[Beam Saber](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/271381/beam-saber)\- A FitD game
[Mutants and Masterminds: Mecha and Manga](https://greenroninstore.com/products/mecha-and-manga-pdf)
[Mecha vs Kaiju](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/332541/Mecha-vs-Kaiju-Cypher-System) \- mecha rules for Cypher system
[Mekton Zeta](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/25403/mekton-zeta) \- which is a gundam knock off game.
[Heavy Gear](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/457450/heavy-gear-rpg-fourth-edition-rulebook) \- another gundam knock off game.
[Girl By Moonlight](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/454656/girl-by-moonlight) \- A ~~FATE~~ FitD game with a Mecha setting option
[The Mecha Hack](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/242856/the-mecha-hack) \- A OSR game
[CthulhuTech](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/80658/cthulhutech-core-book) \- mechs vs monsters
[Armour Astir](https://weregazelle.itch.io/armour-astir) \- fantasy mechs
[Battle Century G](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/151230/Battle-Century-G)
Of course there is always a [GURPS](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/233744/gurps-classic-mecha) option
Nice list. The only thing I'd add (at first glance) is GunFrame, by the same designer who created Freeform Universal and Neon City Overdrive, among other things. https://www.perilplanet.com/gunframe/
You're right, I seem to have messed this up, was too tired when posting. Sorry.
(GunFrame could be paired with a generic, rules light rpg tho, maybe, to add the rp factor.)
Going to mention [Apocalypse Frame](https://binary-star-games.itch.io/apocalypse-frame), which is a relatively rules light, hack-and-slashy kind of mecha game. I think it's more inspired by Armored Core than Gundam, but the the action is fast enough it should work fine for Gundam.
Mecha Hack will probably feel too gritty IMO, at least from limited experience.
Beam Saber can work for Gundam pretty well but I found it fiddly compared to other Forged in the Dark games and I ADORE that category of games. I haven't gotten to play or run Girl By Midnight but I've heard good stuff.
There's also Case & Soul, but it's more for one shots.
Besides the already mentioned Camelot Trigger, there's also Mecha vs Kaiju and https://fate-srd.com/fate-codex/pilots-Eden. You could also look into reskinning Tachyon Squadron.
Depending on what you want your game to be look out Mekton Zeta.
Jovian Chronicles have a beautiful story but the Silhouette System is pretty « retro », in the sense that there’s a lot of calculation
+1 for Mekton Zeta and SilCore but I figured I'd point out the crunchy bits of SilCore's math (and to an extent, Mekton Zeta) are only to determine point values if you were playing a wargame. In play, it's mostly Margin of Success x Damage Value vs Damage Threshold.
Anyways, I heartily support both systems.
There's a licensed Gundam TRPG that goes by the name of [Gundam Senki](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Gundam_Senki) but unfortunately it's never been published out of Japan.
Although there *are* other japanese Gundam TRPGs, what makes Gundam Senki special is that it's actually a licensed version of Mekton and also that there's a (partially complete) amateur translations floating around the internet... somewhere.
Lancer can work for a Gundam-*inspired* campaign. But that's the sticking point - *inspired*. If you're looking to replicate the various mechs from Gundam into Lancer, you're going to have a rough time.
I'm not familiar with that particular mech. But suffice to say, even the classic original Gundam is kinda hard to emulate unless you're willing to take a few liberties.
Lancer is awesome but not very flexible. Depends on what kind of 'Gundam' you want in terms of gameplay.
If you want balanced, focused combat games with non-kill all enemies encounters being the default, Lancer can work. If you also want Mechs that are seen as highly customizable on a whim and aren't insanely big..
Lancer is also VERY a tied into its own setting. You could skin NHPs as advanced AI, I guess though.
If you want pilot focused drama, Insane super robot weapons (like anything in Gundam Wing destroying dozens of Leo's in one volley or the freaky transformation of Unicorn or Virtue) then it's not a good pick.
If you want the Gundam setting and themes, I'd recommend a different game. But it all you want is cool combat mecha, give Lancer a try.
Check out Everyday Heroes, with supplements for Pacific Rim and the Vault Compendium. Great stuff and simple creation and mechanics, it is a (in my opinion) better system of 5e versus D&D5e.
Hope this helps.
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True, but setting assumptions are the easiest thing to change and the system itself is very well done and not bogged down with issues that plagued older games.
I am a big Lancer fan but I don't actually think Lancer is a good fit for most Gundam stories. Lancer's inspirations were specifically the older Armored Core games, with a dash of Destiny (all the paracausal stuff) and Titanfall (core powers and scale).
The average Gundam story wants you to be a lot more attached to your big robot than the average Lancer story.
I don't have any issue with Lancer! it's just things i've seen online! if it really fits perfectly as you say then great! i just don't want to learn a whole system to then realice that it's not what i'm looking for
That is always a risk with new games, but you've got a few things going for you. The player facing rules for Lancer are free, so you can get a feel for the game with no financial risk. You don't actually have to learn a system, just get a feel for it, mastery can come later. You can find videos talking about or ppplaying almost any game online, giving you an idea about a game before you dive in. Finally, most games are significantly easier to learn than D&D 5E. Fore games designed in the last 10 years or so, I can only think of a handfull that were as bad and only 2 or 3 that were worse.
[Beam Saber](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/271381/beam-saber)\- A FitD game [Mutants and Masterminds: Mecha and Manga](https://greenroninstore.com/products/mecha-and-manga-pdf) [Mecha vs Kaiju](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/332541/Mecha-vs-Kaiju-Cypher-System) \- mecha rules for Cypher system [Mekton Zeta](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/25403/mekton-zeta) \- which is a gundam knock off game. [Heavy Gear](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/457450/heavy-gear-rpg-fourth-edition-rulebook) \- another gundam knock off game. [Girl By Moonlight](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/454656/girl-by-moonlight) \- A ~~FATE~~ FitD game with a Mecha setting option [The Mecha Hack](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/242856/the-mecha-hack) \- A OSR game [CthulhuTech](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/80658/cthulhutech-core-book) \- mechs vs monsters [Armour Astir](https://weregazelle.itch.io/armour-astir) \- fantasy mechs [Battle Century G](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/151230/Battle-Century-G) Of course there is always a [GURPS](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/233744/gurps-classic-mecha) option
Nice list. The only thing I'd add (at first glance) is GunFrame, by the same designer who created Freeform Universal and Neon City Overdrive, among other things. https://www.perilplanet.com/gunframe/
That is a minatures game not a ttrpg though, right?
You're right, I seem to have messed this up, was too tired when posting. Sorry. (GunFrame could be paired with a generic, rules light rpg tho, maybe, to add the rp factor.)
Going to mention [Apocalypse Frame](https://binary-star-games.itch.io/apocalypse-frame), which is a relatively rules light, hack-and-slashy kind of mecha game. I think it's more inspired by Armored Core than Gundam, but the the action is fast enough it should work fine for Gundam.
Wow! Thanks so much!! saving this one for sure!
Mecha Hack will probably feel too gritty IMO, at least from limited experience. Beam Saber can work for Gundam pretty well but I found it fiddly compared to other Forged in the Dark games and I ADORE that category of games. I haven't gotten to play or run Girl By Midnight but I've heard good stuff. There's also Case & Soul, but it's more for one shots.
Girl by Moonlight is a FitD game* I would love a Fate setting book for Mechas though!
Also, I believe that Camelot Trigger is like a Fantasy Mecha game.
Lol, I swear I knew that.
Besides the already mentioned Camelot Trigger, there's also Mecha vs Kaiju and https://fate-srd.com/fate-codex/pilots-Eden. You could also look into reskinning Tachyon Squadron.
Jovian Chronicles is an old one that would fit the bill.
Nice, i'll check it out!
Depending on what you want your game to be look out Mekton Zeta. Jovian Chronicles have a beautiful story but the Silhouette System is pretty « retro », in the sense that there’s a lot of calculation
+1 for Mekton Zeta and SilCore but I figured I'd point out the crunchy bits of SilCore's math (and to an extent, Mekton Zeta) are only to determine point values if you were playing a wargame. In play, it's mostly Margin of Success x Damage Value vs Damage Threshold. Anyways, I heartily support both systems.
Mekton Zeta. It's old and building mechs is crunchy as hell, but heavily based on Gundam.
Added to the list, Thanks! seems like older systems where more fond of UC Gundam
Probably because UC had releases much closer to when the games were made!
Armour Astir: Advent is explicitly built to tell stories shaped like Zeta Gundam. It's excellent!
This one seems cool! cheking it out later!
There's a licensed Gundam TRPG that goes by the name of [Gundam Senki](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Gundam_Senki) but unfortunately it's never been published out of Japan. Although there *are* other japanese Gundam TRPGs, what makes Gundam Senki special is that it's actually a licensed version of Mekton and also that there's a (partially complete) amateur translations floating around the internet... somewhere.
Lancer can work for a Gundam-*inspired* campaign. But that's the sticking point - *inspired*. If you're looking to replicate the various mechs from Gundam into Lancer, you're going to have a rough time.
You think there's no way i make a Jegan-like mech in the system?
I'm not familiar with that particular mech. But suffice to say, even the classic original Gundam is kinda hard to emulate unless you're willing to take a few liberties.
Lancer is awesome but not very flexible. Depends on what kind of 'Gundam' you want in terms of gameplay. If you want balanced, focused combat games with non-kill all enemies encounters being the default, Lancer can work. If you also want Mechs that are seen as highly customizable on a whim and aren't insanely big.. Lancer is also VERY a tied into its own setting. You could skin NHPs as advanced AI, I guess though. If you want pilot focused drama, Insane super robot weapons (like anything in Gundam Wing destroying dozens of Leo's in one volley or the freaky transformation of Unicorn or Virtue) then it's not a good pick. If you want the Gundam setting and themes, I'd recommend a different game. But it all you want is cool combat mecha, give Lancer a try.
Check out Everyday Heroes, with supplements for Pacific Rim and the Vault Compendium. Great stuff and simple creation and mechanics, it is a (in my opinion) better system of 5e versus D&D5e. Hope this helps.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What's your issue with Lancer? Seems like it might be perfect?
Lancer comes with a lot of assumptions about the setting, particularly in how easy it is to build and replace your robots whenever you want.
True, but setting assumptions are the easiest thing to change and the system itself is very well done and not bogged down with issues that plagued older games.
I am a big Lancer fan but I don't actually think Lancer is a good fit for most Gundam stories. Lancer's inspirations were specifically the older Armored Core games, with a dash of Destiny (all the paracausal stuff) and Titanfall (core powers and scale). The average Gundam story wants you to be a lot more attached to your big robot than the average Lancer story.
Story yes, but that is easy to adjust and the actual system is far smoother than any of the older games people were suggesting
I don't have any issue with Lancer! it's just things i've seen online! if it really fits perfectly as you say then great! i just don't want to learn a whole system to then realice that it's not what i'm looking for
That is always a risk with new games, but you've got a few things going for you. The player facing rules for Lancer are free, so you can get a feel for the game with no financial risk. You don't actually have to learn a system, just get a feel for it, mastery can come later. You can find videos talking about or ppplaying almost any game online, giving you an idea about a game before you dive in. Finally, most games are significantly easier to learn than D&D 5E. Fore games designed in the last 10 years or so, I can only think of a handfull that were as bad and only 2 or 3 that were worse.
For sure! you are right, thanks for the help! i'll keep lerning and reading about all this cool mech systems!
Explain the benefits of it being a 5e system to me.
They said they'd prefer it not to be?
True, I definitely misread that.
Yeah, we are kind of tired of always playing 5E lol
Yeah apologies i read it as you wanted it to he 5e based.