No Amount of Armor

Pillars:
● Core rules are minimal “I’m never unsure how things work”
● Player powers feel OP “It feels like everyone has a cheat code”
● Ravages of War are ever-present: Death and Desertion are regular concerns

Ludology

Lancer Firebrands [Bxllet>

17th Century Minimalist Dungeons and Dragons 4e Fire Emblem: Three
Troupe Blades in the Dark __Houses
Rogue 2e Apocalypse World Violet Core
Beam Saber Dream Apart/Dream Orbital Blues
Armour Astir __Askew The Black Hack
The Sprawl Venture
Edge of the Empire Alchemisstresses

Touchstones
TV/Miniseries
Books
Gundam: War in the Pocket
All You Need is Kill
Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
Zeroboxer
Mobile Suit Gundam
A Memory Called Empire
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Iron Widow
Manga/Comics
Podcasts
Gundam: Thunderbolt
FatT: Counter/WEIGHT
Gundam: The Origin
FatT: Partizan
Cosmoknights

Playtesters
Rathayibacter, Xander Hinners, VVVisection, Kevin Wyatt-Stone, Genestealer, Natalie Libre,
Green Tea, Michael “Sohkrates”, Adira Slattery, Dakotah,
Using This Book
It’s a big book, and I don’t want you to waste your time! This is a handy guide that should help
you find the stuff that’s most important! First though, go check out the Player Safety section!

I’m a Player, New to RPGs!

Great! Welcome! I do have to level with you, there is going to be a bit of a learning curve to start
off, but I think you’re gonna dig this game and this hobby. As someone who’s totally new, I
would recommend you start by looking through all the Player Rules, but focusing on Stats &
Negotiation and Rolling. If you’re playing with more experienced players, they will generally take
to the more nuanced rules around Tactical Play and how stats like Teamwork Points, Drag and
HP work in play.

Once you have at least a vague notion of the basics of play, take a look at the Pilot Playbooks to
figure out what kind of pilot you want to play, and look at the Mech Playbooks to imagine what
kind of mech you might want to pilot. When you’re ready to start character creation, you can
more or less read the book front to back starting from Making Your Character.

You can ignore anything else for now! Take it easy, have fun, and remember: it’s okay to lean on
the expertise of more veteran players at the table!

I’m a Player, I’ve Played d20 Games

Hello! Glad to have you! If you’ve mostly played games like D&D, Pathfinder, or other “Old
School RPGs”, there’s going to be a lot of stuff that feels familiar here. A quick list of things I
want to call your attention to:
● This game is d20, roll under stat. You crit on your stat number!
● Look at Multi-Skill Checks
● Read about Crises
● When your HP hits zero, you don’t instantly die! Read up on Dying!
● Tactical Play takes the place of combat, but also things like chases
● Not all characters will have the same stats! Edges and Subsystems may be unique to
each player! Take a peek at those, and Rolling Without a Stat
● Know how you can spend Drag

This is a game where you are expected to narrate what you are doing, with the GM interrupting
you to call for a roll where appropriate. While it's fine sometimes to say “I want to roll Melee”, we
get a better picture of the stakes, the world and the consequences if you say “I want to cut the
arm off that mech with my plasma sword”! Hell yeah! Besides which, the first rule of rolling is “if
the consequences aren’t going to be interesting, don’t roll”!

In this game, your character sheet is split into two parts: the robot bit, and the pilot bit. They play
pretty much the same, but you pick them separately. You only roll stats on your pilot sheet when
you are doing things as a person, and you only roll on your mecha sheet when you are inside
(or using) the mecha. It’s worth noting that the abilities in this game aren’t written with an eye for
giving you slowly increasing power. Some abilities might make you a powerhouse at close range
right away, or might make it impossible to hit your mecha at range from day one. That’s
intentional! You can absolutely build a character with those goals in mind, but my hope is that
you get a chance to explore abilities that aren’t strictly about being the best fighter.

Finally, as with any RPG, don’t play to win. Play to tell a great story. Character death or getting
Dragged Away from the Squad in No Amount of Armor both give you a huge amount of agency,
so don’t be afraid of them.

I’m a Player, I’ve Mostly Played Narrative Games Like PbtA

Sit down friend! Some things that will feel familiar to you are the tools around moves, as well as
Multi-Skill Checks, which are how we create mixed successes. Additionally, playbooks should
feel like kind friends welcoming you back. You have two in this game, by the way, and they have
separate stats. Things to take a look at:

● Rolling and stats! This isn’t a game that uses modifiers

● Check out how Tactical play works
● Read about Dying
● Take a look at Crises
● Read up on Stats, particularly Subsystems and Edges
● Learn how to use Drag as a risky-resource

This game has a focus on creating quick, explosive action sequences. While you might not be
used to things like a strict turn order, or tactically oriented, spatially sensitive abilities, the hope
is that you can ease yourself into those aspects at your leisure.

This game does care about how things are narrated, so make sure that you are thoroughly
imagining how your actions look and feel, both as the character and how they look to the
audience.

Finally, don’t get too attached to your characters. Or do, but know that this game will be full of
moments of career-ending struggles and inglorious, sudden deaths. Know that you have power
in these moments to make your character’s story, however long or brief, come to a satisfying
end. When it happens, take a minute, and get ready to move on.

A Note on Assumed Aesthetics

I wrote the content in this book with a particular subset of mecha stories in mind, and while I
want the game to be anti-canon and setting-flexible, there are a lot of small aesthetic touches in
the names and descriptions that belie the worlds I tend to imagine when I think about my own
mecha games. All that to say: you will see a LOT of science fictional descriptions within these
pages. I had to start somewhere.

If you want to run this game as high fantasy, I encourage you to modify and ignore those
choices to better suit the world that you’re trying to build. An AI might be a small god or spirit,
chrome and cybernetics might be magic or an amulet, a gun might be a magic bow, or staff, or
something else that your clever brains come up with. Whatever you settle on is fine, as long as
everyone at the table is imagining the same place and objects.
Player Safety
No Amount of Armor is a game which, by design, treads in emotionally fraught territory. My
expectation of anyone who plays this game is that they take some intentional and serious time
discussing what is or isn’t allowed in play, before world creation even begins.

There are a lot of tools available for taking care of your fellow players, the ones I think work well
in No Amount of Armor given its themes and cinematic and comic book inspirations are Lines
and Veils by [adira said once], and Script Change by Beau Jager Sheldon.

Mecha stories tend to deal with the following topics, and these topics are ones you should
include in the conversations about safety:
● Imperialism
● War
● War Crimes
● Religion and Fanaticism
● Globalism
● Colonialism
● Harm to Civilians
● Prisoners of War
● Wartime Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress
● Death

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and if your game is going to explore a specific kind of space with
magic, body horror, survival or something else, take time to talk about what’s in or out.
Remember safety in this game is an ongoing conversation, and the work we do around
player safety is precautionary and preventive, but harm may still occur. If that happens, take
breaks, renegotiate, and see if it’s possible to get back into play with new, refined expectations.

A Final Note
It’s possible to play characters who embody or hold imperial or even fascist ideals in this game. I
don’t think it’s my place to tell you that that’s never appropriate, as there are narrative spaces
that victims of such power structures may find cathartic to play. However, there is a fine line
between exploring the space of play knowing that you are portraying violent instruments of a
monstrous machine, and using my game to cosplay fascism. The former is rad, and I support it.
The latter is strictly against the rules.

Support of fascism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism or any other form of nazi bullshit
in your personal life disqualifies you from playing this game. Fix yourself. If you feel like this rule
is out of line, the same applies to you. No exceptions.
Player Rules

No Fascists or Fascist Sympathy

Support of fascism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism or any other form of nazi bullshit
in your personal life disqualifies you from playing this game. Fix yourself. If you feel like this rule
is out of line, the same applies to you. No exceptions.

Stats & Negotiation

Unlike many traditional RPGs, No Amount of Armor doesn’t exhaustively list or explicitly limit
what your stats can be used for. Your focus as a player should be on imagining what your
character is trying to do, describing it in words as best as you can, and negotiating with your GM
as to what a reasonable set of outcomes might be.

Shoot for the moon in your descriptions! You want to tackle the other mech and slam them into a
wall? Awesome! You want to hack their mech and force it to power-cycle? Sick! You want to try
and convince another pilot that they belong with you, and that the constant cycle of violence
between your factions is futile? Amazing! It’s up to your GM to decide how easy or difficult any
given action should be, and they might give you a “Yes and” or “No but” to deal with, but don’t let
that stop you from thinking big.

Rolling
Don’t roll unless the consequences of failure will be compelling to play out! When the time
comes, roll a d20. Rolling under your stat means you are successful in your endeavors, and you
can work with the GM to narrate your success. If you roll over your stat, the GM will introduce a
Crisis for your character, narrate a worse outcome, or tell you to take damage to HP or a stat.

If you ever roll a twenty, something truly nasty happens. This is a critical failure.

If your roll equals your stat, something truly marvelous happens. This is a critical success.

Spending Resolve
Resolve is a special stat; it’s a measure of your personal determination, mixed with your own
luck. Your Resolve stat will set the max amount of Resolve you get at any time.You can spend
a point of Resolve to reduce the value you just rolled on a d20 by two. This only applies to
your own rolls, unless an ability says otherwise. This adjustment cannot cause you to earn a
critical success, but it can prevent a critical failure.

When spending Resolve you leave the max amount of Resolve the same and reduce your
Current Resolve by one. If you are asked to roll Resolve, you roll against your Current Resolve.
At the end of a session, you gain 3 points to your Current Resolve up to your max. If in the story
your character has had time to rest, you regain Current Resolve equal to half of your missing
resolve rounded up.

For example, if Crash has 6 points left of 13 total Resolve, he earns back 4 points when
resting (half of 7, rounded up). If that rest came at the end of a session, Crash would
also earn back 3 points, bringing Crash back to max Resolve.

Rolling Without a Stat

Sometimes, especially in a Mech, you’re going to want to make a roll when you don’t have a stat
that fits clearly, or you want to attempt something that you didn’t choose as an Edge or
Subsystem. In those situations, you may roll as if your base stat was 5. You can still roll a critical
success when rolling without a stat.

Advantage and Disadvantage

If a character has some distinct advantage in a situation, such as not having been spotted,
political or emotional leverage, or being especially well dressed for the occasion, they may ask
for Advantage. If granted by the table and GM, the player rolls two dice and takes the more
advantageous result (not necessarily the lower, remember critical hits are scored on the ability
number).

Similarly, if a character had some distinct disadvantage, such as being surrounded, being
romantically involved with their dueling opponent, or having not slept properly, the character
may be imposed disadvantage by the table or the GM. Similarly, a character with disadvantage
rolls two dice and takes the worse result.

Note: Disability or neurodivergence can only apply disadvantage at the player’s

discretion. Characters with disabilities are assumed to have learned to work with or
around them. If the player is interested in exploring the impositions, that's a choice they
are allowed to make, but it isn't forced upon them.

Mutli-skill Checks
Sometimes, executing an action involves a lot of nuanced skills at once. Other times, there’s a
chance of partial success, rather than all-or nothing success. In these scenarios, the GM may
call for a Multi-skill Check. The GM will name all of the skills that should be rolled. Each success
gets the player part of the way to accomplishing their stated goal. The skills necessary may be
different skills, or the same skill multiple times.

If a player wants to spend Resolve on a Multi-skill Check, they must declare which die they are
spending it on. They may spend as much Resolve on as many stats as they have resources.
 Clutch wants to get a code for an enemy barracks by flirting with a pilot from the enemy
faction. The GM says this is going to be tricky, and asks how Clutch is doing it. Clutch
says that they are getting really close to the pilot and saying something flirtatious, so the
GM calls for a multi-skill check using Physique and Magnetism. Clutch succeeds at the
Physique check but not the Magnetism check, so the GM says that the enemy doesn’t
outright turn them down, but is more interested in getting physical right here right now.

Assisting A Roll
Often, players will want to help one another out with a difficult or complex action. The helper
player or players should narrate what each of them is doing to assist the person leading the
action. They might not be helping the action directly, but whatever they are doing must be
clearly in service of the leader’s goal- GM’s discretion. Once it’s established how each player is
helping, the players and the GM decide what stats each player assisting the roll would be
responsible for, essentially turning the check into a Multi-skill check.

Where it differs, is that once the stats are decided, the players roll and the player leading the
check assigns each roll to a specific part of the check, giving a greater degree of control over
what parts of the attempt may or may not fail or generate consequences.

Players cannot normally assist a roll this way during Tactical Play, unless they spend a
Teamwork Point on their own turn, one point per player assisting (see below).

Attacks and Being Attacked

Players are in charge of the rolls that defend them from harm, and also in charge of the rolls that
they use to attack foes. The facilitator will only roll to deal damage to players in these situations,
and enemy attacks will suggest a list of stats that might be used to defend against those
attacks. The facilitator has fiat over what stats can prevent any given source of harm.

When attacking a foe, the players will roll a stat appropriate to either the weapon they are using,
or the method of attack. For example, a beam saber might use Melee in most cases, but if the
character wishes to strike from the shadows in an ambush, or discharge the beam saber in a
sneaky fashion while locked in a grapple, they might use Stealth.

Hit Points
Both the Pilot and the Mech have Hit Points. When your character is piloting, HP is reduced first
on the Mech, then on the Pilot, unless stated otherwise by the GM or an ability. You can still pilot
your mech when it has 0 HP, but it means you get hit by attacks at scale with a mech.

Neither your pilot nor your mech gains HP by leveling.

 If you would take damage in excess of your mech’s remaining HP, additional damage is
not transferred to the pilot. For example: Shinji has 2 HP, and Shinji’s mech is at 6 HP. If
Shinji takes 8 damage, then her mech is left at 0 HP, and she has 2 HP.

Dying
When your HP hits zero, the clock is ticking. You might not die right this second, but you will die
soon, ideally, before the end of the session. As the player, find a good moment to send the pilot
off in a blaze of glory, or die a sudden and inglorious death. Make your comrades feel your loss.

Drag
Drag is a measure of the other shit happening in your life, besides the war. Pilots will trade
favors, lie, steal, cheat, and generally cause problems to get the job done, and these Drags may
eventually bog you down.

You gain Drag either by choosing to take it on to improve your chances of making it back, or you
might take on additional Drag as a consequence for a failed roll or as an outcome of a
particularly memorable or destructive action.

Drag is tracked by writing down the amount of Drag, and a short description. Here are a few
examples:

Gambling at the Blind Crow 2

Causing Havoc in River City 8

Patched up by Alfan the Preacher 3

Philandering with the Governor’s Wife (Mira) 15

Loan from a Loan Shark 1

At any time, a single character may only have up to 25 total Drag from any number of sources. If
the sum of a Pilot’s Drags ever exceeds 25, they will be Dragged Away.

Gaining Drag
There are two ways to gain Drag by default in No Amount of Armor. A player may choose to
gain Drag in order to receive some kind of perk, with a handful of common examples listed
below.

● Healing Pilot HP to full - 1d6

● Healing Mech HP by 5 - 1d4
● Healing Mech HP by 10 - 2d4 (1d6?)
● Healing Mech HP to Full - 3d4 (1d8?)
 ● Healing One Pilot Stat to Full - 1d4
● Healing All Pilot Stats to Full - 1d8
● Healing One Mech Stat to Full - 1d3
● Healing All Mech Stats to Full - 1d6
● Gaining 3 Resolve instantly -1d4
● Taking a New Pilot or Mech upgrade - 12
● Getting gear or a weapon before a mission - 1d6
● Getting gear or a weapons mid-mission - 1d8
● Getting reliable Intel for a mission - 1d6-1d10
● Succeeding on an already failed roll right now (or maybe a reroll) - 6

At other times, you might be assigned Drag because of your character’s actions. As part of the
consequence of a particularly outrageous feat, your GM might tell you that gaining Drag is part
of the result of succeeding or failing on a roll. They will tell you the die size they are going to roll,
or the flat number that they will add before you roll the dice. You generally will be assigned Drag
in this way when you:
● Cause chaos
● Play with fire, literally or metaphorically
● Draw excessive attention from your enemies.
● Being destructive in a way that will leave you recognized later

Whenever you gain Drag, you must either add the total Drag to a source you already have, or
create a new source of Drag. The choice is yours, but keep in mind that you should be able to
justify it in the fiction; if you gain Drag as a part of repairing your mech, it probably wouldn’t
make sense to add that to an existing source called “Heartbroken”.

Reducing Drag
Between missions, players can reduce their Drag as one of their choices during downtime. They
pick a specific Drag, and play out a scene of them attempting to deal with that Drag. Once the
scene ends, the other players suggest how much Drag they recover, with the GM having final
say.

Alternatively, during a mission (sometimes this will be introduced before the mission, sometimes
during) if a player takes action that could resolve some of their Drag, they may reduce that
source mid-mission.

Finally, sometimes the GM will offer to Bring Things To A Head. In this scenario, the whole of a
single Drag is immediately forgiven, but it will cause problems Right Now.

Getting Dragged Away

When your Drag exceeds 25, you can no longer outrun your problems. You might not leave
immediately, and you may even try to get some of your team to leave with you, but you will go.
As the player, find a moment to say your goodbyes and either slip away quietly, or have your
past violently catch up with you. Make your comrades feel your loss.

Equipment and Usage Dice

Some equipment has a limited number of uses before it needs to be replenished. Instead of
tracking rounds of ammunition, medical supplies or other countable objects as individual units,
this game uses the concept of the Usage Die. After a scene where you use something that has
a named usage die, roll a die of that size. On a 1 or a 2, the die size goes down by one,
following this order:

d20 -> d12 -> d10 -> d8 -> d6 -> d4 -> d2

Note that on a d2, the roll can only ever be 1 or 2, so barring an ability that changes how usage
dice work, a d2 is the last use of that particular supply.
Making Your Character

Pick A Pilot Statblock

Zeta
10, 11, 11, 13, 13
Iron-Blooded
9, 10, 11, 13, 15
Unicorn
5, 8, 10, 17, 18

Then, choose what your Edge will be. Assign your stats to Physique, Magnetism, Study,
Resolve and your chosen Edge in any way you like.

Pick a Pilot Playbook

Choose a pilot playbook, and select one starting move. Take note of your starting gear,
specifying any weapons. You may re-assign your stats if you need to.

Pick a Mech Statblock

Zeta
11, 11, 12, 12
Iron-Blooded
8, 11, 13, 14
Unicorn
7, 8, 15, 16

Then, choose two Subsystems. Once your stats are rolled and your Subsystems chosen, assign
your stats to Thrusters, Scanners, and each of your subsystems.

Pick Mech Playbook

Choose a mech playbook, and select one move. Take note of your starting gear, specifying any
weapons. You may reassign your stats if you so choose.

Add Details
If you haven’t already, select your pilot’s Looks and your mech’s Vibes. Then, roll twice on the
Trinkets table, roll for 1 piece of nose art, and one cockpit bauble.
Choose Your Calling Card
Since initiative is determined by card, pick a card from whatever deck your GM is using to
represent you. You can use a standard 52 deck, or (if you wanna be spicy) a tarot deck. Your
choice of card must be unique among your group.
Character Stats
Resolve
Your ability to make things happen against all odds. Spend a point of Resolve to effectively
reduce your roll by 2. Resolve is not normally rolled on its own, but may be used as a stat to
roll against when making Multi-skill Checks. Someone with high Resolve is either extremely
lucky or devilishly determined, while someone with low Resolve may be unlucky, or might rely
on their skills and training.

Physique
Your physical conditioning and presence. Someone with a high Physique is in command of their
body and may move with incredible grace or force. Someone with a low Physique may be weak,
awkward or clumsy in their movements.
Example uses:
● Make an attack using human scale weapons
● Lift, shove or shift something heavy
● Scramble, run, tight-rope walk
● Use your body to get what you want

Study
Your skill at assessing information and situations. Someone with a high Study is trained to be
observant, think critically and can deduce with a greater degree of nuance. Someone with a low
Study tends to accept the world as they see it or may not connect disparate concepts readily.
Example uses:
● Spot something useful or hidden
● Recognize something that you’ve only partially seen or read about
● Use tools or software outside of their intended application
● Use logic or reasoning to get what you want

Magnetism
Your ability to connect with and influence others. Someone with high Magnetism can understand
others' emotional state more readily, or perhaps has a trustworthy air about them. Someone with
low Magnetism may struggle to express themselves or intuit others' emotional state.
Example uses:
● Make arguments using passion or emotion
● Understand someone’s hidden intentions or unspoken feelings
● Connect with someone on an emotional or personal level
● Use your charm and wiles to get what you want
You Get one Edge:

Esoteric
Your sense and control over the things science can’t explain. Someone with Esoteric has an
easier time interacting with the spirits of the dead and can craft spells and charms that ward and
protect them from revenants, ghouls and ossica.
Example uses:
● Communicate with and raise the dead
● Engage successfully in occult rituals or build an ossix
● Blight, curse or hex someone or something
● Use your connection to the energy of death to get what you want

Faith
Your connection to one or more beings beyond our ken and power, called Patrons. Someone
with Faith can communicate with their Patrons, work miracles, and use spells to protect them
from demons, angels, and purgathirim.
Example uses:
● Banish or control extraplanar entities or anomalies
● Ask for guidance from your Patron
● Unleash something hellish upon an enemy
● Use your connection to a Patron being to get what you want

Tactics
Your understanding of military strategy and action. Someone with Tactics can read the enemies
intentions, use the environment to turn the tide of battle, and recruit mercenaries and warlords
to their cause.
Example uses:
● Predict troop movements or maneuvers
● Find or utilize tactically advantageous terrain or infiltration routes
● Reveal hidden weaknesses or special equipment
● Use your understanding of military protocol to get what you want

Psyke
Your ability to control your burgeoning psychic ability. Someone trained in Psyke can detect and
mentally connect with other Psymelds, see a short time into the future, and potentially use other
psychic abilities.
Example uses:
● Communicate telepathically with a willing Psymeld
● Detect other Psymelds within a moderate distance
● Telepathically move objects a short distance
● Use your mental powers to get what you want
Beat
Song is a universal language among most beings, and Beat is your mastery of it. Someone
trained in Beat is a skilled musician, able not simply to play, but to express and elicit emotions
from all who listen.
Example uses:
● Bridge a divide between people that words cannot
● Instill a powerful emotion within your audience
● Play so intensely that you break stuff
● Use your musical abilities to get what you want

Recon
The right information is often as consequential to the success of a mission as a well placed
shot. People trained in Recon, or reconnaissance, are experts in acquiring the most accurate
and crucial information to help keep their allies safe and their enemies scrambling
Example uses:
● Recognizing and avoiding common patrol patterns
● Overhearing or tricking individuals into divulging secrets
● Reading into information gathered by others and finding a tactical edge
● Use intelligence-gathering tactics to get what you want

Medic
It’s rare to have full on field surgeons jumping into the cockpit, but having a pilot with robust
wilderness first aid skills is always an asset. Someone trained in Medic is able to identify and
dress wounds, keep the injured alive longer, and perform simple triage and minor clinical
identification.
Example uses:
● Set broken bones with or without proper equipment
● Recognize and treat variety of minor medical conditions
● Help people relax and calm down in any situation
● Use your knowledge of anatomy and medicine to get what you want

Do I Have To Pick One of Those?

Not at all. Talk with your GM about your unique Edge, and if you have time, consider creating
and releasing a corresponding Playbook for that Edge! You have my express permission to
charge money for it, as long as it adheres to the license at the end of the book.
Pilot Playbooks

Professional (Physique)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Sculpted Muscles, Soft Face, Athletic Wear, Ultra-Formalwear, Cyber Limbs, Boombox
Accessory, Sneakerhead, Family Photos in Wallet, Implant Sunglasses, Professional Home
Manicures

Names:
Cable, Slevin, Orchid, Mantis, Pistel, Winch, Case, Silver

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Twinkle Toes
You are an incredible dancer. When you dance with someone, they are so taken aback that you
can get truthful, straightforward answers to almost any question.

Endurance
You never have to take Drag for physical exhaustion.

Fulcrum Finder
You know just where to hit things to break them real good. Once per day you can perform
superhuman feats of strength without rolling Physique.
Coping Mechanism
If an ally dies during a scene with you, you have Advantage on every check and act twice as
often per round until the end of the scene.

Performer (Magnetism)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Haute Couture, Visible Boot Knives, Impractical Jewelry, Sponsored Gear, Adversarial Makeup,
Simple Clothes, Lovingly Displayed Curves, Hungry Eyes, Neon Hair, Sleeve Tattoos

Names
Balsam, Gauche, Silk, Eight, Presence, Icon, Moth, Agate

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Listen To Me
When you speak to other pilots, your words are as powerful a weapon as anything. Given
appropriate circumstances, you can roll Magnetism to deal 1d8 damage directly to a foe or pilot.
Pilots defeated this way are not killed, and will be back sooner or later as a friend or foe.

You Get it Out of Your System?

You can choose to end any human-scale fight after taking damage.

“My Boyfriend Is a Pilot”

Once per mission, when you make the time to visit with someone between missions and run a
scene with them, you can heal 1d6 from one of their sources of Drag.
Head Turning
When you over-perform a mundane action, everyone takes notice. Roll Magnetism to try and
mesmerize a group or small crowd, and instill in them a feeling about you of your choice. You
can choose to leave some onlookers unmezermized, but they may still receive the emotional
effect.

Technician (Study)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Coveralls, Wily Hair, Extensive Toolbelt, Grease On Face, Goggles, Oversized Headphones,
Cutesy Outfits, Raver Kandi, Additional or Replacement Arm, Infectious Laugh

Name
Xench, Beetle, Fifteen, Adze, Tartan, Pagan, Jazz, Iron

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Frankenstein Was The Doctor

If you defeat an enemy with a cool part, you can always salvage the part and use it to upgrade
your mech. You can only ever have one such part at a time.

I Used to Work on Those

Given a few minutes of observation, you can discover a weakness of a machine or mech. If you
or another player takes a successful action to exploit that weakness (GM’s discretion), all
checks against the machine are made with Advantage until the end of the scene.
Just a Dab’ll Do Ya
You are able to make quick field repairs to mechs. Given a few minutes where you aren’t being
antagonized, you can repair a total of 10 points of damage to up to 2 mechs, per mission.

You've Got Some Grease, Just There

When you share close space with someone while fixing a machine, they let their guard down
with you.

Ace (Resolve)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Cool Sunglasses, Custom Embroidered Leather Jacket, Squad Tattoo, Smug Bastard Eyes,
Signature Gloves, Tiny Gold Locket, Partially Open Button-Ups, RINGZ, Long Tongue, That
Ass, Hot Eyepatch

Names
Iota, Spindle, Case, Velvet, Asp, Coriander, Hearth, Pyrite

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Let Me Show You

When you spend time in close quarters teaching someone one of your techniques, they can roll
using one of your ability scores up to two times during the next sortie.

Deadeye
You can always spend 3 Resolve to deal max damage.
Nick of Time
Spend 3 Resolve to show up in a scene or fight exactly where and when you’re needed.

We Brushed Elbows
You leave a strong impression on the right people. Once per session, you can declare that you
have met and would be recognized by an influential person present in the scene. You tell the
GM the way you met, and the GM tells you their current opinion of you.

Echospeaker (Esoteric)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Unsubtle Fishnets, Mysterious Cloak, Too Many Piercings, Bone Jewelry, Seasonal Vestments,
Neon Demeanor, Gay Haircut, Squints in the Sun, Always Made Up, Grimoire Holster

Names
Acre, Rayon, Kiln, Wince, Fjord, Nav, Fold, Bismuth

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Spirit Barter
You can bet 2 Resolve when rolling a stat that you don’t have. If you do, roll with Resolve
instead. If you succeed, you keep the Resolve; otherwise you lose it.

Bone-melding Genius
You may heal someone who would otherwise die by replacing one of their limbs with a skeletal
construct. Each player character may only be saved this way once.
Palm Reading
When you are holding someone’s hand and you concentrate for a moment, you can show or
view each other’s memories.

Crow’s Finery
You are recognized for your power wherever you go. When in a new city, town or other
settlement, you may declare either:
● Echospeakers are feared and respected here
● Echospeakers are feared and vilified here
You needn’t declare this immediately, or ever.

Banisher (Faith)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Longrider Coat, Shiny Gold Censer, Oversized Small-Arm, Calming Presence, Badass
Vestments, Geordi Visor, Monster-hunting Bandolier, E-Cigar/Mystical Cigar, Religious Tattoo,
Head Covering

Names
Triptych, Clutch, Perch, Assonance, Somatic, Wreath, Cull, Tourmaline

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Kiss of Life
You may give up your most treasured memory with someone to bring them back to life.
Preacher’s Calm
Unless you are seen doing something that harms their community, civilians always trust you. If
you knowingly betray this trust, remove this move from your playbook and choose another.

Curse From On High

Your Patron will curse those they deem unworthy, at your urging. Once per scene you may roll
Faith, on a success, you may assign Disadvantage up to 3 times before the scene ends. On a
failure, take 1d3 Faith damage.

Always Smiled Upon

You cannot starve to death, for you will always be fed. You cannot die of thirst, for your god is in
the rain. You cannot succumb to disease, for your god is with you in the air you breathe.

Strategist (Tactics)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Epaulets, Vision-assisting Chrome, Tucked Shirt, Uniform Coat, Medals of Honor, Perfect Teeth,
Nice Hat, Hot Glasses, Brilliant Eyes, Icy-Calm Demeanor

Names
Miter, Plum, Corsair, Lynx, Thirteen, Lexicon, Aural, Feldspar

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Watching Your Six

You always ensure that there is an escape route. Allies you have line of sight to can never be
completely surrounded.
Battlefield Brilliance
You can spend your Resolve to alter any ally’s dice, in addition to your own.

You’re Our Ace

You may take Player damage for other players. If this would trigger your death, you can give
that player a single order. If they choose to follow through with it, they are guaranteed success
when executing your order.

Calm Under Pressure

You start all Tactical Play with 2 additional Teamwork Points.

Psymeld (Psyke)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Suppression Headgear, Psychedelic Robes, ID tattoos, Tingly Presence, Cybernetic Grafts,
Hard to Look at Directly, Glowy Bits, Tight Coveralls, Sick Mullet, A hoverboard

Names
Jackrabbit, Binding, Viridian, Caliper, Fuse, Klipp, Swallowtail, Realgar

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

I Wouldn’t Unless You Asked

When you have spent intimate time with someone, you may open a psychic connection with that
person given their player’s consent. The connection lasts until one of you chooses to sever it.
Let Them See It
You can gain 4 Drag for the source “Someone Else’s Memories” to halt any number of people
you choose with a psychic barrage of images. They remain this way until you take a different
action.

Read the Room

You can always ask “how close are they to turning on us?” and get a complete answer from the
GM.

Insider Info
You can gather information gently from the people around you. Once per mission, you can learn
about the layout, security protocols, hidden defenses or some similar insider information without
risking discovery.

Stargrazer (Beat)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Threadbare Pant-knees, Highly DIY’d Jackets, Pop-Couture, Luminescent Accessories, A
Perfect Chin, Big Hair, A Portable Instrument, All Gold Everything, Stunner Shades, Your Own
Brand

Names
Robin, Asper, Cobalt, Wander, Twine, Forcep, Hightail, Obsidian

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Summer Lovin’
You have had a lot of flings over the years. When you arrive in a new city, compound or ship,
you may describe someone you were with who lives here now. You describe them and how the
relationship ended, the table comes to a consensus on how they feel about you now.

Backstage Pass
You and one lucky friend can get into the VIP and restricted access areas at any event.

C’mon, Belt It!

During a battle, if you and the other players in your squad sing a song that your character wrote
or helped write, you each have 1 additional Teamwork point to spend and cannot receive Drag
as a consequence of the events of this scene. This only works once for any given song per
session.

Hope and Honesty

When you spend time with someone sharing yourself and discovering them, they are better able
to overcome their inhibitions and shortcomings for a few days.

Longeye (Recon)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Worn out Bandanas, Constant Snacking, Cozy Coveralls, Head on a Swivel, Hawk-eye Mk II,
Fingerless Gloves, Crow's Feet, Weathered Hands, Deep Pockets, Innumerable Patches

Names
Cormorant, Elm, Hades, Warden, Leo, Gun, Orion, Pumice

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

I Want to be With You Right Now

When you connect with someone through conversation, flirtation or physical touch when you
should be keeping watch, you have advantage on any rolls made to assist them outside of
Tactical Play, and can assist them during Tactical Play without spending a Teamwork Point.

Go To Ground
You can always find a safe place to hide. You can describe any fortifications that keep you safe,
and the GM tells you how long you can remain hidden there safely.

Eye for Weakness

When the GM describes the defensive measures that a target or location possesses, you may
pick one set of defenses and tell the GM that they can be circumvented with the right
equipment. The Table discusses the means needed.

Info Hungry
On a successful Recon check, you may always ask at least one follow-up question, and receive
information as if that was part of the original check. On a crit, ask up to three.

Brace (Medic)

Choose 3-4 to describe your look

Baggy Overcoat, Pristine Nails, Creased Brow, DIY Piercings, Restless Hands, Standard Issue
Cap, Armband with Red Crescent, One Big Braid, Tongue Piercing, Knuckle Tats

Names
Wichita, Jasper, Ramp, Kettle, Ocelot, Devil, Miter, Cleet

Stats:
Hit Points - 8
Maximum Drag- 25

Gear:
Two One-Handed Small Arms (d6 usage if ranged)
-Or-
One Two-Handed Small Arm (d6 usage if ranged)

Two Random Items.

Pick One Starting Ability:

Field Surgeon
You can spend an hour once a day to heal a pilot for 1d4 damage. When you take on Drag to
heal, you may distribute the healing among any number of pilots.

Caduceus
If you spend your resources taking care of civilians, they will act to protect you even if severe
harm might come to them. If you betray this trust intentionally, strike this move from your
playbook.

Former Colleagues
When you are captured, cornered, or otherwise in desperate need, you may say that you
encounter an old friend who ended up on the other side of the war. They will do their best to see
that no serious harm comes to you and your team.

Where Doesn’t It Hurt?

When you treat another character’s wounds and things become intimate, they ignore the
consequences of failing their next two rolls.

Mech Systems
Scanners
Scanners, in whatever form they take, are what allow your pilot to perceive the world around
them from the cockpit. A mech with high Scanners has some sort of radar infrastructure,
cameras, or thermal imaging tech. A mech with low Scanners has windows and mirrors.
● Spot targets, gather intel, scan for features.
● Jam or extend communications networks
● Predict the best and worst targeting range of various weapons systems.
● Leverage superior vision or battlefield intel to your advantage

Thrusters
All mechs have some sort of thrusters to help them move and balance, in addition to simple
locomotion. A mech with high Thrusters has many such systems, allowing for easy dashing,
jumping and hairpin turns. A mech with low Thrusters probably relies primarily on a low center of
gravity or treads.
● Move with great speed or accuracy on the ground or in flight
● Damage a mech using leverage or bodily force, e.g. tackling, punching, pulling
● Control a small space to prevent foes moving past you
 ● Leverage superior movement to your advantage

You Get Two Subsystems

Melee
Frontline mechs are often equipped with swords, spears, shields or bayonetts to help save
ammunition. A mech with high Melee is built for such weapons, with targeting and AI systems to
assist in inflicting maximum damage. A mech without Melee may still wield such weapons, but is
flying-by-feel.
● Attack with, intercept or install weapons designed for close range
● Control a small space to prevent foes moving past you
● Alter the environment using close quarters weapons
● Leverage close combat tools to your advantage

Ballistics
Weapons that fire in a more or less straight line, regardless of whether they use bullets, lasers
or plasma, are grouped under Ballistics. A mech with Ballistics can interface with such weapons
to give information on bullet count, armor permeability, and help assist with aim.
● Fire, install or intercept weapons classified as ballistic
● Target and damage specific pieces of an opposing mech or military installation
● Tamper with live rounds access raw materials
● Leverage guns or the knowledge thereof to accomplish your goals

Artillery
Weapons that fire in a deliberate arc or that have their own thrusters, such as missiles, grenade
launchers, or heavy mortars are grouped under Artillery. A mech with Artillery has stabilizers,
aim assist, and IFF tooling to aid such weapons.
● Fire, intercept or install weapons classified as artillery
● Use artillery fire to alter the environment, create a smokescreen or destroy a building
● Coordinate troop movements around bombardment
● Leverage trajectory weapons or knowledge thereof to accomplish your goals

Stealth
Some mechs use bleeding-edge tech or magic to disguise themselves from visual, radar or
thermal scanning. A mech with Stealth might be able to go invisible, variably dissipate heat, shift
their skin color and shape like an octopus or scramble radar to avoid detection.
● Hide, disguise or otherwise obfuscate the presence of your mech
● Have already placed a device, made an attack, or taken up an advantageous position
● Predict and intercept strategic ruses
● Leverage disinformation on the battlefield to accomplish your goals
Hacking
Most mechs are vulnerable to adversarial broadcasts, images, and signals in some form or
another. A mech with Hacking has specialized equipment to aid in such attacks, such as
supercomputers, sonic emitters, pseudo-psykik abilities or special LED panels.
● Shut off, overheat, or open something on another mech
● Force a mech or device to take a simple specified action for a short time
● Force a mech to reboot, denying it a turn
● Leverage hacking systems to manipulate a target’s abilities or behavior

Uncanny
Some mecha are unnerving to behold. A fusion of meat and sinew and bone, or a ring covered
in a thousand eyes can leave a mortal screaming in terror or willing to desert a fight on the spot.
Sometimes, such mecha engage in behavior that defies logic and reality in equal measure,
consuming the remains of other mechs for some unknown and arcane purpose.
● Consume or imbibe another mech
● Reach into the minds of other pilots
● Stretch, mutate or transform to better suit the situation
● Leverage the mechs horrible, inexplicable talents to accomplish a goal

Shield
While most mechs have some form of armor by default, shields can prove as vital to a pilot or
crew’s survival as any weapon. Having shields as a subsystem means that your mech has ways
to engage in active protection of a target or location, be they force fields, magnetic barriers, or
just a great big slab of metal.
● Prevent damage or disruption of an ally, location or target
● Mitigate or block environmental hazards
● Use defensive tools offensively
● Leverage your mech’s damage mitigation tools to further your goals

Do I Have To Pick One of Those?

Not at all. Talk with your GM about your unique Subsystem, and if you have time, consider
creating and releasing a corresponding Playbook for that Subsystem! You have my express
permission to charge money for it, as long as it adheres to the license at the end of the book.
Mech Playbooks

Zenith (Ballistics)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Flexible, hodgepodge, sturdy, pockmarked, new, monstrous, rugged, graceful

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Trigger Discipline
Your usage die for Light Weapons only goes down when you roll a 1.

Hold The Line

When defending a position, you take half damage from all attacks.

AI Overloading
Add a third Subsystem with a rating of 10.

Longshot Algorithm
Given an uninterrupted line of sight to your target, you may make Ballistics attacks on targets at
any range.
Leviathan (Artillery)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Treaded, massive, animal, pockmarked, old, smooth, rugged, heavy

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Enhanced Tracking
You may reroll any 1-2 on a damage die. This only activates once per die, per roll.

Technician’s Touch
You can never be assigned Drag for collateral damage caused by your Artillery.

Clutch Cavalry
Your mech is recognizable, and always boosts morale among allies. NPC allies that can see you
will not flee unless you ask them to.

Bombardment Targeting
When attacking using Artillery and Heavy Weapons, you may choose to instead roll 5d4 for
damage. You may then assign each damage die individually among a group of targets, so long
as no two targets are Distant from one another.

Ghost (Stealth)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Flexible, small, elegant, shiny, humanoid, cloth-strewn, experimental, light

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Now You See Me…

When you pull off a surprise attack, add 1d8 to your damage roll.

... Now You Don’t

After any round where you don't take or inflict damage, you may become invisible until you
strike next.

Doppelgänger Projector
During a fight you can distract one opponent for up to two rounds with a fake version of your
mech.

Ravager (Melee)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Rugged, frankenstiened, old, massive, spiky, bleeding-edge, monstrous, quick

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20
Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Float Like A Butterfly

You impose disadvantage on all enemy Melee attacks targeting you.

Sting Like A Bee

When fighting a mech you have fought before, you can always set one of your damage dice to
max.

Oh Yeah!
Once per fight you may attempt to use Melee to break through a piece of terrain such as a
building, asteroid or starship. On a success, all allies act with Advantage on their next action.

Vicious
Your mech knows which combatants are afraid of you. You can always ask the GM which
opponent you could frighten into fleeing.

Shrike (Thrust)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Narrow, bleeding-edge, flawlessly built, hulking, new, transforming, fuel-hungry, graceful

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Strafe
You may roll Thrusters when targeted by a ranged attack, and avoid all damage on a success.

Parry
You may roll Thrusters after being targeted by a melee attack. On a success, you may attempt
to strike back instantly.

En Garde!
If there’s ever a question of who acts first among mechs, the answer is you.

Bolas Mode
When you hit an enemy with an attack, you may choose to downgrade your dice one step. If you
do, choose two that the mech can no longer safely perform: movement, melee, ballistics,
artillery. You start with a d4 usage die each mission.

Beholder (Scanners)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Abstract-form, erie, hulking, experimental, new, animal, loud, inspiring

Name:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art
Choose One Starting Ability:

Saw That Coming

If you’ve fought a mech before you can force them to fail a roll once per fight.

Not If We Jam It!

Enemy mechs always have Disadvantage when making Artillery attacks against you and close
allied mechs.

Video Feed Hub

You can tap into any ally’s video systems and see from their perspective.

Now’s Your Chance!

You begin all Tactical Play with 2 additional Teamwork Points when starting inside your mech.

Gorgon (Hacking)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Animal, hodgepodge, ugly, quick, powerful, erratic, rugged, experimental

Names:
Catechism,

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Overclock
You may attempt a Hacking roll to give yourself Advantage on your next 3 actions. If you fail,
take Disadvantage on your next action instead.
Daisy Chain
Once per scene you may allow an ally to roll using one of your stats instead of theirs, even if it’s
a Subsystem they don’t have.

Adversarial Paint Job

You always impose disadvantage on enemy Ballistics checks targeting you.

Doom Dirge
At the start of each round, all allies increase their damage by 1d4.

Dragon (Uncanny)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Capable of Bleeding, Hungry All the Time, Tapped Into Your Nervous System, Whispering to
You Constantly, Built by Humans, Able to Make Decisions Without You, Angry, Merciful

Names:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Machine Genetics
Your mech is hungry. You may take one special ability of the first mech you defeat each battle.
This lasts until you use this ability again

Berserk
You and the mech lose control. You must make an attack each against the closest target with
ties broken by the closest foe, then the closest ally, then the closest civilian, and you always
deal critical damage on a hit. It takes a friend making a Magnetism check at disadvantage to
end your rage.
Spirits Within
This machine has a history, and you can speak to any pilot who died inside or near it that
considered it an ally. Begin with 1d6 ghosts. Anytime an ally dies, you may choose to absorb
their spirit.

Tolling of the Bell

You wrench the life force from any number of targets you can see. They die instantly. Your pilot
permanently loses 1d2 from a stat of your choice.

Aegis (Shield)

Vibe:
Pick 2 things the mech is, and one that it isn’t
Lumbering, Massive, Gallant, Bleeding Edge, Hard to Maintain, Beautiful, Humanoid, Open
Cockpit

Names:

Stats:
Hit Points - 20

Loadout:
One Light Weapon (d6 uses if ranged)
One other Heavy Arm
One Field Repair Kit
One Random Nose Art

Choose One Starting Ability:

Safety Vault
Your mech can keep an item or person in its possession safe as long as you are piloting it.

Extra Plating
Your mech takes half damage from all sources, but you can only repair the mech if you have
access to the proper tools, GM’s discretion.

Stay Behind Me
When your allies spend Teamwork points to give you an action and you use them to Shield, the
Teamwork Point doesn’t get subtracted if you roll an even number or a crit.
You Shall Not Pass
You can fully block a single passage between two areas as long as you are piloting.
Weapons
Pilot Armaments
Small arms are anything that could be called “human scale” weapons; human sized firearms,
melee weapons, and anything that would be unlikely to cause serious structural damage to a
house.

One-Handed Weapons (d4) (d8 usage)

Sabers, Maces, Pipes, Handguns, Handaxes, Brass Knuckles, Crossbow, or something else

Two-Handed Weapons (d6) (d8 usage)

Halberds, Rifles, Montante, Compound Bows, Axes, Bayonets, or something else

Mech Armaments
Mech Arms are the class of armaments that Mecha tend to use. They are likely to do serious
damage to a house, and could potentially do structural damage to a skyscraper.

Small Explosives (d12)

Grenades, plastique, C4, dynamite, or something else

Specialized Weapons (3d4) (d6 usage if ranged)†

Ultra-High-Velocity Lance (Thrusters), Sonic Disruptor (Scanners), Code Injection Harpoon
(Hacking), Monofilament Mines (Stealth), Flamethrower (Hacking/Artillery), or something else

Light Weapons (2d6) (d6 usage if ranged)

Swords, axes, maces, clubs, most mech-scale Ballistic Weapons, or something else

Heavy Melee Weapons (2d8)

Lance, Sledge, Mech Cutters, or something else

Heavy Ranged Weapons (2d10) (d4 usage)

Missile Racks, Ordinance Launchers, Rockets, Howitzers, Sniper Rifles, Most Artillery, or
something else

Zone Weapons
Zone weapons are a specific set of weapons that you can use with map-based combat. They
may technically be heavy weapons, light weapons or ordinance of some kind, but it’s up to the
GM whether or not they are available at character creation.
Flamethrower, 3d4 damage, Targets your Zone
A flamethrower does consistent damage and targets your zone. It qualifies as a heavy weapon.

Seismic Hammer, 2d10 (d4 usage), One Target in your Zone

The seismic hammer uses compressed liquid hydraulic canisters to increase the force of a
hammer swing. When you hit a target, you may push them 1 zone away from you or slam them
into an obstacle for 4 damage.

Breach Charges, 1d10 (Mechs usually immune*), One Wall or target in Your Zone
Breach Charges are used to open new pathways past doors or walls. Human targets must
spend an action on their turn hiding in order to avoid damage. At the table’s discretion, the
charge can open a route between two zones.

Whaler’s Wisdom, 2d6 (disadvantage on small targets), One target one zone away
A harpoon and chain. When you hit an opponent with the Whaler’s Wisdom, you can choose to
drag them towards you on a future turn.

Rocket Lance, 2d6 or 2d10, Special

The rocket lance can target one enemy 2 zones away, or two enemies in separate zones that
you can travel to with as if moving 2 spaces. Move your mech to the final target of the attack.

Ark Array, Special, Single Use

The Ark Array will destroy all lifeforms you choose within line of sight. To get more ammo, you
must take 13 Drag from the source “Wrath of the Gods”.

Custom Weapons
Who doesn’t love a custom weapon? Nobody doesn’t love a custom weapon. Coming up with a
custom weapon can be as simple as flavoring one of the above categories to best fit your
mech’s style and flavor. But sometimes, you want to make your mech with a cool sword whose
blade can detach to double as a napalm based explosive.

Specialty Gear
Field Repair Kit
Spend 20 minutes to repair your mech by 2d4. This also heals stat damage. (d8 usage)

Medkit
Full of correctives, splints and auto-transfusions, and will heal 1d2 damage. Application is quick,
but subjects are usually too lightheaded to move for 20 minutes. (d8 usage)
Remote Mech Controller
Allows the user to pilot their mech from afar. Might be a mystical or high tech tool.

Arena Field
A forcefield that traps all mechs in a single zone for 2 turns. All attacks are made with
advantage.
Flavor Tables

Random Trinkets
This item list helps add a little bit of flavor to your pilot, taking their personality and vibes in
unexpected directions. These items might be useful, or they might simply be there for flavor.

11. Robotic Companion (Animal-Type) 41. Romantically Attached AI

12. A robotic limb (Unintentional)
13. Night Vision Equipment 42. Antiquated Weapon (roll)
14. A portable instrument 43. Hacking Tools
15. Letters from a Penpal 44. Mech Repair Equipment
16. Spices from Home 45. Sports Memorabilia
46. A hip flask
21. Tickets to a Pro Wrestling Match
22. A Fetish from your Cult 51. A vape
23. A nice set of knives 52. Vintage Clothes
24. A radiation proof suit 53. A Newspaper Subscription
25. A fair set of dice or game set 54. A book of poetry
26. Dice or game set for cheating 55. Religious texts
56. Well-Thumbed Romance Novel
31. Trillions of credits in a valueless
currency 61. Invitation to the social event of the
32. A wilderness survival kit (terrestrial) season
33. A wilderness survival kit (space) 62. A New-In-Box set of Sneakers
34. Some explosives (d6 usage) 63. A Quasi-Legal Drug
35. Personal Assistant AI 64. Snack Stash
36. Military Grade AI 65. An odd, portable collection
66. You’re a hoarder, roll twice.
Random Nose Art

0. Crosshairs over an enemy mech 41. Hounds’ tooth (pattern)

1. “HBIC” 42. Tartan
2. A bird of prey 43. A sports team logo
3. A sunset 44. A grim reaper
4. A pin-up 45. A wizard
5. A pin-up nurse 46. A knight
6. A pin-up monster 47. “Apocalypse”
7. A scary face 48. “Reaper Man”
8. A dragon 49. A pile of fruit
9. A phoenix 50. “Devil’s Darlin”
10. An angel 51. “I Am Venom”
11. A demon 52. A political slogan
12. A pegasus 53. A tiger face
13. A unicorn 54. A warthog face
14. A kraken 55. “Great Balls of Fire”
15. An ossix 56. “If Found, Return To…”
16. A goblin 57. “Poison Ivy”
17. Your home planet or province 58. A peace sign
18. A cartoon boy peeing on (roll again) 59. A (Roll again) in boxing gear
19. “Fuck Around and Find Out” 60. “Turnip Termite”
20. “Do It” 61. A TV or movie reference
21. “Passion Wagon” 62. A children’s cartoon character
22. A realistic animal 63. Skull and crossbones
23. A cartoon animal 64. Skull and (Roll again)
24. A furry pin-up 65. A plague doctor
25. A cartoon character as a pin-up 66. A train
26. Shark teeth 67. A rocketship
27. Snake face 68. A religious icon
28. “Raz’N Hell” 69. A superhero
29. “Cowgirl Blues” 70. A bat face
30. Patriotic nonsense 71. A dapper skeleton
31. A pin-up riding a missile 72. “The Uninvited”
32. A pin-up riding a minigun 73. “Heavenly Body”
33. “Bottoms Up” 74. A four leaf clover
34. “Bird of Prey” 75. A horseshoe
35. A caricature of the mech 76. A butterfly
36. A caricature of your PC 77. “DRINK / FIGHT / FUCK”
37. “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” 78. Switchblade
38. Checkerboard 79. “#1 Worker”
39. A chess piece 80. Medic logo
40. Checker pattern 81. Atom
82. Fuzzy handcuffs 91. Playing card
83. Dice 92. “NOMAD”
84. Tarot card(s) 93. “LONER”
85. Teeth 94. Dead Man’s Hand
86. Cigarettes 95. “Eat the Rich”
87. Heart 96. “CA TION”
88. Diamond 97. “NO STEP” (Repeated, A Lot)
89. Spade 98. Biohazard symbol
90. Club 99. Fun Meter (Reading “Bad Time”)
Random Cockpit Baubles
The shit you keep in your cockpit.

11. A Flask on a Bungie 42. A Few Bucks in A Few Currencies

12. Lewd Magazines 43. A Lot of Stamps, Stuck to the Hull
13. A Rudimentary Robot 44. Old Drink Cans
14. An Old Radio 45. “Actually I Just Got This Mech”
15. Drumsticks 46. Your Racing License
16. Tissues
51. A Stress Toy
21. A Snowglobe 52. More Contraceptives than Needed
22. A Fetish from your Cult 53. A Mostly Full Sketchbook
23. An Animal Skull 54. A Portable Gaming Device
24. A Knitting Project 55. Your (Inflated) Kill Tally
25. A Photograph of the Squad 56. A Desert Terrarium
26. A List of Names, some Crossed Out
61. A Scale Model of a Mech (Yours?)
31. A Bullet that Almost Killed You 62. All the Stuff You Nicked in the
32. A Warm Pair of Gloves Barracks
33. A Book you keep meaning to finish 63. A Feather Duster
34. Cans of Spray Paint 64. Paperwork You Keep Meaning to
35. Canned Cheese Submit
36. Dog Tags from Fallen Comrades 65. A Retrofit Luxe Pilot’s Chair
66. Mood Lighting Kit
41. Scented Candles/Incense
Playing the Game

Tactical Play
Sometimes, the characters will come across a challenge that needs to be broken down into
moment-by-moment action. Most often, this will be some form of combat, but it may also be
useful in situations like chases, debates, escapes or tense stealth maneuvers. When you find
yourself wondering who gets to act when, and in what order, it’s time for tactical play.

Goals in Tactical Play

Before jumping into tactical play, the goals for both sides should be clear to everyone involved. If
it’s a chase, the NPC’s goal might be something like “immobilize Richter’s mech”, in a fight it
may be “reach the door on the opposite side of the room”. The goal for the players determines
when the players will leave Tactical Play; either they complete the goal, they give up on the
goal, the goal is impossible to achieve, or they all die. The NPC goal helps the GM to pick out
what sorts of moves the NPCs might have, and when the NPCs will abandon the fight.

It should be rare that the goals in Tactical Play should be zero-sum. For example, if the players
are discovered in hostile territory, their goal may be “escape the enemy”. “Capture the intruders”
is therefore a weak goal for the NPCs. A better goal might be “corner the intruders”, “recover the
stolen artifact” or, “maintain visual and radio for backup”.

The GM toolkit includes tools for setting and resolving goals in Tactical Play

Initiative Order
When you enter tactical play, add a unique card to a deck for every player, relevant minion
group, Foe and Rival. Shuffle the deck, and draw a card. That NPC or Player gets to act. When
you need to draw a card and none are left in the deck, shuffle the deck and start again. When
each round starts, check to see if the players want to abandon their goal, and if the NPCs wish
to abandon theirs.

Pressing Advantage
If a card is drawn for an enemy that can no longer act (dead, destroyed, disabled etc.), the
players pick someone to take a single immediate action. Then the card is removed from the
deck. Cards should not be removed from the deck for any other reason.

Teamwork Points
Every player begins tactical play with a Teamwork Point. A Teamwork Point can be spent at any
time to allow a pilot other than the player spending the point to take an immediate action. The
player taking the action says what they are trying to do, and the player spending the point
narrates how they create an opening for that action.
Alternatively, a Teamwork Point can be spent during another player’s turn to assist a single roll
as outlined above. Spending a Teamwork Point allows any number of players who can
reasonably assist to join in on the initial action.

Teamwork points can’t be saved up between battles: use it or lose it!

Turns
During a turn a character may act twice, either moving and performing actions. The action might
be an attack, an ability, or a description of another action they would like to perform. As with any
other situation, the character will only roll if the consequences of failure would be fun to explore.
Note that this means sometimes attacks can be deemed hits without rolling.

Distance and Using Maps

When we say “move” above, what does that mean? No Amount of Armor is meant to be played
either in Theatre of the Mind style or using Landmark Maps (see GM Toolkit). To try and bridge
the gap between these different playstyles there are three ranges in the game, as follows:
● Close - I can take no more than a step or two and touch it. On a Landmark Map it means
we are in the same Landmark Node.
● Far - I would have to move for a few seconds to touch it. On a Landmark Map it is only
one Edge away.
● Distant - I can’t touch it without moving quite a distance. On a Landmark Map it is more
than one Edge away along the shortest path.
When we take a move during Tactical Play, we mean I am moving to make something Far into
something Close. Now, Distant is a big range band, and some things might be Distant and take
two moves to reach, and some things might be Distant and take 5 moves to reach. It’s in the
GM’s hands, but you can always ask, “how many moves will it take to get there”. GM’s should
let the characters be relatively fast; generally keep things to no more than 3 moves away. It’s
more fun that way.

Attacks and Actions

Mecha as a genre is exciting because it’s personal. We get to see people and mechs getting up
close for their battles, and that rocks! As such, no matter what level of technology your game is
using, the rule for attacks and actions is always this: “You have to be able to see your target”.
That can mean a lot of things: maybe you have a mirror, thermographic vision, or a nearby
camera. No matter the fictional reasoning, the goal is to get you close enough to your targets
that you have to reckon with the humanity of the people you're acting against. When the conflict
feels personal, the game is at its best.

Special Action: Aiming

You may spend one of your actions on your turn Aiming in order to give yourself advantage on
your attack.
Crits in Combat
In a lot of tactical games, crits deal bonus damage. Unless there’s something else you want to
do with your crit in the fiction of the game, you can always choose bonus damage as your boon.
To make it feel even more impactful, your total damage should be the max damage your
weapon could normally deal plus a roll for damage.

Jazz rolls a crit, and is using a weapon that normally deals 2d6 damage. If Jazz wants to do
bonus damage, they would deal 12 + 2d6 damage.

Being Attacked
Enemies can attack the players or otherwise try to interfere with their systems or body. Players
are in charge of the rolls that defend them from harm. The facilitator will only roll to deal damage
to players in these situations, and enemy attacks will suggest a list of stats that might be used to
defend against those attacks. The facilitator has fiat over what stats can prevent any given
source of harm.

Downtime
Between missions, pilots will have time to themselves to work on projects, upgrade and repair
their mechs, train and recover from missions, and attend to their personal lives. Downtime
needn’t happen between each mission, although this game is written under the assumption that
it’s a regular part of the pilot’s lives.

This section details a few kinds of actions that might be taken during downtime for mechanical
benefit. It’s important to keep in mind that while this list offers a handful of options, this is by no
means an exhaustive account of what can be done during downtime. By the same token,
downtime is not separate from playing scenes. Even if you don’t want to do a whole scene for a
certain action, take time to describe what it looks like, and be open to downtime dovetailing into
scenework.

Healing/Repairing HP
Characters do not normally heal during missions and the like. It takes time and care to repair
both mechs and bodies. Therefore, unless you are gaining Drag to do so, the only time that
mechs and pilots regain HP is by spending intentional time between missions working to heal
themselves.

Mechs will heal 8 + 1d4 HP when a pilot takes time to have them repaired between missions.

Pilots can regain 1d4 HP when they take time to rest between missions.
Reducing Drag
One of the major ways that pilots gain short-term benefits is by taking on Drag, and while
sometimes the GM will offer you opportunities to reduce Drag during missions, the other main
way to reduce Drag is by playing out scenes during downtime.

To do this, select a single source of Drag, and work with the table to create a scene where you
deal with the consequences of your actions. There might occasionally be rolls involved, but they
won’t have any impact on whether or not you reduce drag. Once the scene is satisfactorily
resolved (according to table consensus), roll 2d6 and forgive that much drag.

Work on Projects and Further Plans

Blah

Upgrading Mechs and Training Pilots

Pilots and Mechs are always being adapted to the
GM Toolkit
Welcome to the back of the book. Here, we have a bunch of tools that are intended to help you
run the best game of No Amount of Armor that you possibly can. Nothing here is obligatory,
everything is optional! But, I as a GM have collected and devised tools that I’ve found help keep
the story evolving without needing an outrageous amount of prep on your part.

Making Your Setting

If you want to create your own setting, consider using the following. You can also use these
questions to narrow in on a show or movie you want to emulate.

Answer questions about the following topics

Tech
What era’s vision of the future is it?
What does the tech feel like to use?
Whose problems does it fail to serve?

Mecha
What size are the mechs?
What do they tend to look like?
What side effects do you experience?

Society
Whose vision of utopia does it aspire to?
What kinds of people feel safe?
Who is left by the wayside?

Supernatural (If Relevant)

What miracles are most commonplace?
How often will the average person see them?
What cost is there to performing such miracles?

Aliens (If Relevant)

How well can we understand them and their intentions?
When did we first meet them?
What do we have that they lack, or vice versa?
Art (If Relevant)
What are the most popular forms of art like in your society?
What kinds of art does the establishment enshrine?
What is being said in the art that the establishment buries?

The War
How long has the war been going on?
What are the major factions in the war?
Why does peace seem unreachable?

Your Faction
What does your faction hope to gain in winning?
What core belief drives the group?
What is your base of operation like?
Why haven’t you won yet?

The Squad
What is your squad’s reputation, or what are they known for?
What about your team makes you exceptional?
Name a few non-pilot team members. How does the squad feel about them?
What is the biggest tension boiling under the surface?

Meta-Fiction
If your game were a TV show, what would the art style be like?
What does the soundtrack sound like, generally?
What do fans of the show constantly have to defend?

Edges
Take a quick look at the standard Edges.
Which ones fit, or could be revised thematically to fit?
Which ones don’t fit?
Are there any aspects of your setting that should have an Edge?

Subsystems
Take a quick look at the standard Subsystems.
Which ones fit, or could be revised thematically to fit?
Which ones don’t fit?
Are there any aspects of your setting that should have a Subsystem?
Drag For Game Masters
Drag is a way to make the characters care about the favors they incur, the debts they ring up, or
the destruction they cause and havoc they wreak. As a GM, the purpose of Drag is twofold: first,
it gives you a way to take a mission or session that is otherwise going smoothly and give it a
compelling twist, and second, to give your players powerful boons with strings attached.

Drag is tracked by you and players as a tag and a number. The tag should be brief but
evocative, and serve as a reminder for what you’re tracking with it. The number is a numeric
representation of how big of a debt or problem it is. Small debts are around 5, serious debts
might be 15, and a debt of 25 or more is going to need to be paid back sooner rather than later.

Tracking Drag
The best way I’ve found to track drag is by making myself a table of all the drag in the game like
this:

Character Source in Brief Amount Total

Tabby Gambling 10 55

Feldspar Religion 5 45

Feldspar Philandering (Mira) 20 40

Tabby Havoc (River City) 10 20

Clutch Debt 10 10

This table gives me a clear idea of each player’s sources of Drag, and the magnitude, so that I
can always quickly look for a way to change the situation if I want to Bring Things to a Head.

Now why the column on the right? Well, sometimes it can help players out to work their Drag in
as a main part of the session, which gives them a clear way or moment to resolve it. During
some sessions, I will roll a d100 and see what Drag gets landed on. The column on the right
tells you the max die roll that will trigger that character’s Drag. So if I were running a game, and
I rolled a 12, the table above tells me that Feldspar is going to face some sort of consequence
for shacking up with Mira, the planetary governor’s wife.

What that looks like when you go to play it out is totally up to you. Maybe the governor shows up
in a mech at the wrong moment when you Bring Things to a Head, or maybe Mira calls Feldspar
to talk about her feelings when Feldspar should be helping Tabby negotiate safe passage, or
maybe Mira happens to be attending the ball that the crew was supposed to terrorize. Whatever
fits with the story in the moment; choice opportunities will make themselves apparent.
Sources of Drag
Given that Drag can come from a lot of different sources, and you want to create variety in the
kinds of Drag that players can experience, the following table shows a few sources of drag and
suggests possible fictional justifications.

● Healing Pilot HP or Stats

○ A personal debt to your healer, non-monetary
○ A monetary debt to your healer
○ Phantom Limb/Cybernetic Rejection issues
○ Substance Addiction
○ Shell Shock
● Repairing Mech HP or Stats
○ You made the money by gambling
○ Locals offered scrap at the cost of their safety
○ They were used/disreputable parts that have gremlins
○ Your Mech is now... haunted?
○ You stole them from someone
● Pilot Advancement
○ You got romantically involved with someone you shouldn’t have
○ You’re adjusting to the new body mods
○ Your commanding officer expects great things now
○ The new ability came to you in a dream… along with a premonition
○ You struck a deal with someone dangerous for this new power
● Mech Advancement
○ You stole this from your enemies and they want it back
○ This tech is bleeding edge and has unexpected side effects
○ This thing you’ve installed might violate some treaties
○ The install was a rush job for the mechanic, and they aren’t too happy with you
○ Did the mech just… growl?

Assigning Drag
While players will often take Drag of their own accord, you can also push them into taking on
more than they’re comfortable with by assigning it to them as the result of an unsuccessful or
successful roll.

The Drag assigned this way will often correspond to big moments in the session; a confrontation
with a Rival, a missile that was fired haphazardly at a mech near a building, a sudden and
dramatic beatdown that seemed impossible at first could all be a prompt to assign Drag. Your
job as the keeper of the world is to ask “is this event going to be interesting to call back to
later?” and “would this cause trouble for the crew down the line?”. If the answer is yes to either,
assigning Drag is appropriate.
When assigning a flat amount of drag, keep in mind that 6 Drag is almost a quarter of the total
Drag a pilot can carry before they Get Dragged Away. A major story moment might deserve 5
Drag, while a rash decision with consequences might be worth 2. Also, consider having the
players roll when you assign them Drag, as you can (to a degree) absolve yourself of the
consequences. Just remember that the mathematically expected value for any die is around the
halfway mark, and when you pool dice you are more likely to end up somewhere in the middle
even if the maximum increases dramatically.

Group Drag
Sometimes, it might make sense to assign Drag to the entire Squad. This might be the result of
a fight with a Rival, or a highly public action that could follow any of the Pilots down the road. In
these circumstances, you can assign out the Drag to all the pilots, and track it as a group source
on your tracking sheet. As long as any pilot still has Drag from a group source on their sheet,
you can invoke consequences for the whole group. On the other hand, you can also allow
players to eliminate Group Drag for one another, which they normally can’t do.

Group Drag can be used to set up a few kinds of situations: ticking clocks, pervasive dangers,
and bigger moments when you decide to Bring Things to a Head.

Reducing Drag
For the most part, Pilots will try to eliminate Drag by taking action during and between missions.
While it’s your job to keep the pressure on the pilots, being generous when they try and Reduce
Drag when it’s already high, or Bringing Things to a Head when their HP is high but they don’t
have much wiggle room with their Drag can make for a dramatic last-chance- assuming of
course that they survive.

Bring Things to a Head

When you Bring Things to a Head, you have a lot of leeway with how to resolve the situation.
Think of it as a sort of narrative blank cheque; anything that feels reasonable to impose as a
consequence within the fiction is fair game. If the players owe a contact for some information
they gave to the players, maybe they become imperiled. If a mech was upgraded with low
quality parts, perhaps they temporarily overload, making an ability unusable or causing sudden
damage to a Subsystem. If the pilot did a heroic and destructive feat with their mech last time,
perhaps all of the pilots on the opposing side consider them to be the biggest threat. If you
humiliated a Rival, perhaps they decided they would send back-up a few minutes after they
were deployed.

The larger the Drag you are relieving, the bigger you make the consequence. You can tinker
with any system, rule, or stat in the game. Make the situation suddenly unbalanced, perhaps
even unfair, and do it at the worst possible time for the pilots. You can cash in when they are in
dire straits, when they are winning handily, or even offer to allow a roll to succeed automatically
if you can call in a consequence.
And remember, even though this is a consequence that could mean disaster for the players, it’s
also a way for you to take another kind of pressure off. So don’t feel too bad..

Killing NPCs
Sometimes kill someone the characters know, in exchange for 10+ drag from a single source.

Starting Drag
Now that you know how Drag is used, consider this: you can use some starting Drag to help
your players flesh out their characters before the first session! Your players should look at the
table below, and either roll, or pick something that appeals to them based on what they already
know about their character. The game defaults to an assumption of 0 starting Drag, but if a
player wants to start the game with an upgrade or an extra weapon they can roll drag up to the
limit of 25 if they’re feeling brave or lucky.

New Places
[Picklists/tables for generating new locations]

GM Goals
When you’re the game master, try and keep these goals in mind:
● Make the Big stuff Bigger and the Small stuff Smaller
● Be a Fan of the Characters
● Keep the Pressure High
● Draw the Panel/Film the Scene
● Ask “What Do You Want to Accomplish?”
● Use “Yes and” and “No but”
● Make Infuriating Allies
● Make Loveable Enemies
● Show the Cost of Victory
● Take Time Away From Fights

Make the Big things Bigger and the Small things Smaller
This can and should be interpreted in a lot of ways, but there are two sides I want to highlight.
First, if something is getting too fiddly, move on. If the action is a small one, let it happen and
pass, and get back into the things that people are excited about. And when there’s a moment
that feels big- good or bad- make it even more intense by doubling down. The bad thing?
Actually it’s terrible. The good thing? Oh, it changes EVERYTHING.

The second side is this: zoom in on the parts of your world that are unique, and skip over the
parts that work basically like ours. If one of the core bits of the world is that your mecha are
cyborg-like monstrosities that run their AI on tape decks and divert power with old-school
operating switchboards? Narrate that shit. Highlight it! Ask the players to show us how it works.

Be a Fan of the Characters

You are there to make sure they are challenged, and to see if they grow or fail. That means you
are not there to punish them, or make lose-lose situations. Put hard problems in front of your
players, make them sweat, but if success comes to the players against overwhelming odds give
it to them and celebrate with them.

Keep the Pressure High

One of the core goals in No Amount of Armor is to make death and desertion regular concerns.
While you want to play as a fan of the characters and see them succeed, if there isn’t a risk of
failure, there aren’t any stakes.

I watched a lot of mecha anime as I wrote this game, and there is one thing I can say with
certainty: the stories that were truly about war were more impactful when at least one
character’s time ran out. In war, there is death, and there are those who can no longer continue
the fight. On some level, your players need to expect that they will face these risks, and at some
point you will need to set up players so that they either scrape by on the skin of their teeth, or
bite the big one.

Draw the Panel and Film the Scene

If you aren’t already in the habit of narrating using the language of film or comic books, this
game is a great place to practice it. Don’t just think about how things would look if you were
there living them, describe it with the way it would be framed for an audience, how you would
want to see it! You are the audience of your own game, and I promise, if you encourage yourself
and your players to think about framing, motif, score, and color, your game will suddenly level
up in tons of tiny ways.

Say “I Don’t Know”

It’s okay not to know something. Really, seriously. When all the players look at you and you
have no idea how to answer, don’t panic! This is a gift! There are three ways to handle a
moment like this:

● Say “I don’t know”, and leave it mysterious

● Say “I don’t know”, and ask the table or a specific player what they think, and run with it
● Say “I don’t know”, and smash cut somewhere else to buy yourself time to think

For the first option, you don’t need to know everything about the universe. Some stuff is frankly
more fun when you leave it mysterious, and I would hate to deprive myself and my players of
that mystery.
Second, often the players will ask a question because they already have a vague idea of what
the answer might be. Even if they don’t, their answers generally rock, and often surprise me and
I’m known to drop what I was doing the minute I hear a better idea.

Finally, sometimes the answer will make itself clear with a little bit more time to process, or will
emerge from watching something happen elsewhere in the fiction. It’s fun to cut away at a
dramatic moment, with everything up in the air! This tends to work best when you have player
characters who are spread out in space, so don’t forget to split the party now and again.

Ask “What Do You Want to Accomplish?”

Because No Amount of Armor doesn’t give a strict list of what every ability score can and cannot
do, players can sometimes feel at a loss for what they should be able to narrate. When this
happens, you should ask them what they want to accomplish, and reinforce that the sky’s the
limit. They can try to do anything, and it’s up to you to figure out what goes wrong if they fail,
and how many ways there might be for the character to fail. Abilities rarely grant the player
allowance to do something, and if they seem to be granting an attempt, it is usually let them do
it without rolling.

Remember, if they ask to do something that should be super tricky, you can call for a Multi-Skill
roll using a lot of different stats, or with multiple Resolve rolls just to make it harder, and the
player is more than welcome to renegotiate what they want to do, or how.

Use “Yes and” and “No but”

When negotiating what the outcome of a roll might be, sometimes you want to say “No”. That’s
OK! You as the GM need to set the limits of the universe, and that can sometimes mean saying
“hey, I don’t think you can do that specific thing”. Still, saying just “No” will often stop a scene in
its tracks. When you go to tell a player they can’t do something, you should explain your ruling,
and either offer them a compromise similar to what they were trying to do, or ask the table for
help building a compromise.

It’s also okay to tell a player that it won’t be as easy as they envisioned! Saying to a player “yes,
and” and following up with the consequences of success as well as failure can let you make
things tricky for the party even if they make it through the situation in a way that feels fun. You
can also call for a Multi-skill Check, impose a +2, or impose Disadvantage as appropriate.

Make Infuriating Allies

It’s important to show the players that people are on their side. But just because someone is on
their side, doesn’t mean that those people are friendly, competent, or share the same goals. As
important as it is to have allies that are aspirational, it’s good to give the crew characters to feel
competitive towards and authority figures to rebel against.
Make Lovable Enemies
The thing about the people that your players are fighting is this: they’re still people. Making the
named villains in your game matter to the players on a personal level is important. This can
mean having established NPCs become embroiled in the war, or asking players to help you
connect their characters to their foes on the battlefield. Find ways away from sorties to bump
into an opposing pilot.

On TPKs
Look, it’s happened to all of us, or at least any of us who’ve played tactical RPGs for long
enough. Sometimes, everyone fuckin dies, and you’re left thinking “well fuck, did I do bad?”.
Most of the time, with a TPK, you can see the writing on the wall long before the party is actually
gonna bite it, and there are ways to deescalate before a TPK happens; asking the players if the
characters would surrender, having the opponent need to make a tactical retreat,
reinforcements etc. can all help save a dying party.

Other times, the stakes are just too high to allow for surrender. In these cases, you should ask
your players “do you want to keep playing this game, with these characters?”. It might come off
as harsh, but it will make it clear that the consequences here are going to be pretty serious. If
the players agree that it’s time to end the game, figure out how to end it. Do they make a heroic
sacrifice that turns the tide of the war? Or is their death in vain as the opposing forces overtake
the land that the party had tried to reclaim or protect? Any number of outcomes can feel
satisfying, depending on the tone of the campaign.

If your players want to keep going, let them know that the session will probably be cut short.
When a TPK happens, we shouldn’t just ignore it, but it can also be a chance for you to take the
game in a VERY different direction, or up the stakes incredibly. Here are some possibilities:

● The players wake up with bomb collars fused to them. They are now the enemies’ shock
troops, and must fight in the worst battles imaginable.
● A new threat appears, just as all hope was lost for their side of the war. They must work
together with their old enemies to defeat this new danger.
● It turns out that they had been lied to from the beginning, they were on the wrong side of
the war and now must flee their own troops and hope their former enemies see them as
useful
● One of the Pilots was a double agent, and this was part of their plan all along

Making The Game Your Own

There’s a lot of customizable stuff in this game, here’s some advice about making new entries
for Edges, Subsystems, Niches, and Mechs.
Edges and Subsystems
When you make a niche or a subsystem, it’s important to consider a couple of things:

● Where does this fit in the lore of the world and the tone?
● How does its application differentiate itself from other abilities, or how does it specialize?

Following the format of the existing Edges and subsystems helps a lot, where we give a
standard example of what the ability can do, a few more niche or unexpected uses, and a broad
way that the ability gets applied.

Making a Playbook

Ability Design
Think big. Bigger! Ability design for characters in No Amount of Armor should generally focus on
being written with as little jargon as possible, and few numbers. As the person who wrote the
game, what I consider the best abilities are the ones that feel powerful but specific, and that
deliver a specific feeling.

I was guided in my playbook ability designs by the philosophies of two designers: Ben Roswell,
and Rathayibacter Toxicus. Roswell once described a framework for categorizing moves as
having inputs and outputs that can be fictional or mechanical. That means that we can think of
their being 4 kinds of moves, generally:

● Pure Fictional Moves that focus on fictional inputs and outputs

○ See the Professional’s Move “Twinkle Toes”
● Pure Mechanical Moves that trigger on the mechanics and have mechanical results
○ See the Switchblade’s Move “Strafe”
● Fictionalizing Moves that look for Mechanical inputs to alter the fiction
○ See the Echospeaker’s Move “Bone-Melding Genius”
● Mechanizing Moves that reward a fictional action with a mechanical effect.
○ See the Longeye’s Move “I Want to Be With You Right Now”

All of these kinds of moves are important, and the most balanced classes will strive to have a
variety of triggers and outputs. If you find your class only has one kind of input or output, one
way to improve it or tackle the design from a different angle is to try to figure out what kinds of
inputs and outputs would best fit the themes you’re going for.

Now, regarding the strength of the moves, I took a big note from Rath’s [Bxllet> when designing
No Amount of Armor. In [ Bxllet>, abilities rarely have a mechanical cost, and classes never
really have more than 4 moves, so the moves need to be big to communicate what the class is
about. This results in every player feeling almost overpowered, but that plays to the game’s
advantage because all classes are built with “too strong” balance in mind. Because No Amount
of Armor is built with this philosophy, it’s okay to make abilities that seem unfair; you can always
limit the number of times that it can be used or when it can be used.

A cardinal sin to avoid: don’t make players roll to do the cool thing unless it would otherwise
break the game. Randomness to prevent bad things happening is okay, but gating a cool ability
behind chance feels bad when it fails. It’s better to limit the ability by when it can be used rather
than if it can be used.

Enemies and Fights

Fights in No Amount of Armor

If you haven't already noticed, let me tell you a little secret about this game: as written, player
quality mechs can kill each other in an average of two hits when they start at full HP. Fights in
this game will always skew deadly if you let them. That’s by design. Fights in No Amount of
Armor are unlikely to last more than two rounds, partially because the deck is stacked in the
players’ favor in terms of numbers; they deal more damage on average, have more HP and
more actions. However, your pilots’ first tastes of combat will put fear in them: only a few hits
could leave a mech on its last legs, and once they know that they’ll look for ways to avoid a fair
fight. That’s where you need to start designing your combat thoughtfully.

Making a Memorable Fight

The best, most engaging fights in my games have all had one thing in common: both sides must
have a clear goal, and ideally they shouldn’t be as simple as “kill the other side outright”. When
the two sides just want to murder eachother, combat turns into a slugfest, and rarely the fun
kind. Everyone is optimizing for damage, enemies hang around when anyone with a sense for
tactics would have already left, and players begin to treat all fights that way.

As is covered in the Pilot’s Manual, avoid Zero-Sum goals; any situation where one side wants
to do something and the other side’s only goal is to prevent it. If you know one side’s goal, here
are some questions that you can ask to determine a suitable goal:

● What do we know that they don’t?

● What do they know that we don’t?
● Who has territorial knowledge/advantage?
● Who has superior positioning and firepower?
● What side feels more time pressure?
● Who stands to lose more from reckless action?
● Is this a do-or-die moment for either side?
Choosing Foes
Here’s a secret: you don’t need to know exactly which mechs the opposing side will bring to
bear against the players until after you know their goals, and even then, two similar looking
mechs can have totally different load-outs at your discretion. So how do you pick the right
mechs for a fight? Throw in one or two of the following:

● An enemy that can help the enemies accomplish their goals

● An enemy that can help stall or complicate the player’s goal
● An enemy that the players have a hard counter for
● An enemy that can hard counter the players
● An enemy that can utilize some aspect of the terrain or fiction in a unique way

Choosing enemies with abilities that foil player’s goals rather than ones that are designed to kill
them can lend a wonderful back and forth where players are using their tactical turns to do more
unusual things than find the fastest way to reduce an enemy to 0hp. On that note objective
based encounters are more interesting than purely mechanical fights, because they force
players out of safe spaces and away from their allies to find success.

Create things that are fun to hate, maybe cheap even. If we look at D&D, basilisks, cockatrices,
rust monsters, gelatinous cubes and

Enemies have to be impactful beyond just bopping people on the head

Give clear categories of enemies in a single fight, so that people can recognize the pieces and
strategize. Too many similar enemies will make

Ideas:

Stuff they do when you fuck up

Stuff they do when you ignore them
Stuff they do on their turn

Foe Compendium
What follows is a list of ideas for foes to get your game started. It’s by no means exhaustive, but
it should help you start coming up with ideas for how to make interesting foes.

HD (xd8) Damage

1 (4hp) 2 (1d4)

2 (8hp) 3 (1d6)
 3 (12hp) 4 (1d8)

4 (16hp) 5 (1d10)

5 (20hp) 6 (1d12)

6 (24hp) 7 (1d6 + 1d8)

7 (28hp) 8 (2d8)

8 (32hp) 9 (3d6)

9 (36hp) 10 (2d10)

10 (40hp) 11 (1d10 + 1d12)

Pilot Adze-Class Infantry Frame

HD 1 HD 4

Service Pistol - Physique 2 Ballistic Rifle - Thrusters, Shields 5

Bold! Plasma Axe - Thrusters 5
A Pilot can’t do less than 2 damage on a hit. Standard Issue (Minion)!
Unless the pilot has been given a name by
Squad Leader the GM, an Azde is destroyed after taking
HD 2 any damage.

Hand Cannon - Physique 3 Piton-Class Dueling Frame

On Me! HD 5
Once per fight the Squad Leader can give
an ally an extra attack on the Squad Saber Thrust - Thrusters, Shields 6
Leader’s turn. Saber Blade Rocket - Scanners, Hacking 6
Tactical Analysis System
Exo-Suit If the Piton attacks the same target during
HD 3 consecutive rounds, defense rolls are made
Plasma Cutters - Physique, Thrusters 4 with disadvantage.
Through the Walls!
Exo-Suits can cut human-scale holes in thin
walls as part of their movement, possibly
modifying a map.
Lathe-Class Controller Frame Hippo-Class Carrier Ship
HD 6 HD 9

Code Garrote - Hacking 7 Flak Cannons - Thrusters, Shields 10

Emp Mines - Scanners 7 Tracking Missiles - Scanners, Hacking 10
Ambiguated Silhouette Carrier
If the Lathe moves on its turn, a player must A Hippo can carry up to 30 HD of mecha
make a Scanners check to highlight it for Melee Deterrent
friendly units. Roll with Disadvantage when dodging a
Hippo’s attacks at close range
Papal Ossix
HD 7
The God That Folds the Spaces
Thaumic Radiation - Uncanny, Esoteric, Between Stars
Faith, Psyke 8 HD15
Fists of Bone - Thrusters 8
Harbinger of Doom A Sigh - Melee, Ballistic, Artillery 16
Pilots act with disadvantage on all checks A Shrug - Uncanny, Hacking, Shield, Stealth
during the first round of fighting with a Papal 16
Ossix A Broken Heart - ???? 16
Ineffable Suffering
Tiger-Class Sortie Drop Ship TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS TO
HD 8 KNOW THE TRUE WEIGHT OF YOUR
SINS
Flak Cannons - Thrusters, Shields 9
Drop Ship
A Tiger can carry up to 12 HD of mecha
Melee Deterrent
Roll with Disadvantage when dodging a
Tiger’s attacks at close range

Want More Tips On Encounter Design?

I’m going to tell you a secret: this system is intentionally compatible with ideas from D&D 4e,
which has a wealth of good ideas about combat encounter design. If you’re thinking “Gosh I
want to make a fight that feels cool and memorable” take a look at the way that game thinks
about unit types and group composition and positioning.

What I will say, additionally, is this: fighting in this game is meant to be dangerous. Most of the
time, players will be inclined to avoid a serious “fair” fight if possible. A few decent enemies
should pose more than enough threat to keep the players looking for other chances to turn the
tables.