So I've recently gotten back into the most underated rock em sock robots simulator of all time, Titanfall 2. While doing this the lore bug bite me and I did some wiki browsing and found that for a simple FPS shooter has some interesting lore. The Dm in me awakened and now I want to make my own setting. Naturally Im gathering resources and making my own stories to explain the core systems, the titan wars ect. The question I have is that I have a dilema when it comes to PCs. Since I'm trying to pull the camera away from the ***** kicking pilots and highlight the greater conflict thats going on, I'm torn between having players be pilots and thats it with classes being different special abilities or having many different classes with the pilot being one of them (it will get alot more love than the others).

I've also seen the conversion I have seen here but I'm going a different way where I expand alot on where the games were lacking plus add more RPG elements.

PCs generally always want to do the coolest possible thing in the setting. In this case, piloting giant kickass robots.

If you want some diversity, you might require multiple people (the exact party size...weird) to successfully pilot a robot. Someone does weapons, legs, coordinates tactics and so on. Make each of these roles require different skills. **** the robo sword might use knowledge or engineering to attack with.

Since the party will then have diverse skills (and presumably a robot), they will be easily able to engage with the other elements of the setting you want to use/introduce.

I don't know nothing about Titanfall 1 and 2. I just know they have big robots.

Reading what you said, I can assume the setting is about a (hi tech) war. War always have a lot of roles to be a protagonist. Soldiers, pilots (robots, vehicles, fighters, etc.), spies, engineers, medic, generals, hackers, etc.

This fits well in any kind of RPG cause any role has his own pros and cons. If the party will be full of giant robots, surely they'll have problems to deal with a lot of situations where the "brute force" isn't the best way to deal with the situation.

I'm thinking here about a MMORPG called RF Online. One faction has a class that make possible for the character use a big robot during the battle. I don't remember if it works as a tank ou ranged dps, but even being cool as ****, if all members would play with this class, that faction would suffer a lot...

It's important to know that playing RPG we try to mix what we want to play with what the party need to work well.

My suggestion is to start off without elite pilots. Don't have a beginner career of Titan Pilot. Characters can be Foot Soldiers, Mechanics, Combat Engineers, Shuttle Pilots, Guerillas, etc. Make Titan Pilot training a high tier talent (4? 5?). Without the talent, you can still jump in a Titan if you happen to find one on a battlefield or in a repair bay, but give some serious upgrades.

This way the PCs can learn the lore, learn the rules, have fun as foot soldiers or whatever, while of course aspiring to be Titan Pilots. When the narrative gets to the point they have been recognized as potential Titan Pilots, send them off to school together. Make the school itself be an adventure starting with simulators and ending with actual OJT combat experience after they are allowed to purchase the Titan Pilot talent.

Much more of a fulfillment by having the PCs earn their Titan Pilot status instead of just creating it during session 0. It also will lead to a long term goal and give the campaign a kick in the pants at some point due to the big change up to a "high level" campaign.

As a fan of Titanfall 2 I would be annoyed if I showed up to a Titanfall game and was told that I had to wait a ton to access Titans . I want a Titan like BT that has a personality ( preferably its own character sheet) "Welcome back pilot it is good to have you back" or "incoming Titanfall detected".

I think you can still do want you want and still let the players be the awesome pilots that the setting has. To do otherwise would feel like a bait and switch

I completely understand what you are saying Gundark, but as a referee of numerous campaigns through almost 4 decades I think it should be held off a bit in my personal opinion.

Starting without a Titan allows for an introduction to the lore and mechanics of the campaign/system before moving on to more details. Starting without a Titan makes it a campaign goal that also expresses the lore of the pilots being an elite position. Starting without a Titan allows you to later show the sudden respect the PCs have earned upon giving the title of "Pilot". Starting without a Titan makes it a more enjoyable earn. Starting without a Titan allows a sudden change-up when/if the campaign becomes stagnant.

Starting with a Titan means you've got to teach more mechanics on day 0/1. Starting with a Titan precludes it as a campaign goal. Starting with a Titan makes it just another piece of gear ableit powerful. Starting as a Pilot lessens its prestige. Starting with a Titan precludes their later introduction spicing up the game.

Unless you have an extremely veteran gaming group, I would at least hold off until the grumbling begins. Then, send them off to pilot academy while announcing what tier Talent "Titan Pilot" is.

6 hours ago, Sturn said:

I completely understand what you are saying Gundark, but as a referee of numerous campaigns through almost 4 decades I think it should be held off a bit in my personal opinion.

Starting without a Titan allows for an introduction to the lore and mechanics of the campaign/system before moving on to more details. Starting without a Titan makes it a campaign goal that also expresses the lore of the pilots being an elite position. Starting without a Titan allows you to later show the sudden respect the PCs have earned upon giving the title of "Pilot". Starting without a Titan makes it a more enjoyable earn. Starting without a Titan allows a sudden change-up when/if the campaign becomes stagnant.

Starting with a Titan means you've got to teach more mechanics on day 0/1. Starting with a Titan precludes it as a campaign goal. Starting with a Titan makes it just another piece of gear ableit powerful. Starting as a Pilot lessens its prestige. Starting with a Titan precludes their later introduction spicing up the game.

Unless you have an extremely veteran gaming group, I would at least hold off until the grumbling begins. Then, send them off to pilot academy while announcing what tier Talent "Titan Pilot" is.

Not to mention the gameplay possibilities of being able to fight titans and pilots as normal people. Pilots suddenly become powerful and agile enemies that are very lethal while fighting a titan is a cat and mouse, david vs goliath by the seat of your pants borderline horror encounter that encourages tactics and smart, quick thinking besides shooting at it till it dies.