Thursday, May 23, 2013

Mekton Zero Kickstarter

Well it looks like Mike Pondsmith is resurrecting one of my favorite systems of all times! Mekton is trying to come back! Very cool stuff! Lets look into the video. 
 From The Kickstarter: 

"Hi. I'm Mike Pondsmith, head of R. Talsorian Games. You may remember us from our games like Castle Falkenstein, Teenagers from Outer Space, and, of course,Cyberpunk. And in case you haven't heard, with the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077video game, we're now back on the block in a big way.
But this time, I want to talk about Mekton.
Mekton was the first game I wrote professionally. I've always had a soft spot forMekton, even more, believe it or not, than I do for the other game I'm more well known for, Cyberpunk.
Mekton was the first giant mecha game ever to come to the United States."
  • Back then, I had to teach a lot of people about a unknown Japanese concept and get everyone up to speed.
  • Now that anime is all over America, I can take the training wheels off Mekton.
What's Mekton Zero?
  • Mekton Zero is the RPG my friends and I used to play even before I published the original Mekton One. That's why I call it Mekton Zero, because it came before the published edition.
  • Set in original Mekton game world of Algol
  • A group of refugees from the ancient Bendari Empire established a colony on the edge of known space.
  • Now centuries later, rival factions fight with giant robots called Mekton for control of the planet.
    The Map of Algol
    Sounds good so far but lets find out more about the planet! 
    A world based entirely around mecha.
    • Hundreds of military and civilian models
    • Sophisticated mecha “supercars” and experimental types.
    • Super cool police, rescue and firefighter mecha,
    • Cowboy mecha ride the range herding dinosaurs
    • Hunter meks fight Godzilla-sized monsters
    • Fisherman meks hunt battleship-sized sea serpents
    • Explorer meks seek lost civilizations and uncover alien threats
    • Titanic factory mecha build cities and tear up mountains for raw materials, guarded by mecha armies.

    Alright you had me at Dinosuar herding!

    Wonder how the character generation works? 
    Zero is designed to have everything you can cram into an anime-based role-playing game.
    • Gone beyond Lifepath system pioneered in the original Mekton and Cyberpunk.
    • Character roles are designed make you a classic hero or heroine right out of a robot anime show.
    • Character generation is fast, big on style and feel instead of numbers, and surrounds you with a supporting cast of interesting characters.
    We apply the same process to your Mekton.
    • Pick one from dozens of base models (with more to come).
    • Customize yours the way you want just like a real-life mecha designer.
    • Your mek has a history, background and unique quirks
    • Learn KATAS-- combat moves to turn your suit into a weapon right out of a mecha-fighting game.
      Here's a sample character sheet from the game!
      Prototype Mekton Sheet Page 1
      Prototype Mekton Sheet Page 2
      Want to know more?! Go over to the kickstarter right over HERE
      Bottom line- This is a slap dash fun little read. Giant mecha robots and dinoherding. Interstellar planets, and incredible mecha action. This is one to watch. 

4 comments:

  1. Mekton is my favorite, "I Never Get to Play This" game. I have all the Zeta era books and a few II era books.

    I'm not sure I want a more streamlined rule set, but I would like to see more Algol info. And I would love more RPG-oriented setting stuff.

    And minis. I would love Mekton minis. It's surprisingly hard to find more Gundam and less Battletech style minis. But if this flies we may get those Mekton minis he talked about, and between that and the Robotech mini game there would suddenly be a nice selection.

    I wonder if we will ever see the Mekton Zeta based Gundam game that Talsorian was working on long ago...

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  2. I'm really digging the planet Algol stuff and any mecha rpg stuff would be a welcome addition to my Mekton library.
    I've been carefully following the Robotech mini game Kickstarter. This might be the start of an OSR among the anime robot rpg crowd.
    "I wonder if we will ever see the Mekton Zeta based Gundam game that Talsorian was working on long ago..." I think this will depend upon if the company handling the licensing of the Gundam property allows it and what the percentage of profits is going to be for all properties involved. I think that folks are going to be watching carefully how this Kickstarter goes.

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  3. WOW, they are still around?!? The last game I remember of them was that failed CPv3 game (the one action figures for artwork). I cant say I'm a fan of the Interlock System, but I really like the CP2020 setting, and the Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Bubblegum Crisis supplements are great to have, as a fan of both series! Well, good to see them alive and kicking, and I hope that they succeed.

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  4. Malcadon-
    I'm also fond of the material by R. Taslorian especially the CP2020 setting, and the Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Bubblegum Crisis supplements which I used to run as convention one shots.
    The CPv3 game isn't one that I ever got into and avoided the whole edition issue like the plague. Interlock is a system that I'm on the fence with. It does what its supposed to but these days there are other systems that can do the Cyberpunk thing.
    Mekton Zeta was and is a an old favorite of mine. I need to return to it at some point soon.
    Thanks for the comments.

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