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    John Millers (order #9295784)

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    1

    Introduction

    Welcome to the Mecha Quickstart Guide! Mecha is a role-playing game ofaction-packed mecha anime. This quickstart guide gives you everything you

    need (except friends and dice) to play out the first episode of your own mecha

    anime series. The full Mecharulebook includes many more rules, options, and

    settings, but by the time you play through the episode in this booklet you

    should have a pretty good taste of what the full game is like.

    What are Mecha?

    Before we go any further, lets define what were dealing with when we say

    mecha.

    For the purposes of this quickstart guide, mechaare 20 foot tall, humanoid

    robots that are the primary fighting vehicle in an inter-planetary conflict

    between rival factions. Like tanks, but walkier. They also possess boosters that

    allow them to manuever in zero gravity situations such as the one presented

    in this booklet.

    Also, please note that we use the term mecha as both the singular and plural

    form of the noun.

    Mecha Quickstart Guide

    20by

    Written by Chris Perrin and Clint Krause

    Cover Illustration by Rick Hershey

    Interior Illustrations by Beny Maulana

    Layout by Clint Krause

    Special thanks to Aaron Harmric,

    Josh Chewning, Mike Silva, and

    Robert Carson.

    www..

    Permission is granted to photocopy any

    portion of this booklet for personal use.

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    What Youll Need

    Youll need a bunch of standard, six-sided dice. 8 or so per person.

    Youll need some sort of tokens (glass counters or loose change work

    fine) to use for Overdrive.

    Youll need one player who will serve as the Gamemaster. Its the Game

    Masters job to guide the other players through their first episode.

    Mainly, he describes the game world to the players, sets up conflicts,

    and plays the bad guys. The Gamemaster is also the de facto referee of

    the game (though everyone, including the Gamemaster, is expectedto play by the rules).

    Youll need up to four other players to take on the roles of Mecha

    pilots. These pilots are the protagonists of the episode that youre

    going to play through. The players are responsible for describing their

    characters actions in reaction to the Gamemasters descriptions.

    Youll need photocopies of the character profiles at the back of thisbooklet (or you can just tear out the pages).

    Youll need a piece of paper to sketch the Bullseye Battle Map, which

    is shown on page 8.

    Youll need to photocopy the counters at the end of this booklet and

    cut them out. You could also use your favorite variety of giant robot

    miniatures if youve got them handy.

    Playing With Fewer Than Four Characters

    It is perfectly acceptable to play through this quickstart guide without the full

    four characters. Simply assume that the characters who are not present are

    back at headquarters (this is just a routine patrol mission after all). All of the

    references to the other characters on the character profiles are still relevant and

    can be used as fodder for role-playing.

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    Making a RollHey there, rookie! Im Hangar Chief Suki Yamato, here to whip you

    into shape for your first patrol mission. At a number of points inthe text, youll see that we refer to making a roll. A roll is used to

    determine whether or not an important action attempted by the

    pilot succeeds or fails. To make a roll, roll a number of dice equal to whichever

    stat is relevant to the situation. During the pilots personal scenes, use the

    pilots relevant stat. During combat, when the pilot is operating his mecha, use

    the relevant linked stat.

    For example, if a pilot were trying to solve a mental puzzle, you would use hisIntelligencestat. When a pilot is operating his mecha and makes and attack,

    you would use theAttacklinked stat.

    Any dice that come up equal to or lower than the level of the pilots relevant

    skill are considered successes. The more successes you roll, the better the

    outcome of your pilots action.

    Ones ExplodeAny die that come up as 1 counts as a success and is then re-rolled (possibly

    generating more successes). Keep re-rolling ones until a different number

    turns up on the die. In this way, a lucky roll might give you many successes

    even if youre only using a few dice.

    Great Success!

    Whenever a player rolls five or more successes on a roll (before spending

    Overdrive), he gains a point of Overdrive. This represents a particularly lucky

    or skillful performance by the pilot. The Gamemaster also collects a point of

    Overdrive whenever he rolls a Great Success for one of his NPCs.

    Cut Scenes

    During the combat sequence, if any character rolls 8 or moresuccesses (beforespending Overdrive) on any roll, he receives a Cut Scene. The player who

    made the roll should describe his mecha doing some particularly cool stunt

    or maneuver. At that point, the player can immediately take an extra action

    (Move or Attack). If this extra action is used to make an attack, optimal range

    penalties do not apply to the roll (though weapon cool down still counts).

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    Overdrive

    Overdrive is the most important resource in the game. Characters earn

    Overdrive through suceeding at social scenes and rolling Great Successes. A

    point of Overdrive can be spent at any timeto gain an extra success on a roll.

    There is no limit to the number of Overdrive that can be spent on a given roll.

    Even more importantly, all Configurations cost 1 Overdrive to activate (more

    on that later).

    Each player starts the game with one point of Overdrive. The Gamemaster

    starts the game with a number of Overdrive equal to the number of players

    minus one.

    Use beads, tokens, or something else non-edible to represent Overdrive in the

    game.

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    5

    Welcome to the

    Separatist Guard!First, you need to decide whos going to be the Gamemaster and

    whos going to play a pilot. Whoevers playing a pilot should

    choose which of the four pilots in the back of the booklet that

    theyre going to play. If youre the Gamemaster, follow the

    instructions that I give you and read the boxed text aloud for the players. As

    soon as everyones chosen a character, read the following:

    You are a mecha pilot in the Seperatist Guard, an alliance of planets that are

    fighting for their independence against the tyrannical Arbor Defense Force

    (ADF).

    Youre currently stationed aboard the patrol ship Odyssey, patrolling the

    debris belt that surrounds the planet Abrax. The debris field is the remnant

    of a massive orbital battle that took place here at the onset of the war, but

    since youve been deployed here this place has been colder than an ice

    mine.

    Its the start of another routine patrol and youre sitting in the Odysseys

    hangar surrounded by your squadrons docile mecha. How are you passing

    the time?

    At this point, explain to the players that they can each have one of the following

    Personal Scenes:

    A- social scene, in which you chat it up with your squadron-mates or

    another member of the crew.

    A- field-ops scene, in which to attempt to attain some external goal

    like research, intelligence, or stealing your buddys cigarette ration.

    A-

    repair scene, in which you attempt to repair a damaged mecha.

    Starting with the player to the GMs left, each player chooses which type of

    scene they would like to put their character into. Proceed clockwise around the

    table until each player has had a personal scene.

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    Players are free to describe the setting of their scene and which characters are

    around (if any). For example, Hawks player might decide that he is going to

    have a social scene with the pilot of the patrol ship. He describes his character

    entering the cockpit. The Gamemaster takes on the role of the pilot and thetwo role-play the scene.

    Whats the Goal of a Personal Scene?

    Each characters personal scene is meant to be an opportunity to develop the

    character in more detail (much like a scene featuring the character in an anime

    series). Each type of scene also has a mechanical goal. The scenes mechanical

    goal gives the player some benefit that can be used in battle.

    After a player chooses which type of scene hed like for his character. He

    (with input from the Gamemaster) describes the scene and role-plays any

    conversations that take place (the Gamemaster takes on the role of any non-

    player characters who are present).

    Once the player and the Gamemaster are satisfied with the role-playing in a

    scene, the player rolls dice to determine whether or not his character achievesthe mechanical goal of the scene.

    Social scenesare used to earn Overdrive. After your character participates in

    a social scene, roll a number of dice equal to your pilots Will stat. If any of the

    dice come up equal to or lowerthan your characters Social skill, you gain a point

    of Overdrive.

    Field Ops scenes are used to earn Tactical Points. After your characterparticipates in a field ops scene, the GM chooses which of your pilots stats

    best applies to the scene (based on the way you described your actions). Roll

    a number of dice equal to your pilots relevant stat. If anyof the dice come up

    equal to or lowerthan your characters Field Opsskill, you gain a Tactical Point

    (more on those later).

    Repair scenes are used to repair damaged mecha. After your character

    participates in a repair scene, roll a number of dice equal to your pilots

    Intelligence stat. If any of the dice come up equal to or lowerthan your pilots

    Repair skill you may repair one point of damage equal to the number of

    successful dice.

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    After each of the players has played out a scene featuring their character,

    its time for the Gamemaster to introduce a conflict. Read the following text

    aloud:

    The monotony is suddenly interrupted by a buzz from the patrol ships

    intercom system. Its Manny, the pilot, and he sounds excited. Weve got

    an anomalous scanner reading from an object in the debris field! Command

    wants you guys to check it out. Mount-up boys and girls, its time to earn

    your paychecks!

    Once everyone has climbed into their mecha and run their power-up protocols,

    the cargo door opens, allowing the pilots to exit the patrol ship. Manny pulls

    up a waypoint on the pilots HUDs that marks the location of the anomalous

    object. Describe the environment of the debris field and let the players describe

    their pilots actions. Once the pilots approach within visual range of the object,

    read the following:

    You see a sleek looking mecha among the battle-debris. Hi-tech stuff.

    Much more advanced than the patchwork rigs that youre piloting. Its

    marked up with ADF insignias and serial numbers . . . probably some kind

    of prototype.

    As you get closer, the mecha seems to become translucent and form into a

    bizarre double image. It looks like youre looking at it through a kaleidoscope

    thats bugging out. It begins to rapidly oscillate between solidity and

    translucence.

    Allow the players to describe their pilots actions. Add more strange details

    to your description of the prototype. Build tension. No die rolls are needed

    during the investigation scene, just narrate and allow the players to narrate. As

    soon as the time feels right, read the following:

    Contact! Weve got contact! shouts Manny over your comms. Before hes

    even through shouting, your HUD blazes with the tell-tale blips of incoming

    hostiles. Its an ADF strike team, and it looks like theyve come for theirprototype!

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    The Strike Teams AssaultUse the following procedure to resolve the fight with the ADF strike

    team. Think of Mechas combat mechanics as a tactical mini-gamethat will help to determine which direction the story will take next.

    Both the players (as their pilots) and the Gamemaster (as the ADF

    strike team) should play to win.

    The ADF strike team consists of a number of ADF Grave Hounds equal to the

    number of player-characters, plus a single ADF Howling Dragon.

    Sketch out the Bullseye Battle Map (the crosshair outline shown below)on apiece of paper and place the game counters in the following configuration:

    Players

    ADF ADF

    Grave Hounds Howling Dragon

    Objective

    Marker

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    Victory Conditions

    After each character has had a single turn, if any character begins his turn in the

    same sector as the objective marker, his side wins the battle and may narrate

    the defeat of their opponents (which could involve capturing, killing, or routing

    them). In this case, the objective marker represents the rough location of the

    ADF prototype and by beginning a turn in that sector the character manages

    to secure the prototype from his opponents.

    The other way to win the battle is by destroying all enemy mecha involved in

    the fight.

    Step One: Spend Tactical Points

    If any of the players earned a Tactical Point during their personal scene, they can

    now spend it to move their mecha, an enemy mecha, or the objective counter

    one movement point from its starting location. For more on Movement Points,

    see Making a Move below.

    Step Two: Roll InitiativeInitiative is used to determine what order the pilots act in during combat.

    Acting before your opponent can be crucial to victory.

    Each player rolls a number of dice equal to his mechas Engineering

    linked stat. Each die that comes up equal to or lower than his pilots

    Mecha Combat skill adds one to his initiative. This is just like any

    other roll in the game, so re-roll ones, and keep an eye out for Great

    Successes and Cut Scenes.

    The Gamemaster rolls once for the ADF Grave Hounds (which, because

    theyre statistically identical, all act on the same initiative) and once for

    the ADF Howling Dragon. Use the same procedure as the players used:

    roll a number of dice equal to the mechas engineering stat and count

    up successes based on the Mecha Combatskill of the ADF pilots.

    Finally, the Gamemaster creates a list, putting all of the combatants in

    order from the highest initiative result to the lowest. If there are any

    ties, the mecha with the highest Engineeringstat goes first. If theres

    still a tie, the players of the tied mecha each roll a die and whoever

    gets the higher result goes first.

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    If any character gets 8 or more successes on their initiative roll (a Cut Scene),

    they can immediately take a Move or Attack action (as described below). This

    action is resolved beforethe normal initiative sequence begins.

    Step Three: Take Turns

    Using the Gamemasters initiative list as reference, each player takes a turn in

    descending order of initiative (the highest initiative acts first, and so on . . .). In

    this case, the Gamemaster will end up taking two turns (one for the ADF Grave

    Hounds and one for the ADF Howling Dragon).

    On a players turn, his pilot can Moveand Attack(in either order).

    Making a Move

    To move his pilot, the player rolls a number of dice equal to his mechas

    Movement Linked Stat. Each die that comes up equal to or lowerthan the pilots

    Mecha Combatskill generates one Movement Point. The player may then spend

    these Movement Points to move across the Bullseye Battlemap.

    It costs 1 Movement Point to move from sector-to-sector (across a curved line)

    and 2 movement points to go from one quadrant to another (across a straight

    line). There is one caveat: a mecha cannot cross two quadrants in a row in the

    same turn. So on turn one, if the player crosses a quadrant, she must then cross

    a sector or wait until turn two to move across another quadrant.

    As with all rolls in the game, keep an eye out for Great Successes and Cut

    Scenes.

    Making an Attack

    To make an attack, the player chooses one of his mechas weapons to attack

    with. When a weapon has been used to make an attack it must cool down

    (spend a turn unused) before it can be used again.

    Each weapon has an Optimal Range(which is the number next to the weaponon the profile sheet) and a Damage Type (which is the word next to the weapon

    on the profile sheet).

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    Once the player has chosen which weapon to attack with, he chooses which

    enemy mecha he will target.

    Count the number of Movement Points that it takes to get from the attacking

    mechas sector to the target mechas sector using the most direct path. Thisnumber is the Rangeof the attack.

    The attacking player then rolls a number of dice equal to his mechas Attack

    linked stat, minus one die for each point of difference between the range of

    the attack and the optimal range of the weapon being used. For example, if

    Hawks player attacks an enemy mecha that is 2 Movement Points away with

    his Arming Cannon (range 3), he will roll one less die on the attack.

    Each die that comes up equal to or lowerthan the attackers Mecha Combatskill

    counts as a success.

    In response, the target of the attack always makes a Defense Roll. The player of

    the targeted mecha rolls a number of dice equal to his mechas Defenselinked

    stat.

    Each die that comes up equal to or lower than the defenders Mecha Combatskill counts as a success.

    Once the attack and defense results have been determined, players can bid

    Overdrive back and forth to modify the results.

    Successful Attack

    If the attacking player rolls more successes than the defending player, theplayer of the targeted mecha checks one of the boxes on his mechas damage

    track and must make a Stability Rollto remain in the battle (see below).

    In addition, the attacking player can move the damaged mecha a number of

    movement points equal to the difference between the attack and defense

    results. For example, if Hawks player rolls 6 attack successes and his opponent

    rolls 3 defense successes, Hawks player can move his opponent up to 3

    movement points away from his current location. This knockback effect is

    very important for moving opponents out of the same sector as the objective

    marker (and thus preventing them from winning).

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    The Stability Roll

    Each time a player marks a box on his mechas damage track, he must attempt

    a Stability Roll.

    The player rolls a die. If the result is higher thanthe number of marked damaged

    boxes, the mecha manages to hold together and stay in the fight.

    If the result is lower than or equal to the number of marked damage boxes,

    the mecha is destroyed and removed from the fight. The mechas pilot is not

    necessarily killed, but is unable to continue fighting. The GM is responsible for

    describing what happens to a pilot and his mecha if a stability roll is failed.

    Narration

    The mecha anime genre revolves around exciting visuals of the mecha running

    across terrain, dodging missiles and laser blasts, and using a variety of amazing

    weaponry to dispatch their foes.

    As such, it is highly encouraged that instead of just rolling dice and comparing

    numbers, players narrate how their mecha is moving and attacking. Is themecha blazing toward the enemy in a cyclone of speed lines? Does a pilot

    maneuver behind a piece of floating debris to avoid an attack? All of these

    details add immersion and excitement to the game.

    The GM is the primary person responsible for narrating what happens in the

    battle, but the players should feel free to add their input as the mood strikes

    them.

    Denouement

    When one side has won the battle and described their victory, its time for the

    Gamemaster to set up the situation for the next episode. The story should fork

    here depending on who won. If the players won, theyve managed to secure

    the ADF prototype. Ask them what they plan to do with it. The Separatist

    Guard would surely benefit from such technology.

    If the ADF won, the player characters might be captured, or simply driven off.

    The ADF has managed to protect its secrets, for now . . . Perhaps Separatist

    command will send the players on a clandestine mission to infiltrate the ADF

    and collect intelligence about the prototype. The possibilities are endless.

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    The Story Continues . . .Now that youve played through your first episode, you have an

    idea for how the game is structured. If you want to keep goingfrom here, just follow the episode cycle as presented above. In

    summary:

    The Gamemaster sets up the initial setting/situation that the characters1.

    are in.

    Each player gets a personal scene.2.

    The Gamemaster introduces a conflict.3.

    The Gamemasters conflict eventually leads to a climactic combat4.scene.

    The Gamemaster improvises a new direction for the story based on5.

    the outcome of the combat.

    Once you get used to the games pacing cycle, youll find that its actually

    very flexible and allows for a wide variety of conflicts and intrigue. The typical

    episode only takes about 30 minutes to play, so a night of dedicated gaming

    could result in 6 to 8 episodes.

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    Whats Different in the Full Version?

    This quickstart guide is intended to provide a quick demonstration of Mecha

    as a role-playing game. As such, its been simplified a bit from the full version.

    Here are some of the things that are different in the full version of the game.

    Character Creation

    Character creation is an important aspect of the game that is completely absent

    from this guide. Players build their pilot and mecha simultaneously and, just

    like in the source material, a mecha is a reflection of its pilot. Choosing your

    mechas Configurations also determines the personality and disposition of your

    pilot. All of this ties in to an intuitive character advancement system (which is

    also omitted here) that rewards players for role-playing their characters traits.

    Scenes and Goals

    In the full game, players can attempt role-playing goals during their characters

    personal scenes (in addition to the mechanical goals that appear here). This

    allows the players more control over the emerging story and provides the

    Gamemaster a lot of fodder for improvisation.

    Setting

    The full version of the game is not setting specific. The material used in this

    guide is based on Steel Gunner: Destiny Tomorrow, which is one of the three

    settings included in the full version. The other two settings included with the

    book are Revolution Deity Godblind(The Big Omeets Dark Citymeets 1984) andSpecial Research School (American Graffitiwith mecha). There are also rules and

    copious advice for how to create your own mecha settings and how to adapt

    the setting of your favorite mecha anime series.

    In summary, the material here is only the tip of the iceberg. If you like what you

    see, youll definitely want to check out the full version.

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    Game CountersPhotocopy and cut out these counters to mark the positions of the various characters

    during the battle. If you wanted to get real fancy, you could even mount them on card-

    board. Feel free to substitute cool looking mecha miniatures if youve got some handy.

    Player Counters and Objective Marker

    ADF Enemy Counters

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    Mecha role-playing done right.If you like what youve seen here,

    make sure to check out the full ver-sion of MECHA, coming soon from

    Red Moon Medicine Show.

    The full version includes:

    - Expanded rules, allowing you to

    play any kind of mecha game thatyou can imagine.

    - Three complete settings! Join the

    Godblind Revolution in the Living

    City, choose sides in an epic mecha

    space opera, or ght for pink slips in

    a mecha-obsessed high school.

    - Unique turn-based mechanics that insure each player gets the spotlight

    and each episode is well paced and action-packed.

    - More mecha models, archetypes, congurations, weapons, and

    vehicles.

    - Detailed information about the mecha anime genre, including a massive

    lmography.

    - Rules and guidelines to help you translate your favorite mecha anime into

    a game setting.

    - Fantastic new artwork by Nick Bradshaw, Beny Maulana, and more!

    - Full developer support. A forum community, supplementary material, and

    one-on-one contact with the developers of the game.

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