Idea: The Mecha Knights of the Round Table

[Lisa Nadazdy]

Although many of you don't know, I'm a big fan of the Arthurian mythos. I also like some of the mecha anime. So, I thought: why not combine them? Here's the premise:

We fuse the idea that the elite combatants of the battlefield of the future are skilled mecha pilots with some of the tropes of Arthurian myth. No, they're not just skilled, but genetically engineered to interface with the machine, so that their thoughts and reflexes turn into instant response of the machine. After centuries of warfare, these new "knights" of the battlefield have become dominant, and a large subculture has grown up around them. They have become the leaders and commanders of armies, and even nations and planets. In a hostile and turbulent galaxy, a band of mecha knights have banded together to restore peace and stability to civilization. They are the future analog to the Knights of the Round Table- there might even be analogs to Merlin or Aurther, but there doesn't have to be.

I've posted this idea on a couple of other boards, but I figure you might be interested in seeing this idea.

[Lisa Nadazdy]

I posted this on RPGnet, but I'll repost it, here.


Mecha- how big are they? How advanced? What kinds of weaponry do they have? Can anyone pilot them (in other words, can an ordinary human step in them and pilot them to a lesser degree than a knight)? How old are they, and do they still build new designs? How common are they on the battlefield compared to standard military forces?

I envision mecha to be between 16 and 20 feet tall (roughly 6 meters, for those playing at home). Any smaller, and they tend to be too lightly armed and too fragile to be a true force on the battlefield, and too much larger and they speed-to-weight ratio starts making them too slow and awkward to be effective in the hands of a knight.

Mecha are advanced weapons, most designed and many built centuries ago before these dark times fell. New designs are occasionally fielded, but almost all cases they're cruder and less effective than old designs, simply because there are few manufacturing facilities that can churn out new designs, and even fewer that have the technical expertise to design something better than from centuries before.

Most mecha designs are capable of limited flight (jump jets), and are armed with a variety of light weaponry- machineguns, short range missiles, light energy weapons and the like. They carry an energy charged shield on their shield arm, which can deflect quite a bit of punishment, and even without the energy charge, is still capable of absorbing considerable punishment. It's main armament is the Lance- in most cases a powerful, long range particle accelerator or rail gun. It usually takes time to charge, but when it's used, it can inflict a wide swath of damage. Mecha also carry a melee-type side arm, typically an energy sword, but sometimes a heavy duratanium sword or axe is used. Some knights like to get in close and duke it out with other knights with melee weapons, but most consider that kind of thinking a bit of a liability in a war.

Most mecha are built with manual backup controls, so it's easily possible for a human to use one, but they're generally no match for a knight- since a knight can control a mecha by thought, a human is very much outclassed by a knight. Every now and a gain a human takes it upon himself to 'armour up' and challenge a knight, but it usually ends poorly for the human.

As mentioned, most mecha are of old designs, and many have been around for centuries, usually carefully maintained by families and clans who are herditary engineers and mechanics. New builds are fielded from time to time- there are still manufacturing centers that can build new mecha, and some mecha are cobbled together from battlefield salvage.

Mecha are still uncommon on battlefields, but many armies would be fools not to field them if they can, as they can be quite decisive in determining the course of a battle- a single, skilled knight in a heavily armed mecha can be the equal of a division of tanks.

The Knights- can a normal human be 'upgraded' into a knight? Is the knight trait hereditary? Is it easily identifiable? Can children with the trait be knights? What other physical and/or mental advantages does this trait give a knight? Any drawbacks? How do ordinary humans view them?

Over the centuries, many experiments were conducted to transform ordinary humans into knights but with mixed success, at best. You see, while mecha can be built fairly rapidly (at least back then, fairly rapidly), the then clone knights took three full years to force-grow into adulthood, and considerable resources had to be sunk into each one to make sure they were fully physically and mentally capable of handling the task set before them. The think tanks of the time sought other faster, less resource-intensive methods to fielding knights out on the field. They tried gene therapy and nano augumentation, and even cybernetic enhancement to meet these goals, but they frequently met with failure. Subjects would go insane, develop physical and mental problems, suffer with dramatically shortened lifespans and a host of other problems. As the level of technical expertise has dropped over the centuries, development of alternate knights fell to the wayside, with only the rare attempt to experiment in this field. Something to note- some knights have taken to mating with the human population (being nearly identical in just about all ways), and have, over the centuries, sired many illegitimate offspring. The knight 'trait' is often recessive in humans, but it shows up from time to time.

The knight 'trait' is not easily identifiable, at least not without a series of expensive and complicated tests. Tests, games and tournaments are held occasionally with the human population in mind, not just the knights, as a means of sorting out ordinary humans and those with the knight trait in their blood. If a human shows well in these contests, they're tested further for the trait.

Children with the trait don't begin to show signs of it until adolescence, a point in time in which training in how to operate and link with a mecha can begin. Occasionally, a child will begin to show advanced mental maturity and begin to develop the trait, but generally lack the physical and emotional maturity to be mecha pilots.

Full-blood knights (knights who have kept their bloodline pure by only mating with other knights) have a number of small physical and mental advantages. They tend to have faster reflexes, sharpened senses, are hardier and more robust, less prone to illness and disease, and even heal faster than ordinary humans. They even tend to be a bit stronger and are a bit more durable than everyone else. None of these things are truly superhuman; a human could obtain many of these advantages simply by training very hard, but for the full-bloods, these are natural advantages. The biggest advantage a knight has is their brain is structured differently in a very subtle way. They aren't generally any smarter than an ordinary human, but their brain is wire in such a way as to create that mental link with the mecha. This link allows them to operate a mecha as if it were their own body. This instantaneous transmission of thought into action is what makes a knight so formidable inside a mecha. Wile other physical traits tend to dilute when mixing with human blood, this very important trait does not. This last thing is what truly makes a knight, not the physical advantages.

As for disadvantages, there seem to be very few. The only marked weakness is that knights don't seem to have aptitudes outside of being a warrior. While nothing stops a knight from becoming a doctor or an engineer, their natural traits tend to push them in the direction which they were originally designed for- war.

Ordinary humans view knights with fear, awe and respect. Few will argue with a knight should they recognize them as one. Most consider them natural leaders and generals, even if they are actually poor at the role of leadership. Of course, humans being humans, they are as prone to losing that respect if treated poorly, or seeing them as equals if they, too, are treated as equals. And never forget- a human may be no match for a knight on the field of war, but even a knight can be killed with a knife in the back or poison in their drink.

The Galaxy- How advanced is technology? How widespread is this new 'Dark Age'? Are there aliens? If so, can they be knights? Do they co-exist, or are they hostile to man? How vast a section of space mankind control? How easy is it to travel across the stars? How easy is communication? What's the culture like in most places? What about government in these places? How do people view aliens, or even strangers?

Technology varies from world to world, depending on how they managed to maintain the infrastructure of old. Even at the height of the Terran Empire, it still had a quasi-feudal system of control, simply because communication and travel over the vast distances of space could take a long time. As the system broke down after centuries of warfare, most people in this age rarely live too much better than we do now- the lightbulbs and cars may be more advanced, but the problems of out modern society still remain (with a bunch more added on top). Odds are if a PC needs to get around, they call a hovercab, or even a ground cab. Everyone carries a small communication device of some sort, and unless things are really bad, few starve on the street. The wonders of the Empire have by-and-large faded. Few can obtain or afford cloned parts if they lose a limb, and many simply do things by hand rather than use old and unreliable technology.

This new Dark Age grips all of human space. Where there once was the Great Terran Empire, which once held nearly a fifth of the galaxy, now there are dozens, if not hundreds of separate power blocks fighting to carve out their own kingdoms. Trade is sporadic at best, and few trust anybody else outside of their own clans and families.

There are virtually no aliens within humanspace, in part because intelligent life is indeed rare, but also because humans have become so xenophobic and fearful. In such unstable times, few trust anybody outside those that they've known for years. Of course, many alien species are hostile to man, seeing humans as a blight and a cancer on the galaxy, seeking to purge this scourge in their midst. This kind of thinking doesn't make humans more likely to accept them, but there it is.

Aliens generally cannot be knights, not because they cannot build such things (some probably could), but because knights and mecha are a human conceit. Alien species tend to field their own units of radically different sorts, with entirely different battlefield specifications in mind. Some for instance, prefer hit-and-run strategy, so they prefer fast, moderately armed and lightly armored units that can strike and run, while other use heavily armored dreadnoughts that can shrug off massive punishment.

The area of space humans control is perhaps half that of when the Empire existed, and is slowly shrinking and fragmenting (so it's maybe a tenth of th galaxy, much of which is fragmented with no specific ruler).

Space travel is difficult as the number of ships capable of warp jump drop every year- more are destroyed in warfare than are being manufactured. It has become common to protect working starships from an enemy as much as possible, for a starship is one of the few means there are for expanding a power base. No starship, and an army can't move out system.

Warp travel isn't terribly fast, either. Most ships can clock in about a light year an hour, which is also the speed of communication- messages go by the fastest ship available. A few odd ships can move faster- about double the speed of regular travel.

Most places have cultures that reflect real-world cultures from history, most which have similar analogs to post-Roman times, although there are places which have anologs to, say, the Japanese or Chinese, although they're certainly more technologically advanced in those places. Yes, that means that there are knights with a samurai feel, and mecha which resemble the armor that samurai wore. There's no reason why you couldn't use this backdrop for an entirely different style of campaign. Seven Samurai, anyone?

Government in most places have a distinctly feudal feel; communication is slow, so minor 'kings' place trusted vassals in control of key places, with small armies of their own, and are generally supported by the local populace (which the populace doesn't always like). Concepts like democracy, and equal rights often get crushed underfoot, but not always on purpose. Sometimes these ideals have to be sacrificed so that people can survive, or so much of the thinking goes. Of course, the PCs are in a position to try and reintroduce some of these ideals, much like Arthur did with his Code of Chivalry. There's no reason for things to remain a dictatorship. Things can be changed with a few gallant heroes with high ideals.

The Arthurian Mythos- How closely do you want the theme of this to stick to the original stories? Very closely, or just borrow some elements and let the players carve out a new myth? What elements to incorporate?

Personally, I want to steal certain key bits- Merlin, Morgan le Fey, Mordred, Avalon, Camelot, Excalibur... but I feel no reason to play out the old tragedies. There doesn't have to be an Arthur, and there doesn't have to be the doom of the noble ideal. I feel that this should be a grand canvas where the PCs can paint the myth in their own colours, and shape it as they see fit. The elements are there to tell them that they are indeed the knights of old, reborn in a new era, but an era where their destiny is in their own hands.

[Janos]

I read this thread as "Mecha Knights of the Dinner Table" and got excited at a spin-off.

While the real thread looks good, I'm still disappointed! :o

[Janos]

On a more serious note, what you describe as far as the knights piloting is very similiar to the original Gundam concept. That might be a good place to start for ideas.

[Lisa Nadazdy]

On a more serious note, what you describe as far as the knights piloting is very similiar to the original Gundam concept. That might be a good place to start for ideas.

I watch Gundam Seed Destiny every friday. It's not as good as Gundam Seed, but not bad. I wish they still showed Ghost in the Shell; that show had some interesting ideas.

[Keeper of Secrets]

Not that it is spot on but did you ever read the DC comic mini series Camelot 3000?

[Lisa Nadazdy]

Not that it is spot on but did you ever read the DC comic mini series Camelot 3000?

Yep. I had it in TPB a bunch of years back, but I leant it out and never got it back.

[Keeper of Secrets]

Yep. I had it in TPB a bunch of years back, but I leant it out and never got it back.

OK. Well, at least you've read it. Its not mecha but it does have the Arthurian legends in a sci-fi setting.

[Lisa Nadazdy]

OK. Well, at least you've read it. Its not mecha but it does have the Arthurian legends in a sci-fi setting.


It does, and it isn't just a repeat of the old legends- it's something of a continuation of those stories.

[Keeper of Secrets]

It does, and it isn't just a repeat of the old legends- it's something of a continuation of those stories.


I read them years and years ago and enjoyed them. I recently found them for a buck each and reread them. I was impressed at how well they stood up over time.

[Ancalagon]

You know, it makes sense to me. The battlemech and pilot could very well be the new knight in the future... I'm mentioning that game specifically because it already sort of had that angle going a bit. Push it a bit further and well, your idea could work quite well.

Ancalagon

[Janos]

I watch Gundam Seed Destiny every friday. It's not as good as Gundam Seed, but not bad. I wish they still showed Ghost in the Shell; that show had some interesting ideas.

The original gundam is the only one I'm really familiar with. But in it you had standard mecha that were somewhat limited in use. A 'human factor' was discovered that allowed certain pilots to exceed the limits of normal human pilots and partially bond with the machine. Each of the sides in the conflict had one crack pilot that began to start squaring off against one another using enhanced gundam suits more powerful than previous models and custom tailored. Eventually whole units evolved around supporting those two champions as they battled it out.

They novelized the story and converted it to English in the mid 90ies. Although not a good read, there really are a lot of ideas on how to incorporate gritty aspects of knighthood and feudalism with mecha and fighting for survival.

[there_is_no_bob]

I think I'd slip Merlin in as the Knight who Wasn't.


Gene-engineered, nanobot-enhanced, but it didn't do what it was supposed to. Instead of being able to interact with the mecha, he was able to interact in some way with the Knights. Also given much longer lifespan, just so he can be a know-it-all, and have knowledge of what it was like before the Dark Age along with a smattering of knowledge of advanced mech/weapon construction and gene-engineering allowing him to do things that are effectively magic.

He's the guy who can tweak your mech just so and give you a bit of an edge; it's down to him whether you can really be part of the Round Table.

[Varaj]

Sounds like a good campaign idea. Could be lots of fun. You could send the players on quests for last artifacts, fight off evil people, politics over land. Lots of fun.

[Northcott]

BESM's "Uresia" had an elite group of knights who had mystically powered armour/mecha -- an ancient magic technology that was effectively lost. So the suits were artefacts, and every now and again somebody would find an old, powerful one that had been long-lost. I can't remember whether a similar Arthurian theme had been hinted at in the book, or whether I'd run down that path myself.

It's a very cool idea, Lisa. Sounds like it would be a blast to play in the campaign.

[Dr_Avalanche]

Word. This sounds like a ton of fun.

[EhtoZed]

I love this idea and have thought of implementing something like it myself for a while.

Have you ever sen Vision of Escaflowne? It has a very similar idea, only set in a less technologically advanced setting. It's what set me on to the idea of a mecha & sorcerey idea.