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I've only quickly looked over the mech stuff on my lunch break but, I like it. I'm going to have to get a couple buddies together and proxy some 40k dreads and knights as mechs and battle.
I was hoping for combining rules however. I mean. Who doesn't want to for Voltron or a Zord with their party?
Maybe the full release will add this as an option.
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Players aren't generally interested in rules that give them less agency.
Left Leg Guy: Let's use our full movement speed this turn!
Head Guy: Who gave you a window? I'm in charge here.
Right Leg Guy: I'm with you, brother! RUN FOR IT! Fight the power!
Enemies: Where's he going??
Well the benefit here is that we have rules for solo piloted Mechs and multi-piloted mechs.
So if they were to have something you could purchase to enable transitioning from X # of Solo Mechs into 1 MergedMech the rules already exist without the issue of agency :P
Players aren't generally interested in rules that give them less agency.
I've only given the rules a quick once-over, but it looks like action economy is set up in a way that four PCs piloting four mechs get roughly the same number of non-trivial actions as four PCs piloting a single mech.
In the (hypothetical) situation where a number of smaller mechs combine to form one mega-mech, the available actions of each mech are pooled and any player can select any action from the pool as their turn. The difference would (hypothetically) be that the crunchy bits, like Shield Points and weapon damage, would be calculated using the tier of the mega-mech.
(I.e., no one gets stuck playing left leg guy)
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So, "start as individual mechs but then engage in a series of actions that result in you all operating a single larger mech"?
I could see that being something in the release version tbh, playtest seems more about making the individual vs group setups work out well :)
Thinking about it, I agree. This is something different and it is more important to get the mechanics and balance right.
That being said. I am hopeful for the final release. I may or may not have the plastic Voltron Lions from my childhood stored away somewhere at my parents house.
Here's something worth asking: is the initiative rolled ONCE for the mech or MULTIPLE TIMES for each operator?
If it's for the mech alone, pretty sure that players can talk and plan their round of action.
Question, could a group of young plucky teenage level 1 heroes find five level 10 legendary mechs that look like lions? With... the ability to combine into super robo mecha?
What are the rules for PCs that are operating mechs NOT appropriate for their level?
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Since mechs are granted by GM fiat rather than at the players' whim, why not, if that is what you want for your campaign?
And what are the rules for a level 1 pc with heavy weapon proficiency picking up a Blue Star Plasma Cannon and firing it? Are there any mechanical penalties called out in the rules? Or is the only thing stopping them from doing so the fact that the GM doesn't leave one laying around to be picked up?
So lets say a group of level 1 PCs, pilot a group of mechs (equal to level 10), and have them fight a CR 10 threat.
They receive a CR 7 XP reward if they win the encounter?
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By the rules, if they can handle the challenge, yes. Note that they still have the skills and BAB of 1st level characters, so taking on a CR10 threat may be rather challenging even with the aid of the mechs (BAB/Piloting ranks still figure in to mech attack rolls).
Note that I am probably not the best person to talk about this, since my home games aren't XP driven, they are story driven. I haven't done non-Society xp in years. And in society it would be a simple 1 or 3 xp depending on whether the mechs were in a Scenario or AP book, regardless of challenge rating.