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so my son is starting to like gundam and id like to jump on that budding interest and get him tabletop gaming.
can any of you recommend a system that would reproduce what he's watching, mobile suit gundham, iron blooded warriors(if youre familiar with it)? lots of rockets everywhere, mobile suits running up and hitting each other with swords and axes, typical space robot stuff...

preferably free but not 100% a deal breaker.

I'm looking for a system to play so model substitutions are ok. I was thinking of infinity because its free and I really like the system but is there something easier/quicker?
I also have battletech alpha strike but something turns me off to it that I cant quite put my finger on.

Monsterpocalypse has an excellent system for large robot battles, powering up, destroying scenery and throwing/slamming other characters.
You could for a while get Voltron themed starter sets which would give you everything required to play, and then you could switch in your own models.

I have a free set of rules that is in development where you can design your own units. It is not oversimplified like Horizon Wars is and allows for a good amount of customization without slowing things down. There is a link in my Sig.

Mekton II nuff said.

Asterios wrote:
Mekton II nuff said.

Naw, used to have it and ranges were nerfed and unrealistic. You had to be on top of someone before you were in range. Combat was also broken to where you did damage to arms and legs and such so combat was slow. It's for really small games with 4 or 6 units per side.

 Mike1975 wrote:

Asterios wrote:
Mekton II nuff said.

Combat was also broken to where you did damage to arms and legs and such so combat was slow. It's for really small games with 4 or 6 units per side.

sounds like battletech. one of the reasons I'm staying away from it is all of the minutia like losing limbs, counting ammo and heat etc.

CAV might work for you too. They have a Kickstarter going on right now. Heavy Gear is out there too.

Mekton was not quite as detailed as Battletech could be but you still had armor and internals.

How detailed vs fast play do you have in mind?

 Mike1975 wrote:
How detailed vs fast play do you have in mind?

If I could come up with a way to turn age of sigmar into a mech game I probably would. infinity rules might work too but I haven't delved too deeply into a conversion idea for that yet.

Here is an example unit from my own rules set. Maybe this will help me understand what level of detail you are looking for. I have not played Age of Sigmar before.

How old is your son? If this is his first wargame, I'd highly recommend something fast and fun rather than trying to emmulate every aspect of the genre. Perhaps a set designed for family play?

Necromundicon's "MS Era" looks like it might be just what you need. Simple and fast, but flavorful.
http://www.ironhands.com/MSera.htm
Looks like it's designed for play with Gashapon figures in the 1/250 to 1/400 scale. However, you could always expand the ranges by half or double and use the wide range of awesome 1/144 kits that are widely available and also ridiculously cheap.

I've not played MS Era, but my son and I have really enjoyed his "Starcrashers" space exploration game which we've played several times.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/691684.page
The rules share a common dice mechanic.

Two other cheap rulesets (about 8 bucks each) to check out would be:
-Mech Attack. Lots of fun. A bit more of a battletech feel rather than anime robots, though it is flexbile and very fast play. I like to tell folks it's like battletech with 1/10th as many rules, plays in 1/4 the time and is twice as much fun. Really fast to learn, I've used it for many convention mech games in 28mm and we use it at the club in 10mm. One of my favorite rulesets.

-Samurai Robot Battle Royale. I've not played it yet, but I'm very fond of Ganesha Games rules (SBH is my favorite game of all time). It's going to be more detailed than Starcrashers, but less than Battletech. It seems to be clearly aimed at Gundam style gaming.

 Eilif wrote:
How old is your son? If this is his first wargame, I'd highly recommend something fast and fun rather than trying to emmulate every aspect of the genre. Perhaps a set designed for family play?

Necromundicon's "MS Era" looks like it might be just what you need. Simple and fast, but flavorful.
http://www.ironhands.com/MSera.htm
Looks like it's designed for play with Gashapon figures in the 1/250 to 1/400 scale. However, you could always expand the ranges by half or double and use the wide range of awesome 1/144 kits that are widely available and also ridiculously cheap.

I've not played MS Era, but my son and I have really enjoyed his "Starcrashers" space exploration game which we've played several times.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/691684.page
The rules share a common dice mechanic.

Two other cheap rulesets (about 8 bucks each) to check out would be:
-Mech Attack. Lots of fun. A bit more of a battletech feel rather than anime robots, though it is flexbile and very fast play. I like to tell folks it's like battletech with 1/10th as many rules, plays in 1/4 the time and is twice as much fun. Really fast to learn, I've used it for many convention mech games in 28mm and we use it at the club in 10mm. One of my favorite rulesets.

-Samurai Robot Battle Royale. I've not played it yet, but I'm very fond of Ganesha Games rules (SBH is my favorite game of all time). It's going to be more detailed than Starcrashers, but less than Battletech. It seems to be clearly aimed at Gundam style gaming.

The Battletech Starter Rules are good for this as long as you plan on going into Battletech. I don't think the starter set covers many units.

good question eilif.
hes just about to turn 13 and of course is stuck nose deep in his xbox.

he says that hes interested in playing something with me and like I said I know that hes getting interested in gundam so I figured it would be a good fit.

im pretty sure that we've talked about alpha strike in the past. did you have the same feelings on that as I do, that something just doesn't click well with that system?

thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I'm checking them out a little at a time.

I may have to check out samurai robot battle royale though, how can you go wrong with a name like that... lol!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh yeah, on a side note. how does robotech tactics play?
is anyone familiar with it?
it seems like it could possibly be a decent fit.

I was playing Battletech since I was 9 with no issues. Today's kids might want something faster paced though. Alpha Strike did not resonate with me since it went to one stat for all your weapons and some additional stats for some high power stuff. It's improved but originally how hard you were to hit was based on how far you could move and not how far you did move. So a Light Mech was hard to hit no matter what.

Now if you are looking at a system to play with your kid and are not interested in group play mine might work out fine for you.

Moves are done in alternating turns with your forces broken into groups. So you can move 1/3 of your force and attack and damage before the other player responds.

There are no opposed rolls.

Players have Actions for their Units and Leadership Points that allow for additional actions.

You can use actions to boost your defenses (Dodge) but it is not an opposed roll it simply boosts your defense.

Once a target is hit you see if you penetrate their armor. You can do full, half, or no damage depending upon the results of the penetration roll.

The fun comes in using strategy to know when and how to move your units as well as deciding on how to spend your actions.

definitely on the list to check out Mike, thanks.

Alpha Strike

Nodal Wars
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0VSNzmthd1vVlVfU3BadVd2MVk

Mekton II (Although they did a KS and might someday have some new rules)

Classic CAV

CAV Strike Operations

Heavy Gear
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/837/Heavy-Gear-Rulebook-2nd-Edition?it=1&filters=500_0_0_0_0

Heavy Gear Blitz
http://go.sparkpostmail.com/f/a/K6xTbUPdiIcl1cRNnWdH1g~~/AACncAA~/RgRZbRkZP0EIAOvFLgmyQaYXWAQAAAAAWQdkZWZhdWx0YAo1Mi4zNy4wLjg2QgoAA5nli1dkaJfcUhxtaWtlX2Fybm9sZF8xOTc1QGhvdG1haWwuY29tCVEEAAAAAEQ_aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kcml2ZXRocnVycGcuY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RfaW5mby5waHA_cHJvZHVjdHNfaWQ9MTQ0NzU5RwJ7fQ~~

Mech Attack
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/79303/Armor-Grid-Mech-Attack?filters=500_2140_0_0_0

Robotech Tactics (Dying Game) with decent rules
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0VSNzmthd1vNXRtd0J5MWlqcFU



Automatically Appended Next Post:
You could also try this.....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2115086518/giga-robo/description

 usernamesareannoying wrote:

oh yeah, on a side note. how does robotech tactics play?
is anyone familiar with it?
it seems like it could possibly be a decent fit.

well if you avoid the minis. the game plays ok, it has flaws and some gaffs but overall is ok, except unbalanced in a few aspects.

 usernamesareannoying wrote:
good question eilif.
hes just about to turn 13 and of course is stuck nose deep in his xbox.

he says that hes interested in playing something with me and like I said I know that hes getting interested in gundam so I figured it would be a good fit.

im pretty sure that we've talked about alpha strike in the past. did you have the same feelings on that as I do, that something just doesn't click well with that system?

thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I'm checking them out a little at a time.

I may have to check out samurai robot battle royale though, how can you go wrong with a name like that... lol!

13, eh? In that case MS era might be a bit simplistic, but I might still give it a try.

For a 13 year old, I'd go with Samurai Robot Battle Royale and if he has even a passing interest in models, action figures, etc buy some 1/144 bandai kits. They are realy easy to assemble, incredibly articulated, usually multi-colored and can be played without painting if you wish. Based on what you've said. He seems to want a gundam style battle which is a much more active and fast moving vibe than the Stompy vibe of the battletech universe. Note that I'm not talking about actual game speed, rather, the feeling of combat in the games/universes. SRBR seems tailor made for the gundam/anime style battles.

As for Alpha Strike, I liked it alot, but I felt that it really needs to be played with 10 or more units per player. I really like the simplicity of one stat, but it's clearly aimed at being a bigger battle game. For a lance or two per side I much prefer Mech Attack which gives a much more battletech'ish game (heat tracking, damage grid, variable weapons, customizable loadout, etc) while still being alot more fast-playing than even the "introductory level" battletech which I'm not a fan of. I admire that the CBY system has been virtually unchanged for 30 years long and has alot of fans, but I've tried it a few times and it's just too ploddy.

However, as I aluded to above, It's possible that none of these three (Mech Attack, Battletech, and Alpha Strike) will capture the Anime-Robot vibe. Mech Attack is probably the easiest to convert/house rule because of it's modular unit construction system, but if you're going to do that you're probably better off with SRBR.

Here's the model kits I was talking about. By cheap I meant there's a huge number of kits for less than $5 each! Gundam in 1/144 is less than half the cost of battletech at 1/300!
http://hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Scale=144&searchpage=gun&Dis=2&qid=G7I0GQPFLGWXA0TA&GenreCode=gun&DisplayMode=images&inStock=1&set=1&Sort=price+asc
You can find some in the states too, but I've had very good luck ordering from Hobbysearch and Hobbylink and their prices are usually the best.

Lastly, I've not played Robogear Tactics, but it's probably the closest of the big games to the feel you're looking for. Fast moving, and has mechs that fly.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
One more thing. Here's some Gashapon model kits that look to be aproximately 1/300 or so.
http://hlj.com/product/BANN05767/Gsh
You get 12 in a pack, but of course their randomized. Still, $25 for 12 isn't bad and a smaller scale would require less space.

Wow, how cool are those guys eilif thanks
Can't go wrong at that price either really.
He actually just got this guy from Bandai, something called Gundam assault kingdom http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0E0171dwte0/VVIGWl8H8cI/AAAAAAAI4jI/J65rUlYy-_o/s1600/1716.jpg
I was actually impressed with the little guy and thought that it would be cool to game with them.
How big are the 1/144 guys?

Also initially using pre-painted minis for the game can go a long ways to bringing in new players or at least really simple minis to buy and assemble like the CAV bones or Battletech starter set minis.

 usernamesareannoying wrote:
Wow, how cool are those guys eilif thanks
Can't go wrong at that price either really.
He actually just got this guy from Bandai, something called Gundam assault kingdom http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0E0171dwte0/VVIGWl8H8cI/AAAAAAAI4jI/J65rUlYy-_o/s1600/1716.jpg
I was actually impressed with the little guy and thought that it would be cool to game with them.
How big are the 1/144 guys?

Neat fig. It actually looks very similar to the model kits I've assembled which also have Grey joints and 1 or 2 colors of plastic on the rest of the model.

AFAIK, Gundam Assault kingdom don't have an exact scale, but they have been noted as being between 1/220 and 1/240. The 1/144 Gundam range from about 4.5-5 inches tall. I don't think I have any of mine left to give you an exact mesurement. The couple I had got traded away when I began my 28mm Mech Attack project.

Interestingly, one of my buddies in the project has used a fair number of the old style zaku 1/100 kits in his 28mm army. They are quite bulky and more BT looking and in 1/100 scale they look just big enough to have at least a 25/28mm pilot in the chest. Here they are with some other mechs of various scale that we've dragged into 28mm service. The 3 in front however, are 28mm Kryomek Striders.

Of course these are way to big for your use. 1/100 Zaku come in around 7 inches, possibly a bit more.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/780369415405754/?hc_location=ufi

Someone who is working to get a fully licensed Gundam game onto the market later this year.

I will second Ganesha games Samurai Robot Battle Royale.

I am not a fan of Ganesha Games in general, but they would make a great introductory game for a 13 year old with just enough complexity, cinematic game play, and straight forward mechanics.

CAV and Battletech represent more Big, Stompy Robots and he wants more Anime style robots so I can"t recommend those games.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/223137030/armored-coretm-rts-a-real-time-strategy-board-game?ref=category

Also just recently saw this.

A friend has been using the Team Yankee rules, it actually works.

 Vertrucio wrote:
A friend has been using the Team Yankee rules, it actually works.

any idea what models those are?
That looks great.

 usernamesareannoying wrote:

 Vertrucio wrote:
A friend has been using the Team Yankee rules, it actually works.

any idea what models those are?
That looks great.

They look like regular Bandai HG 1/144 kits. Those are the cheap ones.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bandai-Hobby-HGUC-MS-06F-Zaku/dp/B00171JH82/ref=sr_1_14?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1469442665&sr=1-14&keywords=gundam+1%2F144+Zaku

 Albertorius wrote:

 usernamesareannoying wrote:

 Vertrucio wrote:
A friend has been using the Team Yankee rules, it actually works.

any idea what models those are?
That looks great.

They look like regular Bandai HG 1/144 kits. Those are the cheap ones.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bandai-Hobby-HGUC-MS-06F-Zaku/dp/B00171JH82/ref=sr_1_14?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1469442665&sr=1-14&keywords=gundam+1%2F144+Zaku

thanks Al...
those Bandai 1/144 kits look really great for what I want to use them for.

I've been hitting hobby link japan hard the past couple of days and they have some amazing stuff. I was surprised to see that shipping is only like 7 or 8 dollars too. I guess that the downside is that they say shipping can take up to 30 days.
I definitely see an order coming soon.

usernamesareannoying wrote:
I've been hitting hobby link japan hard the past couple of days and they have some amazing stuff. I was surprised to see that shipping is only like 7 or 8 dollars too. I guess that the downside is that they say shipping can take up to 30 days.
I definitely see an order coming soon.

HLJ is definitely worth the wait. I've never had a shipment take more than 3 weeks from them or Hobbysearch, but it is best to plan for a month of delivery time. You can pay alot more have things shipped faster, but at that point you kind of loose the benefit of their great prices.

Vertrucio wrote:A friend has been using the Team Yankee rules, it actually works.

Looks awesome! Perfect combo of terrain and models. Are there any more pics or a batrep anywhere?

You could try my game Giant Monster Rampage, the deluxe edition. The game was designed to allow for mecha as well as kaiju and it allows you to use any figures you want.