TEXT:  
  1 
   
  Version 0.20 
  By MiltonMan 
  
   
  2 
  INTRODUCTION  
  Basic Mechanics  
  Dice Terminology  
  Target Numbers 
  Success & Failure 
  Situational Modifiers  
  Luck & Ace points 
  NewTypes 
  CHARACTER CREATION  
  Generate Stats 
  Character Types 
  Skills 
  COMBAT 
  Mechanic Files 
  Federation 
  Zeon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  This pdf is a fan-based TRANSLATION not intended for commercial release. It is 
  merely an attempt TO translate GUNDAM SENKI published by R. Talsorian 
  Games. It is currently unfinished, with some features missing and incomplete 
  translation. Please keep this in mind when reading this pdf! 
  "Gundam", all associated names, images and trademarks are copyright 
  of Sunrise Inc. and Bandai. No copyright infringement is intended. 
  All images IN THIS pdf, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by their 
  parent company and/or the artist(s) who originally created them. These 
  images are used under the protection of the Fair Use clause of the United 
  States Copyright law.  
   
  Most of the art used in this PDF is done by the wonderful Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. 
  This translation/adaptation was ultimately inspired by his works.  
   
   
  
   
  3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  CHAPTER 1:  
  Gundam rising! 
  “The year Universal Century 0079…” 
  
   
  4 
  ACTIVATION!  
  Almost four decades ago, Mobile Suit Gundam 
  aired in Japan and changed the way the world 
  looked at giant robots. Gundam established a new 
  genre of anime, changed the way the West 
  consumed Japanese animation, and became a 
  cultural touchstone for the robotics technology of 
  the future. In this translation/adaptation of R. 
  Talsorian’s Gundam Senki, you take on the role of a 
  character in the Mobile Suit Gundam Universe and 
  fight through legend that is the original series or 
  create a legend of your own.  
  This translation will be using the Mobile Suit 
  Gundam manga the Origin as its basis so some 
  content will be omitted. The game is based heavily 
  on Mekton Zeta but differs in several key areas. As 
  such, only basic rules will be explained with a focus 
  on these key differences.  
  WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY  
  In order to play Gundam Senki, you’ll need: 
   This translation, to guide you through the 
  basics of the game that differ from Mekton 
   Mekton Zeta Core Rule Book 
   (Optional but highly recommended) 
  Mekton Zeta Plus 
   Pencil and paper  
   Several D6s (two per player) 
  DICE 
  Gundam Senki uses a 2d6 system to resolve actions 
  during the game. That is, rolling two six sided dice. 
  Any reference to dice refer to the six sided dice 
  rolled as no other dice are used in this game.  
  MODIFIERS 
  Modifiers will be referenced throughout the rules. 
  These refer to an amount add to or subtracted 
  from your dice roll. These modifiers are entirely 
  situational will be described where appropriate.  
  USING THIS BOOK  
  The best way to read this book depends on 
  whether or not you’re going to be GMing a 
  campaign or one-shot of Gundam Senki or if you’re 
  going to be a player in a campaign. If you’re GMing 
  you’re going to want to read the entire book and 
  maybe run a few combats using some of the NPCs 
  just to get a feel for things. Familiarizing yourself 
  with Mekton Zeta is also a must.  If you’re a player, 
  you really only need to read the introduction and 
  character creation sections. 
   
   
  
   
  5 
  THE BASICS  
  Gundam Senki is based on the Mekton Zeta RPG 
  line. This means that it will allow you to create 
  dramatic stories that unfold during the largest 
  conflict in the Gundam Universal Century, the One 
  Year War. This game should allow a broad variety 
  of stories and playstyles only limited by your 
  creativity. No matter how you play, the main goal is 
  to have fun.  
  THE CORE MECHANIC 
  Gundam Senki uses a single mechanic to resolve 
  every roll. Whenever a character attempts to 
  perform an action that has a chance of failing, this 
  procedure should be followed: 
   The player rolls 2D6 
   Adds a relevant Skill (if applicable) 
   Adds the corresponding Stat 
   Add any number of situational modifiers 
   Compare to the Target Number  
   If the sum is greater than the Target 
  Number, the roll is a success 
   If the sum is less than the Target Number, 
  the roll is a failure  
  DICE TERMINOLOGY  
  Any time a D6 is mentioned it refers to a single six 
  sided die. This is the only dice used in the game. 
  Any references to D2s or D3s will be resolved as 
  such:  
   D2s – Roll a D6. Count 1-3 as 1, and 4-6 as 2 
   D3s – Roll a D6. Treat 1-2 as 1, 3-4 as 2, and 
  5-6 as 3.  
  As a general rule, if any fractions appear they are 
  rounded down.  
  THE TARGET NUMBER 
  The Target Number represents the difficulty of the 
  attempted task. In most cases this will be a value 
  determined by the GM using the table below. 
  During combat, however, this value will be 
  determined by opposed rolls. For opposed rolls, 
  the defending roll’s result is the Target Number. In 
  cases of a tie, the defender wins.  
  Basic Difficulty Levels 
  Easy 
  10 
  Average 
  15 
  Difficult 
  20 
  Very Difficulty 
  25 
  Nearly Impossible 
  30 
   
   
  House rule box 
  These boxes will appear periodically throughout 
  the book. These will feature changes that I run in 
  my games or changes from the official book that 
  I made to better reflect The Origin source 
  material. Be sure to read these especially if 
  you’re a GM. Think of these like optional rules. 
  
   
  6 
  DECISIVE SUCCESS AND 
  CATASTROPHIC FAILURE 
  When the dice are rolled, if a result of 12 is rolled, 
  that is both dice land on 6s, the result is a Decisive 
  Success. The dice are rolled again and added the 
  result to the total. Decisive Successes can be 
  chained for as long as the player can roll perfect 
  12s.  
  On the opposite end there are Catastrophic 
  Failures. If the result of a roll is a 2, where both 
  dice land on 1s, the result is considered a 
  Catastrophic Failure. The dice are rolled again and 
  that amount is subtracted from the total. This 
  doesn’t chain like Catastrophic Successes and can 
  only occur once per roll.  
  SITUATIONAL MODIFIERS 
  Situational Modifiers represent the myriad of 
  things that can go wrong or make a task more 
  difficult to complete. Situational Modifiers are 
  subtracted from the result of a roll. They scale from 
  -1 to -5, with -1 being a minor inconvenience and -5 
  being a major obstacle.  
  Some Example Situational Modifiers 
  Don’t have a relevant skill 
  -1 
  Unfamiliar tools/weapons/vehicles 
  -4 
  Doesn’t have the right tools  
  -2 
  Completing task under fire   
  -3 
  Acrobatics require while doing task 
  -5 
  Adverse environment or climate 
  -4 
  Drunk/Drugged/Fatigued  
  -4 
   
  These modifiers can stack causing even the easiest 
  of tasks to become difficult under severe 
  circumstances.  
  LUCK AND ACE POINTS 
  These two values represent the characters raw 
  talent and luck on the battlefield. By spending 
  these points, you are able to alter the course of a 
  battle or perform extreme feats that would 
  otherwise be impossible. These two values 
  separate the ace pilots from the grunts in terms of 
  power level.  
  LUCK 
  Luck points are based off of a characters LUCK stat. 
  The amount of Luck Points available to a character 
  are equal to the value of their LUCK Stat. In 
  Gundam Senki, only Player Characters and Major 
  NPCs can actually use their LUCK stat. Grunts and 
  mooks can’t. In Gundam Senki, LUCK is used in the 
  following ways: 
   When you get hit, change the hit location 
  by spending 1 Luck Point. 
   When you fail a G-Factor roll, you can spend 
  any amount of Luck to decrease the dice 
  result by an equal amount. 
   Increase any defensive or offensive roll. Any 
  amount may be spent for Defensive rolls, 
  but only 1 point may be spent on Offensive 
  rolls. The result increases by the amount of 
  Luck spent.  
   Outside of combat rolls, you may add any 
  amount of Luck to a Skill roll. The result 
  increases by the amount of Luck spent. 
  Luck points are always applied after the dice are 
  rolled. This means after any Decisive Successes or 
  Catastrophic Failures. If a player declares that they 
  are using Luck before rolling, they must spend at 
  least 1 point on said roll. Luck points recover at the 
  end of every session.  
   
  House rule box 
  You’ll notice that there are no positive 
  situational modifiers. This is true for all rolls 
  outside of combat. I like to hand out positive 
  situational modifiers on a scale of +1 - +5 
  depending on the circumstances or if a player 
  role plays particularly well. Don’t hand them out 
  constantly and make them an earned reward. 
  
   
  7 
  ACE POINTS 
  Ace Points are similar to Luck points in many ways 
  but reflect the raw skill of the character rather than 
  their fortune on the battlefield. Similar to LUCK, 
  only Player Characters and Major NPCs can actually 
  use their Ace Points. Grunts and mooks can’t. Ace 
  Points can be used in the following ways:  
   Ace Points can be used in the same manner 
  as Luck Points, but only for MS Combat 
  related rolls. 
   Can increase MA by 1 for each Ace Point 
  spent.  
  Ace Points are determined by the level of their 
  relative “Piloting” skill: MS Piloting for Mobile Suit 
  pilots, Aircraft/Shuttle for Mobile Armor or 
  Space/Jet fighter pilots, Driving for Tankers. The 
  amount of Ace Points availibe to a character  = 
  [Piloting skill] – 5. Thus, the points increase as the 
  piloting skill increases.  
  Ace Points are recovered when the character 
  returns to their base or mothership. When they 
  launch again they will have regaind their full Ace 
  Points. This is the main advantage over Luck Points. 
  The number of Ace Points available is doubled 
  when piloting Ace Custom vehciles.  Many vehciles 
  are capable of having the Ace Custom tag. Ace 
  Customs are customized exlusively for their pilots 
  and usally feature one of a kind modifications and 
  distinct paintjobs. As such, only Major NPCs or PCs 
  pilot Ace Customs barring extreme cases.  
  NEWTYPES 
  In the Universal Century, especially in the One 
  Year War, there are several cases of people with 
  extraordinary abilities. They have extremely high 
  degrees of focus and spatial awareness, almost 
  akin to a sixth sense.  They are sensitive to hostile 
  intentions directed at them by others, allowing 
  them to react even before the offender carries out 
  the intended action. They can also detect other 
  individuals with similar abilities. These individuals 
  are called Newtypes.  
  Newtype Points or [N-Points] represent the 
  strength of a characters Newtype ability. 
  Newtype Level 
  0 All of ordinary mankind [Oldtype] 
  1-3 Has sharp senses 
  4-6 Quickly master MS combat 
  7-9 Fending off an attack in your blind spot 
  10+ Predict future, send messages to hearts 
  of others 
    
   
   
  House rule box 
  A replacement for the second use of Ace Points 
  that I have used recently is to double your MA 
  for one movement action by spending an Ace 
  Point. I feel that this better reflects the abilities 
  of some characters, such as Char. In his Zaku II, 
  Char would be able to move about 3 times 
  faster than a normal Zaku II using this rule! 
  
   
  8 
  Effects of (N-points) 
  [NP] is a special skill for Newtypes. During the 
  course of a game, [NP] works as follows: 
   Can be spent as Luck Points. 
   Newtypes can add [NP] to initiative rolls. 
   Newtypes can add ½ of [NP] to any REF 
  based combat skills. 
   Newtypes can add [NP] to Awareness, 
  Human Perception, and Zero-G rolls. 
   Newtypes with [NP] level 6 or better can 
  decrease combat penalties (lost parts, 
  flanked, etc.) by a value = [NP]-5.  
   The GM may give Newtype Characters faint 
  visions of the future. 
   Newtypes may telepathically communicate 
  if the sum of both characters [NP] + 2D6 
  equals or exceeds a difficulty 30 test.  See 
  table below.  
   
   
   
  Conditional Modifiers of Telepathy 
  Both are on the battlefield  
  +2 
  One party is currently fighting 
  +2 
  Are near each other 
  +2 
  Close friend/relative/lover 
  +4 
  Either are exposed to extreme danger 
  +4 
  Either are using Psycommu 
  +5 
  Both are using Psycommu 
  +10 
   
  As stated earlier, [NP] is treated like a skill with 
  advancement similar to any other. The main 
  difference is that general IP cannot be spent on 
  [NP]. It has a separate pool of IP earned from 
  tasks using [NP] or similar accomplishments. 
  For an Oldtype to learn the [NP] skill, the cost is 
  100IP. Lost [NP] points are regained in full 
  when the session ends. Advancement of skills is 
  covered at the end of the Character Creation 
  section.  
  Being a Newtype allows the operation of such 
  equipment as Psycommu systems, Bio-sensors, 
  and Psychoframes. Without the [NP] skill, 
  characters will be unable to use such devices.   
   
   
  House rule box 
  Don’t let future sight become the replacement 
  for an Awareness check. Newtype visons should 
  be major plot points or give the players insight 
  on situations they would otherwise be clueless 
  about. Keep them strange and special! The last 
  thing you want if for PCs to feel that using their 
  powers constantly is normal.  
  
   
  9 
   
   CHAPTER 2:  
  Winds of War 
  “Who’s Piloting that thing?!” 
  
   
  10 
  Character Creation 
  Creating a character for Gundam Senki follows a 
  simple process using the information presented in 
  this chapter. This process will require a character 
  sheet and some scratch paper. The process is as 
  follows: 
  1. Concept for Character 
  Before any stats are rolled or skills are picked, 
  you’ll need to consider what type of character you 
  want to create. What is your character good at? 
  What is their past like? What is their most notable 
  aspect? Are you a hardened Zeon vet, weary of 
  battle? Or a young Federation recruit eager to 
  prove them self? Maybe you just want to play a 
  character from the Gundam series. Write down 
  these ideas on your scratch paper and use them to 
  guide your choices throughout the process.  
  2. Talk with the GM 
  After you’ve brainstormed this initial concept you 
  should run it by your GM to see if it’s appropriate 
  for the game. You don’t want to bring a Zeon ace 
  into a game about Federation recruits! Make sure 
  this doesn’t happen and talk to the GM.  
  3. Generate Stats 
  Determine your characters basic stats. These are 
  the basis for your characters abilities in game and 
  there is no way of improving them or changing 
  them. Choose carefully! 
  4. Pick Character Type 
  Select your character type. Will you be a skilled 
  veteran, a raw recruit, or a budding Newtype? Your 
  character type will determine the amount of skill 
  points you start with, the rate you gain 
  Improvement Points, and Newtype points.    
  5. Select Skills 
  Specialize your character by purchasing skills. 
  These reflect what your character can do and how 
  skilled that are at accomplishing said task.  
  6. Final Touches 
  Finalize your character by giving them a name and 
  figuring out how they fit in the GMs world. Work 
  with the other players to help establish who knows 
  who and why the group of PCs are together.  
   
   
  House rule box 
  If you’re short on ideas don’t fear! Character/NPC 
  templates and Mekton’s Lifepath will be included 
  in the Appendix to help you come up with some 
  interesting characters.  
  
   
  11 
  Generate Stats 
  Each character has nine attributes that define 
  them. These attributes are called STATS. Stats are 
  generated by rolling 2D6 nine times and assigning 
  each value to a STAT. Stats cap at 10, so any roll 
  higher than a 10 counts as a 10. If no stats are 
  above an 8 you may reroll all nine stats. They are as 
  follows: 
  Willpower 
  A measure of how well you stand up under 
  pressure and how charismatic you are. High 
  willpower denotes sophistication and great 
  leadership potential. Most skills that deal with 
  social interaction will use Willpower.  
  Movement 
  How far in meters you can move in a pinch. This 
  stat also determines how fast you can run and how 
  far you can jump.  
  Luck 
  That “something” that occasionally throws the 
  balance of events in your favor. This stat 
  represents a certain number of points you may 
  spend each game session.  
  Appearance 
  How good looking you are. This stat will 
  occasionally be used with social interaction skills. 
  Empathy 
  How well you relate to other living things. This is a 
  measure of likeability and sympathetic emotions. 
  You may need Willpower for troops to follow you, 
  but you need Empathy for them to like following 
  you. 
  Technical 
  Your character’s ability to create, modify, and 
  repair technology. This stat will be used with all 
  skills that involve the repair and function of 
  machinery. A must for any technicians or 
  engineers.  
  Body 
  Determines how much damage a character can 
  take before being killed. For more on Hits, Kills, and 
  other types of damage, as well as specific values for 
  your character see the table below. 
  Hits by Location 
  Body 2 
  3-4 
  5-7 
  8-9 
  10 
  Head 4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  Torso 8 
  10 
  12 
  14 
  16 
  Limbs 6 
  7 
  9 
  10 
  12 
   
  Damage Modifier (your melee attacks) 
  Body 2 
  3-4 
  5-7 
  8-9 
  10 
  Modifier -2 
  -1 
  ±0 
  +1 
  +2 
   
  Intelligence  
  How smart you are. Most scientific skills will work 
  with your Intelligence.  
  Reflex 
  A combination of agility and hand-eye 
  coordination. If you are a combat oriented 
  character, high Reflex is a must, as just about any 
  physical skill will use them.  
   
   
  House rule box 
  Stats are the basis of a character. Therefore, 
  they play a key role in determining the power 
  level of a game. If you want a grittier or more 
  deadly campaign consider lowering the starting 
  cap on stats. On the opposite end, considering 
  allowing stats up to 12 for a higher power level 
  campaign. This is a pretty big decision as so 
  many things are based off of these stats.  
  
   
  12 
  Character Type 
  There are three types of characters in Gundam 
  Senki: Veterans, Rookies, and Civilians. Not to be 
  confused with a class, character types are very 
  broad outlines of characters. Two characters can 
  both be veterans but be very different and excel at 
  different tasks.  Each type also has its advantages 
  and disadvantages – Veterans have more skills, 
  Civilians have more Newtype points, and Rookies 
  are a balance between the two.    
  Veterans 
   
  Rookies 
   
  Civilians 
   
   
  
   
  13 
  Skills 
   
   
  
   
  14 
   
   
   
   CHAPTER 3:  
  Sorrow and Hatred 
  “Let’s see what it can do…” 
  
   
  15 
  Combat  
   
   
  
   
  16 
   
   CHAPTER 4:  
  A Cosmic Glow 
  “This is no Zaku, boy! No Zaku!”  
  
   
  17 
  Mechanic Files 
  What would a Gundam game be without mobile 
  suits? This section will give detailed profiles about 
  the various mobile weapons, vehicles, and ships 
  seen in the series. This chapter will be split into two 
  sections, one for the Federation Forces and one for 
  the Principality of Zeon. A mechanic file has the 
  following sections: 
  Summary 
  This section gives a brief history on the mechanic 
  and any notable information.  
  Basic Stats 
  The basic stats section describes the general 
  characteristics of the mechanic. This includes: 
   Type – the specification the mechanic  
   Skill – the skill used to pilot the mechanic  
   Reaction Adjustment [MV] – a modifier for 
  the pilots reaction while piloting the 
  mechanic  
   Basic Evasion – the typical evasion value of 
  a pilot, this is added for speed of play 
   Basic Initiative – the typical initiative value 
  for a pilot 
   Power – a rating of the mechanics raw 
  power, this value determines any damage 
  modifiers for melee attacks.  
  The typical pilot has 8 REF and 4 in all relevant 
  combat skills. Basic Evasion and Imitative are based 
  off of this assumption. If Basic Initiative and 
  Evasion aren’t present, the mechanic is not mean 
  to be used by typical pilots and should only be used 
  by PCs or Major NPCs.  
  Armor & Shields  
  The amount of armor and kills a robot has is 
  detailed here as well as its hit location chart. Any 
  shields will also be detailed here. This include 
  information on:  
   Stopping Power – the amount of damage 
  that can be blocked before it is subtracted 
  from kills. Unless it is marked as “L” for 
  Lunarium, any damage done to armor will 
  lower its stopping value by 1. L-armor takes 
  at least 8 damage at once to lower its 
  stopping power.  
   Defense Accuracy [DA] – how much area 
  the shield can cover/maneuverable the 
  shield is. 
   Kills – the structural integrity of a servo. 
  Think of these like hit points. When they hit 
  zero the servo is destroyed.   
  Weapons 
  This section details the weapons that are available 
  to the mechanic. This includes:  
   Mounted Weapons – these are weapons 
  that are directly attached to the mechanic 
  and are always available. 
   Optional Weapons – these are weapons 
  that are usually wielded by the mechanic 
  and can be swapped out. This weapons are 
  not always available.  
   Accuracy [WA] – how accurate the weapon 
  is. This modifies attack rolls.  
   Range – how many units you can fire 
  without effectively. Max range is this 
  number squared. 
   Damage – how much damage is applied on 
  a hit in Kills. 
    Ammo – how many shots until the weapon 
  needs reloaded or is unusable.  
   Location – where the weapon is located on 
  the mechanic. Weapons are unusable if this 
  location is destroyed.  
   Skill Used – the skill used when rolling to 
  attack with this weapon.  
  Special 
  This section lists any special abilities or equipment 
  of the mechanic. Such as any environmental 
  penalty protection or being an Ace Custom.  
  
   
  18 
  Weapon Tags 
  Most weapons will have a tag that describes their 
  usage. They are as follows:  
   Energy Cap [EC]: The weapon can only be 
  used by Mobile Suits equipped with an 
  Energy Cap system. 
  The number of shots is as written in the 
  individual mechanic file. EC weapons can 
  only be recharged at a mothership or base. 
   Magazine [M]: The weapon is reloaded by 
  magazine. Most One-Year War MS cannot 
  reload weapons by hand. The number 
  equals the number of shots in one 
  magazine. 
   Energy Melee Weapon [EM]:  
   Machine Gun [MG]: All MG has BV5. 
   Cross-Linked [_CL_] : the number before 
  the CL being the Damage caused, and the 
  number after being the number of weapons 
  linked together. 
   Blast Radius [BR]:  
   Anti-Personnel [AH]: Anti-Personnel 
  weaponry does damage in Hits not Kills. 
   Underwater [UW]  
   Heat Weapons [HW] 
   Scatter Shot [SS]:  
  Overly Fast Mechanics 
  Mobile Suits with Magnet Coating or other ways of 
  maneuvering quickly require such delicate control 
  that ordinary pilots cannot handle them. For 
  mechanics with MV of -3 or worse, no penalty is 
  applied. For those with MV -2 or better, the pilot’s 
  Reflex + appropriate Piloting Skill + Newtype 
  Points must equal a target number, or the pilot 
  receives a -4 penalty to all actions within the suit. 
  MV Value Reflex + Skill + [N-Points] 
  -2 
  15 
  -1 
  20 
  +0 
  25 
   
   
  Power Ratings 
  As stated earlier, Power describes the raw strength 
  of a mechanic. It directly affects how much damage 
  they do in melee combat. See the Power table for 
  more details.  
   
    
   
  Power Rank Punch/Claw/Hand Weapon  
  Kick 
  20 
  +6 
  +9 
  19 
  +6 
  +9 
  18 
  +5 
  +8 
  17 
  +5 
  +8 
  16 
  +5 
  +7 
  15 
  +4 
  +7 
  14 
  +4 
  +6 
  13 
  +4 
  +6 
  12 
  +3 
  +5 
  11 
  +3 
  +5 
  10 
  +3 
  +4 
  9 
  +2 
  +4 
  8 
  +2 
  +3 
  7 
  +2 
  +3 
  6 
  +1 
  +2 
  5 
  +1 
  +2 
  4 
  +1 
  +1 
  3 
  +0 
  +1 
  2 
  +0 
  +0 
  1 
  +0 
  +0 
  
   
  19 
  Federation Mechanics 
  This section will detail the various mobile suits, 
  space craft, and vehicles used by the Earth 
  Federation during the One Year War.  
   
   
   
  
   
  20 
  Zeon Mechanics 
  This section will detail the various mobile suits, 
  mobile armor, space craft, and vehicles used by the 
  Principality of Zeon during the One Year War.  
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Gundam/GUNDAM ORIGIN.pdf