Jon replied to me: > > The main problem is that this feels like an oversized battlesuit, not > > a proper mecha. I'd like to get a crewstation, even cramped, rather > > than a battlesuit system, but that will be a tight fit. > > IMHO, the most viable mecha (at any TL) will be oversized battlesuits.
I wanted to find a way to 'justify' Mecha, and what I got are a TL9 ATGM carrier firing from ambush, a TL10 spacefighter with a slightly enlarged landing gear, and a TL10 oversized battlesuit. Not exactly what I had in mind when I first asked the question. I wonder what happens concept-wise when I start with a 'spider tank' and delete pairs of legs. As far as the VE game mechanics are concerned, total leg area goes down assuming the same total volume, which makes the structure/armor/surface cheaper. The contact area goes down and the ground pressure goes up, and that adds to the decrease in the speed factor. The drivetrain cost goes up as well, but that is just money. Then there are damage effects -- having six or eight legs means the loss of one is no tragedy, while loosing one out of two or four is a major disaster. So if an eight-legged, turreted walker tank is viable, what about the same basic shape on six, four, or two legs? Does a bipedal Mecha have to have an upright torso? Like the Star Wars AT/ST or AT/AT, it would have no arms, but who needs them? _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
