D20 Future Mecha and Movement

[Peterson]

Okay, using a Large Mecha as the example. It's got a move of 30' per move action, and a top speed of 120' per round if it runs (forgoing feats and all that).

A hoverboard has a Top Speed of 50 character-scale squares, which I understand to equal 250' per round.

So, um, a dude on a hoverboard can outrun a Mecha? Yeah, maybe not the Mecha's weaponry, but still...my brain is having a hard time believing that a punk on a hover board can "skate" away at more than twice the Mecha's best speed.

Don't even get me started on the Colossal-size Mechas that are supposed to go "toe-to-toe" with starships (which can move at least 1,000' as a move-action).

Maybe I'm over-thinking this. Maybe it's late and I'm too sleep-depped.

Maybe not though.

Thoughts good ENWorlders?

Peterson

 

[arwink]

Build mecha as starships rather than mecha, that's your easy answer.

The Mecha rules in d20 Future, as far as I can see, are a cut and paste of the rules used in the Mecha Crusade mini-game that was printed in Dungeon a whiel back. That had a whole host of genre conventions that run up against what you're trying to use mecha for here - the most important being that mecha combat is supposed to happen up close and personal rather than spending a prolonged perioud of time at range.

With that in mind, having mecha with phenomenal movements rates was a bad idea - it made the option of pulling back and peppering the opponent with long range weaponry much more attractive. Given the mecha genre seems to be all about smacking one another with lazer swords or a barrage of short range missiles, I think they made the right choice. It's also a genre where mecha drivers are more likely to take on human/alien opponents and monsters than massive star cruisers (a few episodes of the early robotech series aside), so keeping things on a human scale makes sense.

If you want space-faring mecha that are designed to take out star-ships, I recommend starting with a mecha-system that's designed to fit in with the starship rules (basically, build them as a starship). Or simply assume they're capable of moving at starship speeds out of atmosphere and mecha speeds inside an atmosphere. It makes getting away from a combat something of a non-consideration (most mecha will just bolt if they feel outlcassed), but it's not that big a problem if that's in keeping with the feel you want in the game.

 

[Peterson]

Good points and interesting feedback - thanks Arwink!

That's sorta the "quick fix" I had came up with already (I gave "space Mechas" a "space speed" and "atmo speed"), but I'm still not 100% on how it will shake down in actual game play. One of those "looks good on paper, but..." ideas, I fear.

Any other ideas or viewpoints?

What about the fact that a simpleton on a hoverboard can move more than twice the top speed of a simpleton-operated Large Mecha?

Peterson

 

[Ranger REG]

Okay, using a Large Mecha as the example. It's got a move of 30' per move action, and a top speed of 120' per round if it runs (forgoing feats and all that).

A hoverboard has a Top Speed of 50 character-scale squares, which I understand to equal 250' per round.

So, um, a dude on a hoverboard can outrun a Mecha? Yeah, maybe not the Mecha's weaponry, but still...my brain is having a hard time believing that a punk on a hover board can "skate" away at more than twice the Mecha's best speed.

That sounds about right, a running mecha vs. a self-propelled hoverboard (I doubt a hoverboard is human-powered; that would be a waste of hover propulsion technology). Unless the mecha has additional movement capability, like flight.

Don't even get me started on the Colossal-size Mechas that are supposed to go "toe-to-toe" with starships (which can move at least 1,000' as a move-action).

In d20 Future Mecha rules, where the Colossal mecha's max size limit is 125 feet? Nah.

In d20 Mecha from GOO? Yep (if you're planning on creating a Robotech/Macross SDF-1 clone).

 

[Aussiegamer]

hay for a completely new way of looking at mecha (or APeS) as I call them then have a look at my system.

I am going to have strength, speed and dexterity upgrades for the APeS in the next version.

 

[arwink]

Random side-note: The dude with the hoverboard may outrun the mecha, but he's not going to manuver anywhere near as well unless he's got some good ranks in the Tumble skill. Mecha behave much like a character does, only bigger and stronger. The hoverboard behaves like a vehicle, which means at high speed turning and manuvering are going to require skill checks. Couple this with the fact that, as a vehicle, the hover board can't take a double move (unless I'm missremembering) and the mecha can, and the mecha-pilot stands a pretty good chance of catching someone trying to skate their way out of range.

This would have been in the above post, except it took me forever to find exactly where the hoverboard was listed. And now I want to know the stats for a mecha-sized hoverbaord...

 

[Peterson]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Seems my players agree with you guys - mecha should be viewed as lumbering war machines, not agile tools of mass destruction.

I'm wondering if perhaps I was too sleep-dep.

RangerREG, your opinion is always welcome, and while I know (quite well) that you're a fan of GOO's D20 Mecha, I must confess I haven't looked that over for many months. Seeing you respond has reminded me to not always take the first option presented.

Aussiegamer, all I gotta say is you must have some sort of personal drive, cause the last time I looked at your stuff was back when it was like version 1.1 or something. Looks like I gotta spend another day (and soon) looking at your newest version!

Arwink, thanks again man. Always appreciate your comments - and I must agree, I want a mecha-sized hoverboard now...

Thanks again people,

Peterson

 

[Aussiegamer]

Thanks. wow 1.1 that was some time ago.

I have stored my latest on the link below. You need to download the core and then the updates to get all the new files. i split them up as people were sick of downloading 2M for 10K of changes.

Got some ripper ideas for Mecha and mutants to be posted soon.

 

[Aeric]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Seems my players agree with you guys - mecha should be viewed as lumbering war machines, not agile tools of mass destruction.

It depends on the style of mecha you're running, really. If you take the Battletech approach, then yeah, mecha are simply tanks on legs instead of treads/wheels. If you take the approach most anime and manga do, mecha can and often are just as agile as a human being.

*sighs* And here I had just gotten over my jones for a mecha game....

 

[Captain Tagon]

It depends on the style of mecha you're running, really. If you take the Battletech approach, then yeah, mecha are simply tanks on legs instead of treads/wheels. If you take the approach most anime and manga do, mecha can and often are just as agile as a human being.

*sighs* And here I had just gotten over my jones for a mecha game....

Ah, but do we ever truly get over our jones for mecha games? I don't.

And in a lot of the Battletech fiction at least the 'Mechs were really pretty agile.