First things first: BCGRe is a complete upgrade to the original BCG. While the mechanics are pretty much the same, everything from the writing, presentaion, artstyle and setting is an improvement to the original- You can tell his other works (Monsterpunk) helped to make this product the best it can be.

But, to get down to the meat and bones: BCGRe is set in a "Solarpunk" future, with one unified setting 2000 years after the collapse of humanity. It's a d10 RPG, with you stacking Advantages/Disadvantages to change your dice pool. Your character is one part narrative- your "Pilot"- and one part badass Mecha. Each are customizable in their own way: Mecha's with a middle-of-the-road "Effects over Minutia" way of assigning Upgrades to their chasis (compared to tracking every spend bullet); while Pilots get various narrative mechanics that encourage roleplay (Themes being the main one).

Overall, I liked this edition far more than the first (which wasn't very inspiring).

Battle Century G Remastered is the end of an interesting little journey. Before working on Monsterpunk, the author updated his blog with the "BCG Retrospective", where he'd go back to the original release of Battle Century G. Each chapter and feature was scrutinized, with insight on how it got there and how it could be improved. This eventually led to a PDF of suggested balance changes, which post-Monsterpunk would be greatly expanded upon to eventually lead to this Remastered edition. Overall a pretty interesting "behind the scenes" look.

So what is BCG, exactly? It's basically a tabletop adaptation of Super Robot Wars and SD Gundam G Generation (though that in turn is basically a SRW fork), aka a game about tactical anime mecha combat. The game doesn't try to directly translate the various video game mechanics, but the influences are clear if you're familiar with the source material.

Character and mecha creation is pretty similar overall, with each having six (albeit different) stats followed by a collection of various offensive, defensive or utility upgrades/weapons/skills/etc. Everything is bought with points, which in turn are limited by the current power level. Aside from the stats, you don't really have to deal with numbers. Skills don't have ranks, but are trinary (unskilled/specializes/the full package). There's also no skill relating to mecha piloting. This is a mecha game, after all, so it is assumed that everyone knows how to pilot one. The main thing pilots bring to a mecha fight are their Genre Powers, powerful abilities that can turn the tide of battle through buffs, debuffs or other trickery.

Combat for characters and mecha is handled differently, with the former being a slower, more dangerous affair. Though if you want there's really nothing stopping you from building a "mecha version" of characters for use with character-scale combat, which would be quiet fitting for campaigns emulating Super Sentai shows, or crazier mecha anime like Mobile Fighter G Gundam where every pilot is also a crazy fighting game character.

Mecha are don't have a lot of crunch, but are still full of tactical nuances. You don't have to worry about stuff like weight or how many slots you have, but (almost) everything you buy has to go into one of the mecha's Areas. Every mecha has the same amount of Areas, but what they represent can vary from mecha to mecha, and depending on how you refluff them you can also have tanks, jets, monsters, battleships, or really anything.

The length of any given battle has a sort of soft time limit in the form of Tension: The longer a fight lasts, the more dangeorus it becomes for everyone. On top of that there's a downwards spiral for damaged mecha, as hitting damage thresholds causes on Area to "turn off", robbing the pilot of whatever upgrades were put into the Area. Though fear not, for there are various ways to still use upgrades from damage Areas at least temporary.

Weapons are handled pretty clever. Most of them technically have the same damage potential, but they each grant advantages in certain situations, offer new tactical possibilities, and/or are stronger than average but come with additional drawbacks.

Bosses deserve special mention. Tey have their own collection of special Genre Powers, upgrades and weapons, most with wonderfully evocative names like "Behod my True Power" or "Bullet Hell". And don't worry about Boss fights getting potentially too easy due to the above downwards spiral. Bosses actually power up as they get damaged.

The Remastered edition compiles the original Battle Century G and its supplement Battle Century Z into one book, with a generous helping of balance changes, clarifications and advice. New optional rules are also included, like a corruption mechanic inspired by Monsterpunk (which interestingly can't make your character unplayable - as long as you don't leave the cockpit, at least) or guidelines to create your own weapons (the original edition relied on pre-made weapons that you can refluff to your desire, though the book admits that the construction rules aren't perfect; if you're idea for a weapon is similar enough to an existing one, you're probably better off with that one).

The example fluff has also greatly been expanded, though the original setting (a typical SRW affair that has been around since the days of Giant Guardian Generation, the precursor to BCG) has been abolished in favor of a new one, which is basically what happens if Turn A Gundam meets Nausicaä; a more optimistic post-post-apocalypse where the characters live in a now alien Earth, threatened by cyberpunk fanatics and the strange cybernetic monsters that have become the new dominant species.

What a cool RPG. The book is really generous with content and I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. If you like mecha RPGs I think it's worth grabbing for that aspect alone.

Well, maybe unless you are absolutely in need of spreadsheet-style gameplay. The author makes it clear that this is not a "detailed mecha customization" game involving tracking weight, fuel, and caliber of guns.

The cover shows the SDG-001 Drake; it's a basic tutorial model that's statted up on page 286. Stats are simple to glance at, and they are used in the game along with a simple, D10-based, higher-is-better mechanic that is covered well on page 16.

While it's a "simple core mechanic," that's not to say there's no crunch. It's more like "vocab crunch" in a way. And for that matter, I think some words about crunch may be helpful:

For one, there's a lot of crunch in the number of accompanying gameplay structures and their names. There are names you'll need to commit to memory in order to learn the game.

Take Tests, as a simple example: There are various frameworks, or specific types of Tests, provided for judging outcomes of circumstances that come up during gameplay. These include: Skill Tests, Contested Tests, Mixed Tests, Extended Tests, Healing Tests, Equipment Tests, and Help Tests.

There are also Matches and Operations mechanics, various rules for distance, damage and maiming, and so on. Specific rules are offered where a lightweight game might offer a hand-wave or unified approach.

The terminology is important to understand as well. The book is not filled with computational tables, but there is a kind of computation of vocabulary involved. There are lots of specialty-terminology summaries, like "when you take an Anomaly, you gain one of two Miracles it offers without having to spend any CP to purchase it." There is some game-structure terminology which is well-explained but which still needs to be understood.

There's also a crunchy "general support structure"--the book is well-edited and provides support for lots of topics. There are many, many examples throughout which are helpful in understanding what the author had in mind for specific types of Tests.

So, while the core mechanic is simple and lightweight by itself, I wouldn't really call the game lightweight. That would be like calling Fate Core lightweight.

There is a lot of focus on displacing metrics and data in favor of narrative and descriptive structure. If you're a simulationist, you should probably think of the goal as piloting a really awesome cinematic gameplay system. You can pilot a mech for sure, but you can also pilot the narrative structure that makes the mech go rogue and split the world in half on accident, or whatever, with lots of relevant detail and narrative depth involving a host of different interactions. In fact I'd say the structure of the game makes more sense, the broader and more dramatic you make your story.

The same situation is true for gear geeks. There is a sidebar that clarifies that inventory management isn't the name of the game at all. You aren't going to find catalogue-like tables of gear with granular stats. But you can absolutely still use the gear and leverage it in the story.

So, story and narrative structure detail get a lot of focus in this game. There are gobs of examples, tools, instructions, options, and clarifications that can help you make an awesome story happen. So if you really enjoy mecha story arcs and want to create some of those with a group, it'd be hard to recommend a more helpful way to do so.

Lots of pre-gen type content is included, plenty to get you started.

The book is extensive, so to sum up the type of length, and type of crunch:

Data-table Crunch: Low

Random table Crunch: Low

Character Sheet Data Crunch: Low

Character Sheet Background / Narrative / Vocab Crunch: Medium

Gameplay Core Mechanic Crunch: Low

Experiential Gameplay Mechanic Crunch: Medium, with specific core+more mechanics somewhat dispersed throughout the book.

Vocab/Literary-Mechanical Crunch: High & Dispersed throughout the book.

Exceptions Crunch: High due to "airtight" rules system, but forgetting some exceptions is probably OK for GMs who can improvise and balance a story on the go.

Overall crunch dispersion: High. Because of the "airtight" structured nature, it's a good idea to read through or familiarize yourself with the whole text over time. You could find some new rules or things to think about that really solve important emergent gameplay problems.

Flexibility: I'd rate the flexibility as reasonable if you are a flexible, improv-style GM or gamer. I think you could throw the airtight structure out the window, so to speak, or add it in bit by bit as you learn the system. But you may feel like there are parts of the book that don't speak to your needs. Quite often data-table-minded people are focused on improvising or observing emergent narrative systems, rather than using frameworks for generating those systems from a rules text.

Recommended use of book: Read-through in order, or skim through to familiarize with basics and plan to consult in depth later.

Who's this really good for?

First, I think the book is probably a really good fit for readers who like to take their time to read and enjoy a detailed, structured, and opinionated text in order to discover what the author meant it to be, remaining open to new ideas and new structures.

If those people also like to play cinematic characters who know their place as part of a group, as opposed to being THE personality in the story, even better. It's a book that supports emergent cinematic worlds, and worlds are made up of all kinds of parts that are all important--that's the kind of thinking here.

And if those people are part of a group of similarly-minded players, holy smokes! A trifecta of cinematic awesomeness should result.

Second, if you're a fan of mecha, and have other mecha games, you will probably find some ideas or gameplay structures you like in here.

Third, I think the cover is a total win. You could buy this for the cover design alone and I'd offer that you have a good head on your shoulders. The layout inside the book is also really easy to read and nice to look at. It backs up the cover really well.

Fourth, if you're into concept-based design and worldbuilding, I think this book could really help you flesh out your concepts and world. Even thinking about support structures like Factions ought to be helpful and that's just one aspect.

Finally, if you want to learn more about the genre and different storytelling possibilities, and if you think it's cool to spin up different ways to use vocabulary as structure, and wish to expose yourself to more of that kind of helpful stuff, because hey, data and spreadsheets aren't everything--this is a terrific resource.

Thanks to the author for their work on this really cool RPG and its newly remastered form.

A post-apocalyptic tactical RPG inspired by Megami Tensei.

Fluff-wise, the default setting presented is probably closest to Shin Megami Tensei II, in that the initial monster invasion has happened so long ago that the world has become completely recognizable, and humans have ince managed to arrange themselves with their new neighbors and overlords. Sure, they tend to be rather low on the totem pole, but the same can be said for monsters that don't make up the upper echelons of their hierarchy. As such, it is no wonder that some humans and monsters would join forces to form a mutually beneficial pact.

In true Megami Tensei tradition, the world is dominated by a number of rivaling factions, each with their own vision of how the world ought to look like. The various categories of monsters (which are closer to the monster types of D&D than the sometimes esoteric classifications in a MegaTen title) are split roughly equally among the factions (though that's just where you can usually find certain monster types; sufficiently talented and/or ruthless monsters can find employment anywhere), which can lead to some interesting combinations. My personal favorite is probably Elysium, which is a joint venture of angels of necromancers - because the only thing better than fantatically loyal soldiers are fanatically loyal soldiers that can still fight for you in (un)death.

Mechanics-wise, the game is recognizably derived from Battle Century G, although with obvious tweaks. Stats don't exist outside of Hit Points and Movement Points, so characters are entirely defined by their selection of Skills, Features and Techs. Action resolution is a lot like in BCG, but with a few Apocalypse World twists: the game throws in twists instead of a simple pass/fail system, and instead of trying to beat a Target Number you just look at your highest die (or a lower one, if you want).

Combat is very tactical, with stronger Techs requiring simple cooldown or resource management (you can't keep using the same Advanced Tech over and over again, and the powerful Limit Techs are like Super Moves in a fighting game in that they are generally not available from the start of combat). Like in BCG, there are tweaks to ensure that combat doesn't drag on for too long. Whereas BCG used Tension (which makes combat more dangerous the longer it's been going on), Monsterpunk gives every Tech a Base Effect: No matter how poorly you roll, you will always deal some damage, and your debuffs will generally stick unless the target is immune against that particular debuff. Negotiations are a common feature in Megami Tensei games, usually peformed to recruit enemies you encounter or at least convince them to leave you alone. In this game, there are a number of Negotiation Skills one can use to demoralize the enemy, which can cause debuffs and even surrenders. One does not necessarily need guns or lightning bolts to "defeat" enemies in this game.

Player Characters use a more restrictive level/class system compared to BCG (though there are optional rules for creating your own classes for a maximum of customization). Classes are divided into roles (Assault, Control, Healer, Tank) and type: Summoners fight alongside their monster partner (though it's generally the monster doing the heavy lifting), Riders use their monster as a mount, Hybrids are a permanent fusion between human and monster (think Devilman, or the Demi-Fiend from Shin Megami Tensei III), and finally Solos are for those who don't actually have a monster partner and instead rely on magic, psychic powers and/or technology. As a nice touch, each class gets the same number of slots for Skills and Trick Techs (class-specific out-of-combat abilities), meaning everyone has something to do outside of combat.

Battle Century G was already big on refluffing (ranging from just renaming the weapons to turning the entire game of piloting giant robots into something completely different, like say a tokusatsu game). Monsterpunk cranks this up a lot. Almost every class type can be refluffed into any other class type: A Rider can just be a Solo with a special vehicle, and Hybrids and Solos are very interchangeable. Even Riders don't necessarily need a mount (they can technically dismount during combat, but that can't happen against their will and there's really not much of an incentive to do it willingly) and might just be a very fast Hybrid or Solo. Even Summoners aren't safe from refluffing, and there's even an official "Solo Summoner" in the form of the Tuplamancer (who is effectively a Persona/Stand user because he doesn't summon a monster, but a being from his own subconcious). In order to encourage this refluffing, each and every class comes with three example character concepts, only of of which will follow the default fluff of the class.

And of course, the entire setting can be replaced with something else, like say some kind of monder day urban fantasy setup.

A post-apocalyptic tactical RPG inspired by Megami Tensei.

Fluff-wise, the default setting presented is probably closest to Shin Megami Tensei II, in that the initial monster invasion has happened so long ago that the world has become completely recognizable, and humans have ince managed to arrange themselves with their new neighbors and overlords. Sure, they tend to be rather low on the totem pole, but the same can be said for monsters that don't make up the upper echelons of their hierarchy. As such, it is no wonder that some humans and monsters would join forces to form a mutually beneficial pact.

In true Megami Tensei tradition, the world is dominated by a number of rivaling factions, each with their own vision of how the world ought to look like. The various categories of monsters (which are closer to the monster types of D&D than the sometimes esoteric classifications in a MegaTen title) are split roughly equally among the factions (though that's just where you can usually find certain monster types; sufficiently talented and/or ruthless monsters can find employment anywhere), which can lead to some interesting combinations. My personal favorite is probably Elysium, which is a joint venture of angels of necromancers - because the only thing better than fantatically loyal soldiers are fanatically loyal soldiers that can still fight for you in (un)death.

Mechanics-wise, the game is recognizably derived from Battle Century G, although with obvious tweaks. Stats don't exist outside of Hit Points and Movement Points, so characters are entirely defined by their selection of Skills, Features and Techs. Action resolution is a lot like in BCG, but with a few Apocalypse World twists: the game throws in twists instead of a simple pass/fail system, and instead of trying to beat a Target Number you just look at your highest die (or a lower one, if you want).

Combat is very tactical, with stronger Techs requiring simple cooldown or resource management (you can't keep using the same Advanced Tech over and over again, and the powerful Limit Techs are like Super Moves in a fighting game in that they are generally not available from the start of combat). Like in BCG, there are tweaks to ensure that combat doesn't drag on for too long. Whereas BCG used Tension (which makes combat more dangerous the longer it's been going on), Monsterpunk gives every Tech a Base Effect: No matter how poorly you roll, you will always deal some damage, and your debuffs will generally stick unless the target is immune against that particular debuff. Negotiations are a common feature in Megami Tensei games, usually peformed to recruit enemies you encounter or at least convince them to leave you alone. In this game, there are a number of Negotiation Skills one can use to demoralize the enemy, which can cause debuffs and even surrenders. One does not necessarily need guns or lightning bolts to "defeat" enemies in this game.

Player Characters use a more restrictive level/class system compared to BCG (though there are optional rules for creating your own classes for a maximum of customization). Classes are divided into roles (Assault, Control, Healer, Tank) and type: Summoners fight alongside their monster partner (though it's generally the monster doing the heavy lifting), Riders use their monster as a mount, Hybrids are a permanent fusion between human and monster (think Devilman, or the Demi-Fiend from Shin Megami Tensei III), and finally Solos are for those who don't actually have a monster partner and instead rely on magic, psychic powers and/or technology. As a nice touch, each class gets the same number of slots for Skills and Trick Techs (class-specific out-of-combat abilities), meaning everyone has something to do outside of combat.

Battle Century G was already big on refluffing (ranging from just renaming the weapons to turning the entire game of piloting giant robots into something completely different, like say a tokusatsu game). Monsterpunk cranks this up a lot. Almost every class type can be refluffed into any other class type: A Rider can just be a Solo with a special vehicle, and Hybrids and Solos are very interchangeable. Even Riders don't necessarily need a mount (they can technically dismount during combat, but that can't happen against their will and there's really not much of an incentive to do it willingly) and might just be a very fast Hybrid or Solo. Even Summoners aren't safe from refluffing, and there's even an official "Solo Summoner" in the form of the Tuplamancer (who is effectively a Persona/Stand user because he doesn't summon a monster, but a being from his own subconcious). In order to encourage this refluffing, each and every class comes with three example character concepts, only of of which will follow the default fluff of the class.

And of course, the entire setting can be replaced with something else, like say some kind of monder day urban fantasy setup.

For extra customization and options, the book also covers faction management and custom classes (either by mashing together two existing classes, or make one from scratch based on one of the class types).

Monsterpunk Unleashed follows a format similar to Battle Century Z in that it is packed with loads of new stuff for player snad GMs.

Classes

The new classes follow a different design philosophy than the ones from the core. They are not tied to any specific role, and can in fact be developed into any role since they can pick Techs from a pool shared by all of the new classes (which is made up of Techs from the core book). What sets these new classes apart is what I like to call their "big gimmick". Just to name a few examples:

The Binder for example has made a pact with multiple weaker monsters and can control all of them at the same time.

The Monomythian also has multiple not-Personas, but he can only have one of them out at the same time. In what sounds like a great tweak to the Social Link system found in newer Persona titles, each summon was born from a relationship the Monomythian has with someone else (most likely a fellow Player Character because there are synergy effects between summon and "parent").

The Secret Weapon is for those that love big super moves. This class has access to extremely powerful Limit Techs, but must jump through additional hoops in order to activate them.

The Covenant Caster (along with a few others) has access to a custom tech creation system (which should also prove useful to GMs).

Purebloods are the opposite of Solos in that they are a monster without a human partner. Sure, you could already refluff one of the core classes into being 100% monster, but this class has more monster-related flavor. It has various ways to create Orgone (the crystalized life force that serves as the currency and monster food of the setting) and use it to power up Techs. It also replaces Humanity (aka long-term damage) with Integrity, a corruption that crytalizes the monster's body itself.

Monsters

The new monster types presented here are generally rarer than the core ones and more or less trickire to use due to mandatory benefits and drawbacks. Flora (aka plant monsters) for example benefit more from healing effects, but their reduced Speed generally forces them to rely on teleportation and similar movement Techs to get around the battlefield

Optional Features

Offers a number of fun customization options, for example the option to become a lycanthrope or vampire. The Integrity mechanic from the Pureblood is also available here, so one can still refluff other classes as pure monsters without missing out on this monster-specific mechanic.

New Enemy Options

Of course there are many new ways to customize NPCs, like Machine (NPC is immune against negotiations, but becomes suceptible to the new hacking action) or Hubris (NPC loses spike damage potential in favor of being tankier; the campaign presented later in the book uses this a lot). New Techs are also included, and one can come up with even more thanks to the Custom Tech system.

Allied Reinforcements

A variation of the system found in Battle Century G, it offers a simplified way of added NPC allies to a fight without danger of them overshadowing the PCs.

**Consumables, Surgical Enhancements and others***

A selection of useful one-time or permanent upgrades for those with the cash to spare, along with boosts for familiars and other follower-types. Of note are also the advanced crafting rules, which offer neat enchantments that require the slaying of a powerful foe to complete.

Any Oasis in a Desert

A "short" campaign (relatively at least, it takes up the majority of the book) focusing on a fey city in the middle of a desert where all hell has broken loose after an Elemental uprising (who are usually employed as glorified batteries, ventilation and security systems). Overall it's a pretty good showcase of what you can do with the system. The main plot itself is pretty straightforward, but there's a lot of exploring, negotiating and scavenging to do, featuring encounters with mad scientists, cackling villains and the most diabolical of foes: lawyers.

This supplement is packed with good stuff. Many new customization options enable new kinds of mecha builds (or help builds that didn't quite work too well with just the corebook). Personal highlights include Versatile Model (for the typical protagonist Gundam that uses melee and ranged weapons roughly in equal measures), Remote weapons (for if you like your Funnels to work more like they do in the shows instead of how they work in SRW or SD Gundam G Generation), and new fun combination options (Invincible Super Combination for units that are much better combined than they are as individual units, and Universal Component for units that can "combine" with - or rather dock onto - any ally unit).

The new rules systems are also a welcome addition. The Element System can help with certain niche mecha properties (like the Lord of Elemental spin-off of SRW), but are also useful to reskin this into a mon game. Rules for Faction Management further add mechanical crunch to the players' mecha combat antics, while Hardcore Difficulty offers options for more long-lasting consequences and unexpected circumstances.

The book closes with a bestiary of challenging opponents, plus a number of scenarios to use them (like a classic Asteroid/Colony Drop scenario).

Battle Century G is essentially the 2nd edition of Giant Guardian Generation, a homebrew title meant to capture the spirit of Super Robot Wars, a popular video game franchise of tactical RPGs featuring mecha from just about every mecha IP owned by Bandai. If you've touched even a single SRW game, you'll feel very familiar with BCG, and many design decision will become very clear.

What the game offers is a satisfying tactical RPG that handles things like transformable mecha or combiners with ease. Everything his heavily flavored for mecha action, but with just a little bit of reskinning the system can be used for anything from Super Sentai to action anime.

There are plenty of ways to customize your mecha, but the general system is very streamlined - so much so that you get to name the mecha's areas aka hit locations, which is also a very clever way to ensure you can use the same system for just about any vehicle or monster. Some might get put off by the fact you can create your own weapons, but the weapons are yet again very streamlined (usually falling into broad categories like "better in specific situations" or "better in general, but with downsides") and just begging to be reskinned.

The game also comes with a simplified combat system for out-of-mecha fights, but there's really nothing stopping you from using the main combat rules for more depth and customization.

I am going to first say that my opinion of this game might be more than just a tad biased as I have spoken with the creator of this game on numerous occasions via the game's dedicated Discord server. That said I will try to decouple any personal feelings and look at this game in as straight forward a fashion as I can. Also this will be a review for both Battle Century G as well as Battle Century Z.

Some background - I am a huge mecha nerd. Gundam, Escaflowne, Robotech, Evangelion and more (those are just the more well known ones I can think of at the moment). I have tried several systems and homebrew material for those systems including a clearly well-intentioned but sorely disappointing attempt to overhaul the third edition of the "World's Most Popular Roleplaying Game" some years ago. None of those ever worked. I've even looked at several systems that were dedicated to the mecha subgenre of science fiction and three "universal" systems. Either they proved far too skimpy on the rules or one would need multiple spreadsheets to handle just the base game.

None of that is needed with Battle Century G. The system is not rules heavy nor is it rules light. The overall system, rather, is effects based. See a really cool power in the book but don't like the default description? Take it anyway and refluff it as you see fit. Do you want a soldier in power armor taking down giant bioweapon monsters from the planet Xerixyxow 3? Do you want slow, lumbering behemoth mecha that attack just as readily with a rail cannon as try to hack the enemy mecha to shut them down before a single shot is fired? Do you want magical girls fighting arcane-infused demons from the shadow plane? Do you want to pierce the heavens with a drill while shouting manly phrases? All that and more is possible here.

The Books: Battle Century G and Z are clearly works of passion. While they are lovingly created and have tons of optional rules, guidelines and hints, I do find a few minor issues with the books. BCG's index at the back I found rather thin and, when coupled with the fact that most of the powers, weapons, etc. in the book are place in their respective sections they are rarely (if ever) in alphabetical order, something I find can (and does) slow down gameplay. Z is just as bad with failing to align things alphabetically. With a PDF I am sure there is little issue so long as you can have a search funtion for the PDF but with printed copies it can slow things down unless the game master or the players have written out the relevant information before hand. That said, each power is unique, each weapon fun and the character/mecha sheets straightforward and easy to read and use. One oddity I do find is that BCZ does not have a spine title and BCG does but it is upside down, reading from bottom up rather than the universal top down. Minor issue but one that I felt needed to be stated.

The Art: I'm not one to complain about art being a terrible artist in the real world so I will simply comment on a few key pieces I particularly like. The cover and back art splashes are evocative and commanding with BCG's clearly being influenced by the so-called "Real Robot" mecha subgenre; BCZ's cover is influenced by the "Super Robot" mecha subgenra with it's back cover that of a power armor wearing humanoid with a sword reminds me of certain anime/video game characters. The art within the books tend to be varied with some being of what I would consider really good quality and others not so much. One issue I found with my copy of BCG is that several of the images (particularly for enemies near the back of the book) are extremely faded. While that may be a printing issue, I will bring it to light that it is a thing.

The Actual Game System: Thanks to the extremely open-ended nature of the system, any form of mecha or high-fantasy/radical sci-fi game is possible. You won't be bogged down with multiple pages detailing how to make a robot leg, for instance, but will get instead multiple pages of easily refluffable Powers, Upgrades, Weapons and guidelines and tips on how to use them. Each of these are purchased with a resource called "Mecha Points" and as you play the game you earn more through combat and roleplaying. Each mecha starts with 100 MP and as one gains "Power Levels" they unlock more MP, 30 MP per Power Level. One does need to spend said MP right away it seems though it should be noted not doing to could leave you at a particular disadvantage against enemies. However, if you would rather have a "midseason upgrade" like we see in many mecha anime, I say more power to you (if you survive!). With the inclusion of BCZ, the list of options for Powers, Upgrades and Weapons expand all the more and by golly there are possibly millions of possible combinations by that point! I will say that while you may not need any spreadsheets one should probably have the book sticky-noted to key pages or have a couple of pages of notes to the side with all of the effects and such that the enemies and players can pull off to speed things up.

As for out-of-mecha goodness, it's there but not as well supported as I have seen in other games. That may or may not be to everyone's liking but I'm perfectly happy with it. After years and years of having characters with several pages of equipments and special abilites, spells/tech and more to handle, this is rather fresh change of pace for me.

Influences: It wears them on it's sleeve. Drawing from such disparate mecha series as Mazinger Z, Mobile Suit Gundam, Patlabor, Escaflowne, Big O, Macross and others, it wears it's lineage proudly, even calling out a number of these in text and with plenty of easter eggs for any fan of mecha anime and games to find (such as "Windmill with Arms and Legs" found on page 75 of BCG being a clear reference to the Nether Gundam from G Gundam, the "AIE-05 Angelus" on page 181 of BCG being a clear homage to the "Ramiel Angel" from Evangelion and the "Who the Hell do you Think I am?" power on page 15 of BCZ being something stated by Kamina in the series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, just to name a few!).

Final Verdict: I never know whether I should go with a #/5 or #/10 system for these reviews. I think I'll stick with the latter but alas! This site uses a 5 star system. Oh well... Final Verdict for Battle Century G and Z is a high 9/10 or 5/5 stars for this site.

Well, I read (or skimmed) all the stuff that wasn't already in the SRD, and I must say: This is a good supplement to Battle Century G, with my only major gripe being that in hindsight, the options for converting the rules to a fantasy setting can already be done with options already in the free BCG and BCZ SRDs (which then again, may be a feature, not a bug). The only exception is the Elemental System, which is very good for a Persona or Shin Megami Tensei-based game; anything with Mons', really. But where this supplement truly shines are the Faction Rules, three different sub-systems that make a living and breathing world around the PCs.

The optional Faction Rules allows you to simulate being part of a larger organization or building up one from scratch, the latter more than the former. With the ability to add NPCs to a growing cast of 'True Companions' and gain bonuses from them, as well as rules that allow the faction as a whole to act militarily, financially, and politically in the PCs' favor, the Faction Rules are lovely. Note that said rules do include a collateral damage sub-system (which I recommend for masochists or realists), and that might get in the way of builds that are built around blowing stuff up. But still, the image of a band of brothers/true companions/adoptive family forming around the PCs and slowly winning...that's a well-loved plot for a reason.

But what was truly a pleasant surprise is the 'Circumstances of War' mechanic, which allows you to personalize individual operations with maluses and bonuses and stuff that can be taken as both (extra Tension). This ensures that you no longer have to rely on just terrain and Mecha to make each battle different. That said, though, people have said that Pilot-scale combat is the worst-written part of the rules ever since Battle Century G itself, and it is such a shame that it requires a bit of custom work to apply these rules to battles that are not between Mecha. Nevertheless, one cannot have everything, especially in a supplement that is already solid.

I funded this game through Kickstarter, because I was impressed by what I saw. Then I got it in my hands, and I wasn't disappointed! Sure, it isn't as technical as some others - but I don't care! I've been playing RPGs for years on end, and I've been a fan of robot anime for even longer, and let me tell you - THIS is the only game that manages to accurately reproduce the classic super robots of the eighties, building them easily and in an enjoyable way. Why, while I was reading the rules I tried to - and managed to - recreate most of my favorites from all the shows, whether they were the Getter Robo (original, G and Shin), Mazinger Z, Gundam, the White Base, Raideen, a Valkyrie... if I could think it, I could make it. I was ASTOUNDED. Then I tried a game with my friends, and sure enough they were into it all the time, whether their unit was a titanic, lumbering Super or a swift, diminutive power armor. Ditto the pilots: rogue alien princess? A snap. Brash high school student? No problem. Uptight military pilot? Good to go. It was an awesome gaming night. Then I gave it another shot with my online team - just as successful. Sure, not all the pictures are top grade, but that's just nitpicking... Let me state it for short: if you're looking for something that lets you recreate the awesomeness of old anime - and you've grown bored of systems that offer ONLY "tank on legs" units - GET. THIS. GAME. NOW.

Battle Century G is a flexible, creative, and narratively brilliant tactical roleplaying game perfect for campaigns ranging from Gundam Wing all the way up to Combattler V. The basic brilliance of the system lies in what it humbly refers to as 'effects-based gameplay' - in other words, the concept that the effects of a given ability are in no way bound up with the appearance of that ability. Once freed from that narrative link, the myriad of options available in BCG (and even more in the expansion book, Battle Century Z) make it possible to portray any sort of mecha genre character you can imagine. Brawling mecha running on fighting spirit? Spry power armor that zips across the battlefield? Titanic battleships with external weapon systems? Alien beasts that warp space and time? All of that and more is achieveable with minimal effort. What's more, the gameplay associated with these various groupings of effects is diverse and enjoyable, with something to bring to the table for every style of gamer. Fully supportive builds that focus on healing and buffing allies are completely viable, while even being able to dish out occasional blows of their own, for example, and the players can even opt for Super Combinations of their mechs with one another, or installing Frames and Transformations to enable myriad forms for each mecha!

Above and beyond the flexible base system, though, are the two truly genius systems: Genre Powers and Tension.

Genre Powers are, in short, what differentiate PCs (and their Rivals) from mooks. They are moments of narrative hype, game-changing super moves that reflect just about every iconic trope in the greater genre. Every character has access to a handful of universal powers, like Try Again, a basic rerolling power, and Synchro Attack, the classic "everyone together" joint assault. Each character then selects one Genre Power from various other lists for each Power Level they achieve -- usually around 6 sessions per PL -- which add a ton of spice. My favorites are I Cannot Be Defeated!, which does exactly what it sounds like, completely preventing a character from being taken out no matter how powerful the opponent's attack; Trump Card, which grants the mech two extra weapons from to use for the Operation, letting them adapt perfectly to all combats; and This is My Battlefield, a perfect execution of the "just as planned" archetype that allows a character to activate a trap that had always already set up ahead of time, detonating mountains or frying electrical systems. The best part about Genre Powers, though? They use a resource, Genre Points, that is primarily attained through roleplaying and -- because this game is forged from raw elemental mecha anime -- having your mecha take significant damage!

Tension, on the other hand, is a short and sweet but equally cunning implementation of genre standards. Tension is simple -- it's a static value, starting at 1 and increasing by 1 each turn, that is added to all offensive actions. This straightforward escalation mechanic makes sure that fights never drag on too long and that game-stifling, purely defensive strategies will inevitably fail. Tension is then used in other places in the system to great effect. Extreme Terrain like electrical storms or flowing lava becomes more dangerous, with its damage potential scaling up with Tension. The most noteable implementation of Tension is with Techniques, the Super Moves of Battle Century G, which receive a double benefit from Tension -- but only the first time they're used each Operation. The Tension system works tirelessly in the background, rarely becoming all too prominent, but always nudging your game towards cinematic and dramatic confrontation rather than mind-numbing caution.

All the glory doesn't go to the Player Characters, though; the system also includes excellent rules for Bosses, who get access to their own overpowered Upgrades, Weapons, and Boss Powers, all designed to make a 5-on-1 fight far more achieveable than in many other tabletop games. These Boss options often give additional out-of-turn power, terrain control, and other such influential powers that allow a single Big Bad to tangle with the whole PC group competently. This is a feature that few combat-heavy games offer and should not be underestimated!

Alongside the system, BCG includes a few sample settings: a Super Robots style setting for those who love over-the-top, insane action; a Gundam-style setting for fans of miltary melodrama and more Real Robots; and an Evangelion-inspired setting for those seeking a darker, more psychological experience. None of these settings are phenomenal or intimately detailed, but they act as perfect jumping off points for three totally unique approaches to a Battle Century G campaign, so they're worth reading.

In short, Battle Century G is the ultimate tool for narratively-oriented giant mecha tabletop games that still retain a degree of engaging tactical gameplay. In many ways, it achieves a flawless balance between the two through the astute approach of intertwining the two; cause trouble for your character by playing up your Themes and gain more Genre Points to kick ass later in the session. While this approach isn't necessarily novel, the Genre Power and Theme system is a remarkable implementation of that strategy, and its benefits infuse the whole of Battle Century G with a delicate balance between two normally clashing worlds. Give Battle Century G a read if you consider yourself even a passing fan of the mecha genre.

A strong entry into the mecha genre the clearly states its goals: Make an exciting robot battle drama that errs on the side of style over mechanical crunch. I think the inspiration from modern rpgs is great, though I wouldn't call it a story game. I felt the built-in setting wasn't as tight and interesting as the system itself, but it is meant to port, so that's fine.

Could not recommend this more highly. If you're a mecha fan, buy this game.

This is really an excellent system. Strikes the perfect balance between crunchy, detailed rules and light narrative gameplay. The combat is great fun; it's a great tactical experience while still managing to flow very fast, keeping the action going with minimal page flipping and math. Unless you REALLY like complicated, simulationist gameplay, this is probably the mecha system for you.

Character and mecha design is a breeze, and makes GMing require much less prep time than you'd be used to from other systems.

The art and graphic design elements are somewhat lacking, but for a 3000 dollar Kickstarter project, it's perfectly adequate, especially considering that money is also funding an upcoming expansion.

Really great book.

Well designed rules and mechanics are intuitive but the tactical combat has real depth. Perfect balance between crunch and simplicity. Character and enemy creation system is quick and efficient. The system is very well balanced too.

You can see the system was written with mechs in mind. There are fun fluff descriptions for everything and it just oozes style. It's really fun to read. Genre powers are super fun to use and emulate the awesome moments from the shows extremely well.

The system was written with mechs in mind but it works very well for other superpower anime settings too. Just a bit of reskinning and you can run a magical girl, persona or accel world game or many others. Rules are flexible and easy to adapt to many settings.

Apart from the rules the book has a big section with description of not one but 3 different settings and lots of advice on how to run games in different styles. And of course you have stats and descriptions for a bunch of enemies and allies.

Only flaw is not so high production values but it's a indie release so you can't expect a super big budget for art. The content is really exceptional though.

By far the best mecha system I've ever seen. (and I've seen a lot)