Goodman Games Announces DragonMech

[Sir Trent]

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

What is a lunar meteor storm? Are we talking whole moons falling here or does this term meaning something else? Did they build these city-mechs to protect them from the meteors or the aftermath of the meteors?

 

[Apocalyptic Kitty]

Wow, this sounds exactly like Doomstriders by Bastion Press. http://www.bastionpress.com/Products/doomstriders.htm

Do you have an overview of how this product isn't going to be a late-coming copycat of this book?

 

[Zoatebix]

NO ANIME!

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

Is it just me or was that an unnecessarily forceful reply, especially considering original question was from a guy who has paintings from Kentarou Miura's Berserk for his icon and signature?

Just seemed like a really strong opinion to have about another culture's silly mass-media. And what's with Apocalyptic Kitty's accusational tone? Let's just chill and try to clear this thread of antagonism.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I can't speak for the Kitty guy but for my part, I took no offense. I figured that Joseph was just stating his answer in a very affirmative way.

I don't want this part to sound stupid, but sometimes people try to pigeonhole anime or manga into one little thing like Sailor Moon or Cardcapture Sukura or Pokemon but as my icon shows, there is a lot of ground covered. Berserk is so traditional that I've stolden many ideas, scenario designs, characters and all sorts of good stuff for it for my standard d20 game. Best part is, it's western fantasy. No one using katans, no ninjas, no samurai and no goofy powers. Very low magic setting with high powered characters making huge differences in the world about them. Very cool stuff. Other material in that vein would be the Record of the Lodoss War (original and the Heroic Chornicles with Spark), and the Heroic Legend of Arslan (Think I spelled that right). This doesn't count other fantasy anime with giant robots like Escaflowne.

From Joseph's response, I believe that he is not trying to hit any standard anime influence but because there are anime and manga for just about anything, I'm sure a well versed reader who looks over this game when it comes out could easily point out a number of things that are similiar, but that's not Joseph's intent.

Or I could be completely wrong...

 

[JoeGKushner]

Wow, this sounds exactly like Doomstriders by Bastion Press. http://www.bastionpress.com/Products/doomstriders.htm

Do you have an overview of how this product isn't going to be a late-coming copycat of this book?

Well, just from looking at what's been posted so far.

Doomstriders is going to be a sourcebook on making mechs. I guess if you wanted to get real picky, you'd ask what is Bastion doing to make sure their book isn't a latecomer when compared to Dream Pod 9's Deluxe Mecha Companion with several time periods, themes, and examples ranging from ancient robots that make Escaflowne look like a sissy, to ships right up there with Robotech.

Still, that's not what you asked.

Doomstriders as a sourcebook, will be, if they follow standards, a 96 page black and white book for $23.95. It will include rules on making these giants, prestige classes, magic items, spells, feats and perhaps a few organizations and NPCs to use them.

This product is going to present a huge setting, is a larger format, and will have more pages as well as more backstory.

 

[elforcelf]

This is cool I seen some of the stuff it is great.I think they will be some six or more books.elforcelf.Hi Joe.elforcelf.

 

[goodmangames]

What is a lunar meteor storm? Are we talking whole moons falling here or does this term meaning something else? Did they build these city-mechs to protect them from the meteors or the aftermath of the meteors?

The moon is falling, literally. For thousands of years it has been growing larger in the sky, in tiny increments, so slowly that only the longest-lived elves notice the change in their lifetime. But 100 years prior to the game's present, the moon entered the planet's gravity well, and began disintegrating. Every night when the moon rises in the sky, it brings with it a meteor storm. This is known as the lunar rain, and it washes across the planet's surface with the moon's shine. On a good night, it is only a particulate haze, capable of shredding skin and abrading armor, but on a bad night, it sends chunks of moon-rock hurtling to the surface, smashing castles and destroying cities.

This is the cataclysm that makes the city-mechs feasible. The big question with fantasy steam mechs is, "Why would anyone pursue this when they could pursue magic?" It's like solar-power technology in our own oil-powered world; the setting has to rationalize why anyone would develop the technology. The lunar rain resulted in a series of changes: evacuation of the surface world, massive refugee influx underground, huge wars at the entrances to the underdark, and, ultimately, a search for some way to survive on the surface.

 

[goodmangames]

Wow, this sounds exactly like Doomstriders by Bastion Press. Do you have an overview of how this product isn't going to be a late-coming copycat of this book?

Oh, you'll see. The fun is only just beginning.

 

[Jim Butler]

Doomstriders as a sourcebook, will be, if they follow standards, a 96 page black and white book for $23.95. It will include rules on making these giants, prestige classes, magic items, spells, feats and perhaps a few organizations and NPCs to use them.

Just to clear up any errors...

Doom Striders is a 128-page, black & white sourcebook that's very heavy on art. It retails for $22.95 and will be on on sale in March.