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[kaian-a-coel]

^{"I suck at titles" edition.}

Ladies and gentlemen. I just found a random mech generator (in pdf form). It is of highest quality, so I am presenting it to you. The ultimate goal being to run a game with it.

Here it is: Link

As you can see it is extremely detailed, with a wide range of possibilities and even a steampunk section.
A game based on it would most certainly be cooperative rather than competitive, as it seems unfair to pit a tiny exoskeleton mecha armed with naught but a pair of light autocanons, against a cold-fusion powered towering monstrosity boasting 25 nuclear warheads, a quad heavy railgun, a deuterium laser beam, an incendiary grenade launcher, a pair of gatlings, an energy shield, can turn invisible, transform into a fighter jet, and is overcharged by the power of friendship. Because both are totally possible.

I imagine that the ideal format would be something of an RPG, with a random team of mechs against hordes of other mechs.
The main problem would then be the potentially huge disparity between the players.

Otherwise it could be a wonderful ressource for anyone running a mech-based game, to generate opponents or whatnot.
Also feel free to post any mech you rolled in this topic.

Contributing with two mechs I rolled:
(everything besides the name originated from rolls on the generator)

Spoiler: MX-8102 Heavy Assault "tea, crumpets, and death" (click to show/hide)

Size: Huge
Role: Harasser
Posture: quadrupedal, plantigrade
Engine: antimatter
Armor: Chobham composite
Additional Defenses: slat plates, softkill ECM APS
Optics: radar imaging

Weaponry:
-Arm mounted MLRS, 22x 130mm missiles, IR guided Fire&Forget, mine and HESH ammunitions.
-Shoulder mounted 36mm light autocannon, enlarged ammo storage, anthrax biological ammo.
-Shoulder-mounted Large Microwave Emiter
-Arm-mounted 47mm light autocannon, limited traverse, HEI/AP ammo.
-Shoulder mounted 40mm missile, automatic targeting recognition unit, explosively formed penetrator.
-Head mounted 109mm recoilless rifle, enlarged ammo storage, discarding sabot HE ammo.

Extras: water recycler, voice-activated computer system, integrated tea kettle, ejection seat
Traits: Reliable, prototype, souped-up engine.

Spoiler: S-80 Light Recon "blazing rain" (click to show/hide)

Size: Exoskeleton
Role: Scout
Posture: Bipedal, ungulate
Engine: cold fusion
Armor: ceramic-steel-nickel alloy laminate
Additional Defenses: electric reactive armor
Optics: radar imaging + hyperspectral imaging

Weapons:
-Arm mounted 40mm rotary cannon, casette autoloader, white phosphorus incendiary ammo
-Arm-mounted 17mm CIWS, hydro-pneumatic anti-recoil system, red phosphorus incendiary ammo

Extras: AR headset system, Jump Jets
Traits: intimidating

[GreatWyrmGold]

This sounds interesting; for a while I was trying to figure out a system for random robots for an RtD I wanted to try. It didn't work out; I got the general tables figured out, but got bored around the time I was figuring out the weapons and such. Here's hoping I can adapt this mech generator to such a use!

Of course, I'd like to note something. Some amount of balancing is going to be needed, no matter what, so PvP may not be so impossible.
I don't suppose you could put it on DropBox or something? My antivirus doesn't like your link.

[kaian-a-coel]

sure thing: here

[NAV]

This is pretty cool. Let me know if you make a game with this.

[IronyOwl]

Interesting, but it is a bit unfortunate that it's completely random. Some of the options also seem to be leaning a bit towards "throw it in because it exists" rather than "add it because it's a potentially interesting feature."

Naturally I rolled a test mech; the results were fairly interesting, but also display a handful of the above issues.

Spoiler: T-83 "Shellcracker" (click to show/hide)

Large Tripedal Gasoline-Powered Main Battle Mech
Erect Posture
Elephant Semi-Plantigrade Feet

Liquid Armor
Light Explosive-Reactive Armor
IR Night Vision

Arm: Sonic Cavitation Emitter
Head: Deuterium Flouride Laser ("Head mounts reroll head location" haha no they don't)
Shoulder: 135(100max)mm Semi-Automatic Breech-Loaded Medium Mortar, Explosively-Formed Penetrator Ammo
Arm: 25mm Enlarged Ammo Storage Light Autocannon, Fin-Stabilized AP Ammo
Torso: 13.8mm Detachable Light Machine Gun, Armor-Piercing Tracer Ammo

Active Camo
AR Headset System
Multirole Grenade Projectors

High Manufacturing Quality

Almost seems like more of a safari mech.

[kaian-a-coel]

Head: Deuterium Flouride Laser ("Head mounts reroll head location" haha no they don't)

I think it's meant to be "Main mounts reroll head location", because they're usually too big.

[IronyOwl]

Head: Deuterium Flouride Laser ("Head mounts reroll head location" haha no they don't)

I think it's meant to be "Main mounts reroll head location", because they're usually too big.

Screw the rules I have headcannon.

[TalonisWolf]

Head: Deuterium Flouride Laser ("Head mounts reroll head location" haha no they don't)

I think it's meant to be "Main mounts reroll head location", because they're usually too big.

Screw the rules I have headcannon.

SIGGED.

[Remuthra]

Let's roll.

Spoiler: Raw Traits (click to show/hide)

Harasser
Huge
Tripedal
Anti-Matter Drive
______________
Semi-Erect
Plantigrade
Main Mounts: Shoulder, Torso, Torso
Secondary Mounts: Torso, Shoulder, Head, Arm
___________________________________
Armor: Rolled Titanium
Supplementary Defenses: Softkill ECM APS, Conventional Hardkill EPS
Optics: Computer-Assisted Digital
_________________________________________________________
Main Guns: 53 Caliber Medium Shoulder-Mounted Computer-Controlled Mortar firing HEAT, Light Torso-Mounted Chain-Autoloaded 65 Caliber Howitzer firing APCR and Cluster, Torso-Mounted Sonic Cavitation Emitter
Secondary Guns: Torso-Mounted 84 Caliber Multi-Stage HESH Missile, Shoulder-Mounted 17.3 Caliber CIWS with Enlarged Ammo Storage firing Armor-Piercing Tracers, Head-Mounted 112 Caliber Wire-Guided Thermobaric Missile, Arm-Mounted Detachable 50 Caliber Light Autocannon firing Guided AP
Extras: Ejection Seat, Jump Jets, IR Silhouette Stealth Plating, Active Camouflage
Traits: Amphibious (Wading), Heavily Armed

Spoiler: Sales Pitch (click to show/hide)

And on your left, see the JoeTech Clairvoyant Mark VI, pride of the Imperial Assault Corps. This hunched beast, weighing in at a massive 476 tons, is employed for fast-moving heavy support. Though its design may look unconventional, sporting a three-legged "grasshopper" model chassis atop which rides the massive tilting pillar of the machine's main complex, the Clairvoyant is highly speedy and versatile for its size, due in part to the inclusion of state-of-the-art Icarus IX tactical leap thrusters and an overcharged anti-matter drive core normally reserved for warp-capable cruisers. In addition to this, the Clairvoyant's rolled-titanium plating is heat-shielded and carries active cloaking systems to help avoid detection from long ranges, though the loud operation noises limit its stealth range to about a kilometer. The Clairvoyant VI is outfitted primarily for long-range bombardment from its innovative "Tower of Destruction" guidance system. A "Stubby" class sponson mount astride the left turret side houses the 53 Calibre Prophecy IV anti-material mortar, a computer-guided fire-and-forget platform firing powerful HEAT shells, while a smaller "Chip-on-the-shoulder" mount houses a light 17.3 Calibre "Nuke-Away" brand CIWS which allows for easy missile damage prevention and rangefinding with its AP tracer rounds, and with an extra-large ammo supply, whether it's one missile or a hundred you can feel secure. Meanwhile, the chassis's twin spread front legs provide a convenient location for an under-slung Restraint XI 50 Calibre light Anti-Personnel Autocannon firing Computer-Guided AP, in case someone manages to get a bit too close for comfort. The autocannon is also easily detachable in case you want to travel fast. The pillar itself, however, houses the Clairvoyant's most destructive armaments yet. Its three "Window" hull mounts carry a top-floor, top-of-the-line, top-dollar Herald V Sonic Cavitation sound system, perfect for playing relaxing music on a long deployment, for you and anyone else who might happen to be within the two-kilometer effective radius, a bottom-floor Summoner II chain-autoloaded 65 Calibre Howitzer firing APCR cluster shrapnel, and a mech-busting 85 Caliber Premonition XVI multi-stage orbital HESH rocket for tactical strikes. The crowning piece, however, is the unique "Headbanger" cockpit-mounted Revelation IV 112 Calibre Wire-Guided Thermobaric warhead. Fear not, though, for despite featuring a gargantuan missile strapped to the cockpit, the Clairvoyant sports Joetech's patented Robin MCLXI high-velocity escape chair. Taking a cruise out to the beach, but concerned about getting your ride wet? Fear not, for the Joetech Clairvoyant is water-sealed and fully amphibious, so you can drive to the other continent's beach! The Clairvoyant VI heavy support platform, another unparallelled product of JoeTech Industries, your friend in the interstellar age!

[GreatWyrmGold]

It's neat, I guess, but more explanation on some of this stuff would be nice. So would not giving equal chances to everything. Octopedal mechs, "pillar-erect" posture, head mounts, the later types of armor, polearms, and so forth seem like they could stand to come up less often than more conventional/typical/etc possibilities.
It could work, with modification.

[IronyOwl]

but more explanation on some of this stuff would be nice.

To be honest, I got kind of a techwank vibe from a lot of this stuff. More options are usually better, and not every difference necessarily needs a practical impact, but I do have to wonder if possible vision modes include radar, sonar, and lidar because they're all subtly different, because they're thematically varied, or because someone wanted to squee about how many types of military sensor technology they knew about. Similar suspicions regarding, say, rolling for caliber- is that there to suggest slow heavy shots versus quick rapid shots, to make some options better or more powerful than others, or because different guns have different calibers and that is SO COOL?

So would not giving equal chances to everything. Octopedal mechs, "pillar-erect" posture, head mounts, the later types of armor, polearms, and so forth seem like they could stand to come up less often than more conventional/typical/etc possibilities.
It could work, with modification.

I think this is part of the more general issue with having a bland/varied flavor. Different people are going to want different things, and this appears to be set in a kind of a generic catchall setting with a few quirks.

[10ebbor10]

This is most interesting indeed.

Considering I do have a system for a mech combat game lying around, I might actually use this.

[tryrar]

here's a few designs I rolled(putting them here as to not clutter up 10ebbor's game):

Spoiler: Centurion (click to show/hide)

Size:Large
Role:Scout
Locomotion:Ungulate Octopedal Pillar Erect
Engine:Diesel
Armor:AMAP Composite
Optics:Sonar+Local Network IR Nightvision
Supplementary Defense:Non-explosive reactive armor

Main weapons:
Arm Mounted 10mm computer-assisted gyroscopically stabilized Light Gauss Cannon

Shoulder Mounted 136mm Heavy Smooth-bore Cannon with Enlarged Ammo Storage
S:HESH ammo

Secondary Weapons:
Arm Mounted Shield

Arm Mounted 18mm AA-capable heavy MG
R:Incendiary tracer ammo

Extras:
Customized Sound System
Fuel Cell Generator
Solar Cells
Jump Jets

Trait:
Amphibious(wading)
 

Spoiler: Duster (click to show/hide)

Size:Small
Role:Artillery
Locomotion:Erect Digitigrade Octopedal
Engine:Turbocharged Diesel-Gas Turbine
Armor:Rolled Aluminum
Supplementary Defense:Slat Plates
Optics:Local+Satellite high power adjustable

Main Weapon:
Shoulder mounted 50mm AA-capable light autocannon
 S:Incendiary ammo

Secondary Weapon:
Arm mounted 57mm computer assisted gyroscopically stabilized recoil-less rifle
 S:Beehive Flechette ammo

Extras:
Laser Designator
Jump Jets

Trait:
Intimidating

[Sirus]

Your link does not appear to work
All the boxes in the .pdf are blank.

[GreatWyrmGold]

One thing that's been bugging me.
The mech size gives a number of "SD". Are these Special Defenses or Support Devices?