Mecha Game Requirements

Introduction:

Off and on (mostly off) for the last year I've been working on a FATE based mecha (Macross) game. Each attempt mostly ended in frustration mostly because I didn't have a clear vision. Instead of continuing to flounder I decided to put together a formal requirements and evaluation document. This is a live Google Docs document so as it evolves the changes will be published to the Platonic Solid blog. Comments and suggestions are very much welcomed.

Requirements:

1. Provide bonus for transforming/changing modes.
2. Provide differentiation between mecha modes i.e. Jet, Battroid, Valkyrie.
3. Support fluid combat in the game space. (freewheeling action)
4. Support massive missile clouds with light keeping.
1. Support evading/fighting way out of massive missile clouds.
5. Provide support for mooks in combat.
6. Support scaling between personal/mecha/ship levels.
7. Explicitly support tactical dogfighting.
1. None of the systems will support this. Instead of a nitty-gritty tactical system I am developing in parallel a "Gs System" where a player voluntarily takes on extra Gs for positioning/bonus. The defender will have the option to also pull more Gs in order to offset the opponent's advantage or to gain advantage for themself. A Gs system requirements doc has not yet been written.
2. Initial positioning and distance must be determined by the game system's initiative system a la original Traveller. This way Fighter mode is not given short shrift.
8. Support character development and growth.
1. Sounds obvious but the system should support growing into a leadership position, etc.

Existing Game System Candidates

1. PDQ
• Requirements
1. PASS
1. Flat +2 bonus for narrating a mode change
2. PASS
3. PASS
1. The system allows open narration and does not enforce quantizing time/action.
4. PASS
1. HOLD
5. PASS
• Has outstanding support for mooks
• Will test damage "overflow" for mooks a la FATE 3.x.
6. PASS
7. FAIL
• Out of the box PDQ does not provide a tactical framework for dogfighting.
8. PASS
1. HOLD
• Pros
1. Very light
2. Very fun
3. A lot of good system material to base the conversion on.
1. Jaws of the Six Serpents
2. Truth & Justice
1. Scaling when limited to weapons, armor, speeds worked without a hitch.
• Cons
1. At this time (6/29/2009) explicit character growth seems to be the most difficult problem.
• Test Notes
• Tactical game play emerged through the damage system.
• Mecha felt as if they were whittled away.
• Game play was high speed.
• Mecha creation was straight forward.
2. PDQ#
• Pros
1. Very light
2. Very fun
3. The swashbuckling rules look like they could be very useful for dogfighting.
4. The minion rules look like they could be useful for character growth into leadership.
• Cons
• Same as PDQ
• Test Notes
• Has not been tested.
3. OVA
• Requirements
1. PASS
2. PASS
3. PASS
4. HOLD
1. HOLD
5. PASS
6. HOLD
7. FAIL
• Out of the box OVA does not provide a tactical framework for dogfighting.
8. PASS
1. HOLD
• Pros
• Creating mecha was straight forward.
• The Ricochet system is fun in of itself.
• The book provides a list of abilities that can be used for "building" mecha.
• Handles power armor exceptionally well.
• Cons
• At this time explicit character growth seems to be the most difficult problem.
• Test Notes
• Played as usual, very well.
• Resolution system "felt right".
• Out of the box was not as engaging as PDQ.
4. Cortex
• Requirements
1. PASS
• Next action after transforming gets +1 die step.
2. PASS
3. PASS
4. HOLD
1. HOLD
5. PASS
6. PASS
• Provides outstanding support for handling scale
7. FAIL
• Out of the box Cortex does not provide a tactical framework for dogfighting.
8. PASS
1. HOLD
• Pros
• Excellent support for scale.
• Excellent support for ships.
• Cons
• It simply comes down to me not being sure that I like the feel of the game. May not feel evocative enough.
• Test Notes
• Combat was a bit bland out of the box but the experimental "Gs System" could easily be added.
• Mecha creation was very straight forward
• Character creation felt good.
5. Starblazer Adventures
• Requirements
1. PASS
• +2 to next action. Must be tagged with FATE point.
2. HOLD
• This has been a point of frustration regardless of the system.
3. PASS
4. HOLD
1. HOLD
5. PASS
• Provides outstanding support for mooks
6. PASS
• Provides outstanding support for scaling
7. FAIL
• Does not provide a tactical framework for dogfighting.
• Provides a framework for capitol ships.
8. PASS
1. HOLD
• Pros
• Strong support for scale
• Strong Organizations support
• Fun
• Provides a vast amount of "generic" sci-fi material that can be adapted for the game.
• Cons
• Handling mecha modes has proven cumbersome.
6. ORE
• Requirements
1. PASS
2. HOLD
3. PASS
4. PASS
1. PASS
5. PASS
6. HOLD
7. FAIL
8. PASS
1. HOLD
7. N-System

1. Pros
• Not yet fully prototyped and is open to fundamental change.
2. Cons
• Not yet fully prototyped and needs a lot of work.