Mecha: Ghost Panther
“Urban Combat Mecha: the Ghost Panther” is a three page PDF product released under the ENWorld Game Store’s new “Pick’n’Mix” license, published by Gallantry Productions in association with UKG Publishing, and authored by David S. Gallant. Ghost Panther details, as would be expected from the title, a “mech” or “mecha” for use with the d20 Future expansion of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game from Wizards of the Coast. For those wondering what a “mecha” is, this refers to giant man-piloted robots made popular by Japanese Animation. Mechs are usually portrayed as war machines akin to modern tanks, armed with a wide array of weapons. The Ghost Panther is very much a war machine, though perhaps not what one would think of when one thinks “giant robot”: It is designed for stealth and recon.
Aesthetically, “Mecha: Ghost Panther” is required to heel to a pre-set design and layout schema, as part of the “Pick’n’Mix” license. I am not terribly fond of this layout, especially in relation to science fiction genre products; but as it is a requisite part of the product, and has all but no impact on the text, I cannot discount the Ghost Panther on that. For such a short PDF, the author does manage to pack a lot of text in: There is a short snippet of “flavor” fiction to set the mood (perhaps ¼ a page), a mech entry in the d20 Future standard form, four pieces of new equipment, and an NPC pilot in stat-block forms, both with and without his mech.
On the whole, I think the quality of the work here is solid. The Ghost Panther entry seems to be error-free, and, of course, incorporates the new equipment detailed in the product while being built on the foundations set up in the source text. To be honest, the equipment is probably more interesting than the mech itself, but I do not find that unusual. What I find very important about the introduction of new material, such as equipment, is how it compares to the material in the book. There is a tendency to create things that are “better”, as opposed to equipment that just fills a new niche. For the most part, I think Ghost Panther does a good job of not falling into that particular trap.
Of the equipment presented, the new mecha framework I am particularly impressed with. As opposed to being superior to the superstructures available within d20 Future, the Vanadisteel Superstructure presents, what I feel to be, a balanced equal-price choice with some other equivalent selections. The Mecha Grapple Launcher adds something to mecha already found within the d20 Future product at character and starship scales, and seems to be well balanced in that respect, as are the Magnetic Feet. The Darkpath Recoilless Rifle, as the name and theme would suggest, is a stealth-oriented revisit of the Warpath Recoilless Rifle found in the main book. Of everything presented in Ghost Panther, this is the one thing that made me raise an eyebrow. Essentially, it seems to serve the same purpose for the Ghost Panther as a silenced SMG would serve for a traditional commando squad. A recoilless rifle, however, is essentially a launch system for self-propelled high explosive rounds, so I question how “quiet” one can make them. Unfortunately, with the flavor-text included in d20 Future, I don’t see any weapon that would lend itself to being stealthed in this way.
The included NPC stat-block seems effectively squared away. I am no true stickler for math, and as such I do not break down an author’s math and “check his work” on stat blocks and the like. There are no truly obvious errors, however. I find the inclusion of a stat block to be a great value-add, as while there is no “flavor text” included with the NPC, it gives the reader a quick way to introduce the Ghost Panther to play, as friend or foe, without the need to stat up their own NPC and adjust it to reflect the Ghost Panther.
In the interest of disclosure, I was comped a copy of this product, though it was an unsolicited suggestion from a 2nd party. I had originally found the Pick’n’Mix concept to be questionable, so I cannot say that I would have picked up Ghost Panther sight-unseen on my own, though entirely of my own bias. After spending some time with the product, and realizing the time and effort it took me to fact-check and compare, I have to say that Ghost Panther would probably be worth the admission price. Between the mech itself, the new equipment, and a fully-statted NPC, a Game Master running a mecha campaign would spend more in time-based opportunity costs attempting to create his own commando-mech than the fifty cents to pick this up.
