Favourite mecha RPGs

[kronovan]

Another approach you could take is divorcing the mecha side from the roleplaying side. Chose an TTRPG you like and use it for the roleplaying; do similarly with a mecha boardgame/wargame...

Yes this is what I do with a number of TTRPGs + the Battletech Alpha Strike miniatures rules. I tried GMing A Time of War (official Battletech RPG), but eventually neither my players or I cared for it. Tried 2 earler editions of MechWarrior too, but they both posed problems. I'm now running Mech themed campaigns with Mongoose Traveller 2+Vehicle Handbook, SWADE+SciFi Companion and Cepheus Engine+Vehicle Design Guide.

With all of those TTRPGs I use Alpha Strike for any large scale combat encounters. I like that AS is simpler than the Classic BT miniatures rules and that it has a focus on combined arms, so it's easy to include players that aren't playing Mech Pilot PCs. Using AS, you can easily run a combat encounter in half a session, which leaves a good amount of time for other RPing. The rules are quality stuff, now in their 2nd edition, and with all the miniatures and terrain available I can entertain my players that are also fans of Tabletop miniatures.

Other than ATOW, I've never run a solely Mech focused TTRPG. I've browsed a few over the years, but they've had a narrower focus than what I want to run.

 

[timbannock]

Kill ENGN, which is sorta standalone but really an add-on for CY_Borg.

It's got some create customization options, but the OSR chassis it's built on plays ultra-fast and makes it broadly compatible with a lot of other crazy stuff, not just on the Mork Borg scene, but also in the OSR generally.