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Jul. 22nd, 2013 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seekingferretAt the last minute on Saturday night, I popped into a pickup G+ Hangout game of Tears of a Machine, a new rpg about giant robots being kickstarted right now: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotclaw/tears-of-a-machine
Premise is loosely based on the anime Evangelion, which I know nothing about except that apparently it was one of the inspirations for Pacific Rim. You play as teenagers who are jacked into giant killer robots stolen from the evil aliens. Essentially they ripped the robot brains out of the things and shoved a teenager in its place, so the only thing keeping the mechs from going crazy and rampaging is a teenager's ability to keep control of their emotions. The game's most important mechanic in combat isn't your technical ability to do damage or outmaneuver the enemies, it's balancing your pilot's emotional control against the mech's lust for violence.
The result is very character driven. A character's choices out of combat have a direct influence on how combat plays out.
I played one of the older characters, a child of privilege from a family with defense contractor connections. She was stuck between her desire to lead and her disconnection from the other characters' lives- both of the other players were playing orphans. When the latter impulse took hold, she acted selfishly, putting her own needs first and assuming that her fellow pilots would be fine. When the former impulse took hold, though, she rallied her team despite adversity and moved everybody past obstacles together.
Then in battle, it all fell apart when her mother's car was threatened by one of the enemy robots. She lost control of her emotions, lost control of her giant robot, and nearly lost the battle when she sacrificed the mission for her personal needs. It was a fascinating version of the many vs. one dilemma because there were so many other confounding factors in the choice.
The game was a lot of fun, and people who like giant robots and rpgs should check out the Kickstarter.
Premise is loosely based on the anime Evangelion, which I know nothing about except that apparently it was one of the inspirations for Pacific Rim. You play as teenagers who are jacked into giant killer robots stolen from the evil aliens. Essentially they ripped the robot brains out of the things and shoved a teenager in its place, so the only thing keeping the mechs from going crazy and rampaging is a teenager's ability to keep control of their emotions. The game's most important mechanic in combat isn't your technical ability to do damage or outmaneuver the enemies, it's balancing your pilot's emotional control against the mech's lust for violence.
The result is very character driven. A character's choices out of combat have a direct influence on how combat plays out.
I played one of the older characters, a child of privilege from a family with defense contractor connections. She was stuck between her desire to lead and her disconnection from the other characters' lives- both of the other players were playing orphans. When the latter impulse took hold, she acted selfishly, putting her own needs first and assuming that her fellow pilots would be fine. When the former impulse took hold, though, she rallied her team despite adversity and moved everybody past obstacles together.
Then in battle, it all fell apart when her mother's car was threatened by one of the enemy robots. She lost control of her emotions, lost control of her giant robot, and nearly lost the battle when she sacrificed the mission for her personal needs. It was a fascinating version of the many vs. one dilemma because there were so many other confounding factors in the choice.
The game was a lot of fun, and people who like giant robots and rpgs should check out the Kickstarter.