How to Play (for Players)

As a player you will be roleplaying a Mechaneer, one versed in all the intricacies of mech piloting, maintenance, and combat. You'll design your mech (usually at or before the first session) and navigate the gritty world of Mechtronica through whatever crazy story your GM dreams up.

Your Character

Your first order of business in any campaign will be to design your character. Checkout the Mechaneer Creation section for more about that. Make sure the character you choose interests you, and is one you're willing to voice act (if that's expected in your campaign). Keep in mind that you will be roleplaying this character and will want to make in-game choices that make sense for that character.

Your Mech

Your mech is the main focus of the game mechanics. It may also be a play a big part in the story for your character, depending on your character design (maybe your character is sentimental about their mech, or maybe the mech is just a machine to accomplish the task at hand).

You will usually create your mech on or before the first session (or maybe a bit of both). See the Mech Building section for details on the process, starting with the Build Guide. Remember your mech is a part of a larger story, including the campaign and the other player characters. Talk with the other players and your GM to make sure your mech will fit well into the story and be helpful to your team.

Gameplay

Gameplay can be roughly broken up into a few different parts:

Normal Play
Comprised mostly of stat roles and storytelling.

Turn Based Play
Typically used for combat but may be used in other scenarios as well. See Turn Structure and Combat for details.

Maintenance
Maintaining your mech, including repairing damage during or out of combat, refueling, etc. See the Maintenance section for details.

Tinkering
Modifying your mech as the game progresses. Since Mechtronica does not have a leveling or XP system, tinkering is the main way you improve over the course of the game. Make sure to go out of your way to shop for or salvage components so you can improve your mech. The Maintenance and Mech Building sections are both relevant to tinkering. Note there are limits on when and where you can make changes to your mech, see Maintenance and Maintenance Costs for more on that.