Goodman Games Announces DragonMech

[goodmangames]

Goodman Games Announces DragonMech

February 9, 2004 -- Goodman Games is pleased to announce an innovative new setting and sourcebook for the d20 gamer: DragonMech, a world of medieval fantasy mechs powered by steam, magic, or the labor of a thousand slaves. The DragonMech rule book will be released in July 2004 in a hardback, 240-page format priced at $34.99. DragonMech is written by Joseph Goodman with art by Niklas Jansson.

DragonMech is set in a medieval fantasy world destroyed by relentless lunar meteor storms. To survive, the surface races have used magical and mechanical means to build thousand-foot-tall city-mechs, which now house most of civilization. Kingdoms have been replaced by mobile mechdoms, and the mounted knight is anachronistic in the face of steam-powered combat mechs. While lunar creatures launch invasions from the skies, fleets of smoke-belching steam-mechs battle for scarce supplies of wood, steel, and coal.

The DragonMech rule book steers steampunk in a new direction with a full integration of steam-powered mechs into the fantasy genre. It includes three new core classes, three variant core classes, and seven new prestige classes, all intricately woven into the fabric of the world. Steamborgs, coglayers, and mech jockeys blaze a new path for glory, while clockwork rangers, constructors, and steam mages carry on new versions of the old traditions.

A new set of mech rules uses the existing d20 type-based monster rules to allow for fast, easy generation of mechs from the five basic categories of steam-powered, man-powered, clockwork, magically animated, or undead. Stats for more than 20 standard mech designs are included, as well as a full profile of the gigantic city-mech Nedderpik, and a wide variety of new weapons, equipment, and gear.

Rounding out the book is a new system for creating steam powers, a gazetteer of the mechdoms and their territories, new monsters and feats, details of the changing values and religions in a world of steam, and much more. The culture of steam power is fully integrated with traditional d20 fantasy rules, including rules for using magic to transfer souls to mechs, the Irontooth Clans' monastic traditions and their "mech devil" pilots, clockwork familiars, undead reanimated via steam engines rather than necromancy, steamborgs assimilated into a mech shell, lunar creatures, and much, much more.

More information on DragonMech can be found at http://www.goodman-games.com. Contact goodmangames@mindspring.com for questions regarding this press release.

DragonMech is a trademark of Goodman Games. The content of the DragonMech rule book is copyright © 2004 Goodman Games.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Is this the book you hintd at in your Polyhedron interview not too long back? It sounds pretty interesting, taking the whole Steampunk element to a different, yet very anime, like direction, than Iron Kingdoms. Should enable both products to survive at the same time.

Is this going to be a one shot book, or will that depend on the initial sales? I know some companies are continuing to come out with campaign setting after campaign setting.

How will the average player whose not interested in a new setting be able to use the book? Any ideas and rules for exporting this particular steam tech to other settings? It might make for a very interesting encounter with a walking mecha city.

What mecha rules will you be using? The d20 Mecha Ones from Guardians of Order that Dream Pod 9 did or something else?

What type of campaign modes will there be? For example, will there be giant monsters worthy of fighting mechas or will it be smaller scale?

So many questions...

 

[Krug]

This looks interesting..

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Woah...that sounds really interesting. Definatly going to check this one out.

 

[goodmangames]

Is this the book you hintd at in your Polyhedron interview not too long back? It sounds pretty interesting, taking the whole Steampunk element to a different, yet very anime, like direction, than Iron Kingdoms.

It is indeed the book I mentioned in the interview. But one clarification:

NO ANIME!

I don't like anime. DragonMech is intentionally a European-themed mech game. The anime influence is minimal.

Is this going to be a one shot book, or will that depend on the initial sales?

Extensive support is planned. Look for future press releases.

How will the average player whose not interested in a new setting be able to use the book?

DragonMech is intentionally designed to be used as both a sourcebook and setting. Certain *concepts* are integrally tied to the setting -- such as the existence of lunar creatures and the motivation for a magic-based society to move toward steam power in the first place. Most *rules*, however, are easily ported out, and the book was designed with this in mind. The chapters on mechs, equipment, creatures, and characters are distinct from those on the world and campaign.

What mecha rules will you be using? The d20 Mecha Ones from Guardians of Order that Dream Pod 9 did or something else?

Guardians of Order was cool enough to provide me with an early-release version of their mecha rules over a year ago. (Wow, has it been that long?) However, I don't think points-based mech rules mesh well with the d20 feel I want for DragonMech. Just as d20 monsters fall into types which have certain parameters (e.g., aberrations have a certain BAB and save progression, etc.), so too should mechs. As a result, the mech rules integrate seamlessly with the existing d20 system. If you know how to build a monster in d20, you know how to build a mech.

What type of campaign modes will there be? For example, will there be giant monsters worthy of fighting mechas or will it be smaller scale?

Yes, the lunar dragons (among other things) can take on a mech. Mechs also come in all sizes, from one-man combat walkers to the thousand-foot-tall city-mechs, and there are ways for PCs to interact with all scales.

So many questions...

And more press releases to come.

 

[Ranger REG]

A whole new mech rule: build mech like you build monsters, not effects. This I gotta see for myself.

Just make sure you add rules for modifications.

 

[Scorpio]

Looks awesome. Very cool!

 

[Knightfall]

Definitely going to give this one a look.

I need some d20 science fantasy rules to go with Dragonstar and my homebrewed steampunk-like campaign setting, Time of Ages.

I'm not crazy about the point-based mecha concept by GOO. I'm looking forward to seeing your mecha design rules.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[fnork de sporg]

Drool

 

[trancejeremy]

Hmmm. Bastion Press's "Doom Striders" book should be out fairly soon (this month, I think), which are also fantasy mecha (though not a 1000 feet tall). (Their Oathbound setting has them, at least in the "Arena" region, and the book for Arena had basic Doom Strider rules, along with mass combat integrated with them).

And there was a recently released non-d20 game called "Rune Stryders", which is also about fantasy mecha. It's funny how these things seem to come out in groups.