User:Zellfaze/Mecha D20/Introduction

"Mecha" is the term used by Japanese animators and fans to refer to the mechanical designs that appear in Japanese animation, or anime. A mecha can be a giant robot, a suit of powered armour, or a vehicle of some other sort, such as a spaceship, tank, submarine, or motorcycle. Mecha d20 provides a means of describing all manner of mecha in game terms, and offers simple, playable systems for using them in adventures. Although its primary focus is on anime-style giant robots and powered armour, Mecha d20 can be used to create everything from sports cars to sky galleons.

Building Mechas

Mecha d20 is an effects-based system. Start with a general concept for a giant robot, suit, or vehicle, and use these rules to translate it into game mechanics. The system is concerned with what a mecha does, not the nuts-and-bolts details of what technology is or isn't available in a particular setting. That is up to the GM.

There is no need to keep track of weight, money, power, volume, or other considerations of that nature. Instead, an abstract "Mecha Point" game mechanic rates relative capability of the mecha design. The section Mecha Point Equivalent explains how to translate Mecha Points into other units, such as experience levels, gold pieces, dollars, or wealth checks.

Metric and Imperial Systems

Since some d20 System games use Imperial measurements and some use metric, Mecha d20 uses both. Most values are given in both Imperial and Metric equivalents; both are rounded appropriately for simplicity.

What is a Mecha?

In Japan, "mecha" is used to refer to the various mechanical designs created for an anime series, from ordinary cars and motorbikes to robots and starships. Big piloted robots are just called "robots," although most anime series adopt their own term for them, like "mobile suits," "armoured troopers" or "arm slaves." In the west, "mecha" is sometimes used in the Japanese sense, and sometimes to refer to piloted robots.

Science vs. Magic, Reality vs. Fantasy

Although some of the text that follows for the mecha creation rules uses modern, scientific terminology, players and GMs should not feel constrained by this. The rules herein are intended to allow total freedom in mecha creation, be it ultra-realistic military vehicles, sea galleons from the age of piracy, super-science starships of epic space opera, or magical mecha in a fantasy setting. The most important thing one should keep in mind while looking at the mecha creation rules are the rules themselves. If one wants to have Explosive Reactive Armour on his or her sea galleon, the player should not feel restricted against doing so by the fact that such high-tech armour did not exist in the age of pirates. The Explosive Reactive Armour could represent additional layers of armour on the ship's hull which provides protection against attacks in a similar game mechanical fashion as the ERA rules despite the fact that the real-world effect is different. Never let the text constrain your imagination.

In Mecha d20, a "mecha" is any vehicle, suit, construct, or giant robot built with Mecha Points. The word mecha is both singular and plural, just like "samurai" or "ninja."

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