be reached.

I guess I could write my own. I’ve created multiple space mecha campaigns and settings before. There’s enough of that running around in my head to last for years. From the studio that brought you Ultra Space Battleship Kyoden and Neo Kyoto Mecha Police comes (Insert cool anime sounding title here.)

Both of the above campaigns were created many, many years ago for the first edition of Big Eyes, Small Mouth RPG. I would gladly recreate both for Cypher System, OVA, and/or FATE in a heartbeat if I had players willing to do an anime mecha game. I love mecha games, but I’ve always struggled to find dice mechanics that I’m satisfied with. Things always seem to be character oriented to the point of no interesting mecha combat or lots of super crunchy mecha combat but not a lot of emphasis on the dramatic lives of pilots, crew, and support staff. Call me fussy, but I want both.

What I will likely end up doing, someday down the road, is writing up my own complete mecha game. I’ve been in the hobby long enough to know how to do it. I can make a minis game that works well with a roleplaying skill system. There’s just a lot of number crunching, text, art, and playtesting between here and there.

Anime/mecha games require some seriously good art if they’re going to sell, especially if they’re not based on an existing franchise. Since my own meager mecha drawings probably aren’t going to get it done, I’m going to have to hire someone. Right now my game company has a budget of $0.00, so it’s going to be a while.

Until then, we’re going to be here having fun and talking about games. Heck, maybe somebody will beat me to the punch and pump out a mecha game in space that I actually like. There are a dozen or so really awesome games and designers I haven’t mentioned. It could happen.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.