Traveller Mech?

[Woas]

Do any of you guys enjoy MechWarrior or those other big-fighting robot stories/novels/games? I'm not a supper big fan. I remember playing some old MechWarrior games (Crescent Hawk's Revenge and some other ones) on my 386MHz DOS Shell PC like 20 years ago.

But I had this idea to use the Traveller rules (especially the spaceship and vehicle creation rules) to build custom mechs. Anyone ever do something like that?

Just throwin' it out there.

 

[AndrewW]

Do any of you guys enjoy MechWarrior or those other big-fighting robot stories/novels/games? I'm not a supper big fan. I remember playing some old MechWarrior games (Crescent Hawk's Revenge and some other ones) on my 386MHz DOS Shell PC like 20 years ago.

Hmmm, 386MHz or 386 CPU (DX or SX)?

But I had this idea to use the Traveller rules (especially the spaceship and vehicle creation rules) to build custom mechs. Anyone ever do something like that?

Just throwin' it out there.

The vehicle system allows for mechs with the walker drive system, and both books include some.

 

[Woas]

Hmmm, 386MHz or 386 CPU (DX or SX)?

Oh Lordy, I don't even remember. It was so old. I remember it didn't even have Windows.

The vehicle system allows for mechs with the walker drive system, and both books include some.

Oooh which book is that in, Mercenary? Core drive skill has just wheeled, tracked and mole sub-categories...

The main thrust of the idea was being able to start with a base tonnage/frame size and then being able to custom fit power supplies, weapons, computer/electronic systems, armor, etc. much like a ship.

One thing that also came to mind was how deeply rooted MechWarrior/BattleTech is in the table-top mini wargame genre. I'm more of an abstract roleplayer... I really can't stand having to deal with minis, combat-mats and moving in squares or hexes. Not that there's anything inherintely wrong with it and not trying to poo-poo the well established hobby. Just not my cuppa. So I wonder how well something like this would clash with my preferred play style. Perhaps best left as food for thought.

 

[AndrewW]

The vehicle system allows for mechs with the walker drive system, and both books include some.

Oooh which book is that in, Mercenary? Core drive skill has just wheeled, tracked and mole sub-categories...

Supplement 5: Civilian Vehicles
Supplement 6: Military Vehicles

Both due out in August.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Funny you should mention that. Jon Brazer Enterprises will be releasing a product this coming Monday (July 20th) entitled Mech Tech 'n' bot. Each issue will feature various types of tech. Issue 1, Everday Machines 1 has a basic construction mech that is capable of wielding mech-sized weaponry. Future issues will feature more combat oriented mechs and mech hand held weaponry.

 

[Jame Rowe]

I don't mind Mech so much as I mind ten-story-tall mech. Mech in Traveller shouldn't mass more than a modern Tank.

 

[Twin Agate Dragons]

I'm all for the idea of personal mech in Traveller. I wouldn't know how to stat it up though.

It'd be interesting to see totally sealed mechsuits to get from one base to another in a vaccum type planetoid or for other uses (such as underwater).

 

[dmccoy1693]

I'm all for the idea of personal mech in Traveller. I wouldn't know how to stat it up though.

I stated it like a vehicle but also provided sufficient ship scale stats to use in ship combat as well. You can see the basic outline I used in the below blog post. The final has a few tweeks to it, but its mostly the same.

http://jonbrazer.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/traveller-designing-a-mech/

 

[lastbesthope]

See Matt, I'm sure these lovely people would love it if Armageddon 2089 was resurrected through Traveller, big Mek action in that game.

LBH

 

[phavoc]

I actually still have my Mechwarrior game... Just gotta install the 5 1/4 drive to play it on.

 

[The Chef]

oooh combat walkers.!!!

i too hate the idea of large mechs, but love the idea of armoured infantry.

 

[Twin Agate Dragons]

See Matt, I'm sure these lovely people would love it if Armageddon 2089 was resurrected through Traveller, big Mek action in that game.

Bring it on. 8)

 

[Rex]

See Matt, I'm sure these lovely people would love it if Armageddon 2089 was resurrected through Traveller, big Mek action in that game.

LBH

I give that a Hell Yeah. As for what I use currently for my Home Setting, a Combo of the Vehicles, and Robots rules, expanding upwards from Battledress.

Works fairly well so far. Though I will admit, I'm still more of a Tank guy (Slammers, Bolo's, Ogre's) then I am a Giant Robot, but I still have a soft spot for the Great Mazinger, heh.

~Rex

 

[MJD]

I have a sense of naughty pleasure with Meks. As in, my physics and engineering degrees and my knowledge of real-world military stuff all scream that they're unworkable, but I love them all the same.

Not anime Meks though. Bleh. I mean Real Men's Meks as per A2089.

 

[rust]

No problems with Mechs, provided they are of the plausible kind. :wink:

For me, this means that I like and use mechs for specific tasks in hostile
environments. For example, the mech published by Jon Brazer Enterpri-
ses (mentioned above by Dmccoy1693) has found a new home beneath
the waves in my water world setting, where it will doubtless prove to be
most useful.

As for mechs on the battlefield, I can accept the "overgrown battledress"
kind of mechs, but giant ones kill my suspension of disbelief for a num-
ber of reasons, beginning with area of contact / ground pressure (unless
they walk on solid bedrock, they should soon get stuck ...).

 

[hdan]

No problems with Mechs, provided they are of the plausible kind. :wink:

So, fusion reactors and anti-gravity support can't make giant mechs possible?

 

[rust]

So, fusion reactors and anti-gravity support can't make giant mechs possible?

If one has contragrav, what exactly would one need a mech's legs for ?

 

[Emperor Herdan]

I actually still have my Mechwarrior game... Just gotta install the 5 1/4 drive to play it on.

Just to semi-derail (okay... fully derail...) the thread

Smith & Tinker have announced that MW4 and its various material are going to be freely downloaded (its the 25th Anniversary) plus S&T and Pirhana games (sic) are in the midst of making Mechwarrior ("reboot" rather than MW5)

Scampers away from the site of sabotage...

(And I would think that having anti-gravity technology would do away with the need for "legs" on Mechs....But I digress)

Take care

E. Herdan

 

[lastbesthope]

Not anime Meks though. Bleh. I mean Real Men's Meks as per A2089.

And I'm assuming from the A:2089 novel you wrote, that you agree wirth me that at least some A:2089 Meks can stand up after they fall down, a point which Matthew disagress with.


I mean A:2089 has proper Meks, not ESB/ROTJ Chicken Walkers

LBH

 

[Stofsk]

So, fusion reactors and anti-gravity support can't make giant mechs possible?

If one has contragrav, what exactly would one need a mech's legs for ?

More to the point, why would you need mechs when you have battledress? Infantry can go places where armour like tanks and other fighting vehicles can't.

I get that mechs are cool, I really do, but if you want to justify them you're wasting your time. Any piece of military hardware is designed for a specific role in mind for it, and if giant mechs are designed around the role of armoured fighting vehicle, why precisely would you use legs if you've got tank treads? Or contragravity technology.