Roll 1d20 and add modifiers. Target number is 10. On 10+: success. On 9 or less: failure and consequences.
You don't need a trigger to roll — you can always roll 1d20 with no bonus. Only roll when there are real consequences for failure.
Only in tense situations where failure matters: bar fights, infiltration, hacking, negotiation, dangerous travel, picking pockets. Don't roll for mundane tasks — pilots succeed automatically at things within their background unless something genuinely complicates it.
Accuracy (+1d6): Roll an extra d6, add the highest to your d20.
Difficulty (+1d6): Roll an extra d6, subtract the highest from your d20.
Accuracy and Difficulty cancel out 1:1. Sources: triggers, backgrounds, mech skills (for mech actions), teamwork, and GM judgment.
When others assist, only one pilot rolls. The roller gains +1 Accuracy regardless of how many help. However, all helpers suffer the consequences of failure.
A failed check cannot be retried under the same circumstances. Circumstances must change: time passes, new equipment, different approach, or outside help.
On a non-Risky failure, you may retry immediately — but it automatically becomes Risky. If already Risky, can't push further (unless GM allows, making it Heroic). Heroic checks cannot be pushed.
In narrative play, players always act first. The GM cannot ask for a roll until prompted by player action. If players stall, they hand initiative to the GM who may advance the story without them.
For group objectives, everyone involved rolls. More successes than failures = success. More failures = failure. Tie: flip a coin. Extended challenges use multiple rounds; majority must succeed.
Combat uses skill checks, not tactical turns. The whole fight may resolve in a few rolls. NPCs don't act independently — their behavior is driven by player roll outcomes. If no mechs are involved, always resolve narratively.
Don't track NPC HP. If the goal is "kill the guard" and you succeed, the guard dies. If the NPC is especially tough, the GM makes the roll Difficult or Risky, or demands a different approach.
Failed combat checks can't be retried until circumstances change. Failed to knock someone out? Change your approach: grab a barstool, get help, change position.
At LL0, choose 4 triggers at +2 each. Each level up: add +2 to an existing trigger or take a new trigger at +2. Maximum value: +6.
When your action matches a trigger, add its value to your 1d20 roll. Your GM can also invoke your background to add +1 Accuracy or +1 Difficulty to relevant rolls.
With GM approval, write your own. Custom triggers can be more specific than examples (e.g., "Kill in Cold Blood") but never more general. Must describe specific circumstances or actions.
Four stats from +0 to +6 used instead of triggers when making skill checks that directly utilize a mech. Also used in mech combat for saves, and provide direct mech stat bonuses when building.
At LL0 you get 2 mech skill points to distribute (both in one skill for +2, or split +1 each). Each level up grants +1 additional point. Maximum: +6 per skill.
Time between missions. Two parts: Downtime Actions (structured, with rolls) and Freeform Play (open roleplay, no rules required). There's always at least some downtime between missions, even if just a few hours.
Usually one downtime action per downtime period. Long downtimes may allow two. Short downtimes (under siege, etc.) still allow at least one. Triggers can be used on downtime rolls.
Downtime actions have three specific outcomes: 9 or less, 10–19, and 20+. Many generate RESERVES — advantages that last only for the next mission.
Anything held as an advantage for the next mission — supplies, gear, support, allies, information. Established before the mission starts. No fixed rules — GM agreement is all that's required.
Reserves last for one mission only. Once that mission ends, they're gone. The GM can also grant reserves mid-mission when narratively appropriate.
The tables below are examples and inspiration. Your reserves don't have to match any list — if it's plausible and the GM agrees, it counts.
| Reserve | What It Provides |
|---|---|
| Access | A keycard, invite, bribes, or insider access to a particular location. |
| Backing | Useful leverage through political support from a powerful figure. |
| Supplies | Gear allowing easy crossing of a hazardous or hostile area. |
| Disguise | An effective cover identity, allowing uncontested access to a location. |
| Diversion | A distraction providing time to act without fear of consequence. |
| Blackmail | Sensitive information concerning a particular person. |
| Reputation | A good name in the mission area; positive first impressions with locals. |
| Safe Harbor | Guaranteed safety for meeting, planning, or recuperating. |
| Tracking | Details on the location of important objects or people. |
| Knowledge | Understanding of local history, customs, culture, or etiquette. |
| Reserve | What It Provides |
|---|---|
| Ammo | Extra uses (+1 or +2) of a limited weapon or system. |
| Rented Gear | Temporary access to a new weapon or piece of mech gear. |
| Extra Repairs | Supplies giving a mech +2 Repair Cap for the mission. |
| CORE Battery | An extra charge allowing a second use of your mech's CORE SYSTEM. |
| Deployable Shield | Single-use SIZE 1 deployable granting soft cover in BURST 2 radius. |
| Redundant Repair | Ability to STABILIZE as a free action once per mission. |
| Systems Reinforcement | +1 Accuracy to one mech skill (HULL/AGILITY/SYSTEMS/ENGINEERING) for the mission. |
| Smart Ammo | All weapons of your choice fire as SMART for the mission's duration. |
| Boosted Servos | Immunity to the SLOWED condition for the mission. |
| Jump Jets | Your mech can FLY when moving this mission, but must end movement on land. |
| Reserve | What It Provides |
|---|---|
| Scouting | Detailed intel on enemy mechs and threats: number, type, statistics. |
| Vehicle | Use of a transport vehicle or starship for the mission duration. |
| Reinforcements | Ability to call in a friendly NPC mech (tier 1–3) once per mission. |
| Environmental Shielding | Equipment to ignore a particular battlefield hazard (extreme heat, cold, etc). |
| Accuracy Bonus | Training providing +1 Accuracy to a particular mech skill or action for the mission. |
| Bombardment | Call in artillery or orbital strike once per mission (Full Action, RANGE 30, BLAST 2, 3d6 explosive). |
| Extended Harness | Carry an extra pilot weapon and two extra pieces of pilot gear. |
| Ambush | Intel allowing you to choose exactly where the next battle takes place, including terrain layout. |
| Orbital Drop | Ability to start the mission by dropping from orbit into a fortified or hard-to-reach location. |
| NHP Assistant | An NHP controlled by the GM that can give tactical advice on the current situation. |
Small arms fire, stabs, punches, thrown rocks. Common consequence of low-stakes failed checks.
Assault and heavy weapons, long falls, toxic gas, exposure to vacuum. Serious but survivable.
Catastrophic: a mech falling on you, mech-scale weapons, a grenade at point-blank. Usually fatal without significant luck.
Regain half maximum HP. If DOWN AND OUT, recover consciousness.
Regain all HP. Full mech repair. Clears all conditions, statuses, and resets Overcharge counter.
Establish the mission goal and stakes — what success and failure look like. Best framed as a question: "Will we save the colony before the Iron Tigers arrive?" Both goal and stakes can shift mid-mission.
Choose your mechs and gear. Not necessarily final — opportunities may arise to change gear mid-mission — but establishes starting resources. Each pilot: one mech, armor, up to 2 weapons, up to 3 gear.
Establish Reserves being brought on the mission. Must be done before play begins — prevents mid-mission disputes about who has access to what.
Play cuts immediately to pilots arriving on scene. No planning montages. The GM describes the situation and you respond. Doesn't have to be combat — could be approaching a checkpoint, creeping toward a facility at night, or walking into an event as something goes wrong.
After the mission: level up (all characters advance one LL) and optionally talk about it (what worked, notable moments, feedback for the GM). Be respectful — every session might be someone's first.
Freeform. Players always have initiative — the GM can't ask for a roll until prompted by player action. NPCs don't take independent actions; their behavior is driven entirely by player roll outcomes.
Turn-based, tactical. HP is tracked precisely, NPCs act independently on initiative, attack rolls are made per attack. Switching is as simple as the GM declaring it on and drawing a map.
Move between modes freely. A fight that starts as a narrative skill check can escalate into full mech combat if mechs become involved. Small on-foot fights without mechs should almost always stay narrative.