MechaStellar Design Blog

MechaStellar Unit Roster Update – June 2023 – GaoGaiGar

For this month’s update we are adding additional units from The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar. This includes the massive King J-Der, upgraded forms of the original characters released last month, along with Gekiryujin and lastly the rock and roll robot Mic Saunders the 13th. We are also adding in our first Stellar Warships from a Super Robot series with the Amaterasu, the Izanagi and Susanoh.

King J-Der is the rival to our protagonist GaoGaiGar, he is an enemy of the 31 Machine Primevals and thus frequently finds himself fighting on the same side as GaoGaiGar. Gekiryujin is the younger counterpart to Chouryujin, who grows the most after watching the altruistic nature of Choryujin (formed by the two brothers HoRyu & EnRyu). Lastly, Mic Saunders the 13th is often the comic relief but also the more unique robot of the series, using different discs and harmonics to accomplish a wide variety of effects. You can also include his 12 brothers to form a brigade on the tabletop.

We have a post on GaoGaiGar gashapon miniatures and larger figures such as Super Minipla and Super Robot Chogokin here: https://mechastellar.com/2023/04/28/mechastellar-gaogaigar-miniatures-and-other-yuusha-series/

Next month will be a Gundam roster update.

Next Series Poll Results and Update Schedule JUN23

Good afternoon everyone,

On the game downloads page we keep a poll to track user feedback on which mecha series they’d like to see added to the roster next. Normally we select the top two options of the poll which usually ends up being a Gundam show and a Super Robot show.

Thanks to a recent article by wargamer (https://www.wargamer.com/warhammer-40k-meets-gundam-mechastellar) we saw a huge spike in traffic for the month of May. As a result we also got a lot more votes in our poll for which series will be added to the roster next.

Before we got a huge surge in traffic, the top two choices were “The next Gundam AU” and “70s Super Robot Show” which was just barely beating TTGL and Dunbine. As you can see the results have changed quite a bit since then with TTGL taking a much larger share of votes.

To keep things fair, we are going to go with 3 choices winning this poll instead of 2. So in addition to the next Gundam AU (After War Gundam X) and TTGL, we are also going to do a 70s Super Robot Show since it was formerly the 2nd place finisher. For these we’ll do Combattler V & Voltes V.

Also, looks like we don’t have too many fans of the Braves series. If you’ve never heard of it before check out this post here: https://mechastellar.com/2023/05/29/where-to-start-the-braves-yuusha-series/

Here’s a roster look ahead for the next few months

  • June – GaoGaiGar part 2 (King J-Der, Gekirujin, etc.)
  • July-August – Gundam update
  • September – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

We’ll most likely have a draft for Combattler V & Voltes V in June or July. New poll has been added to the downloads page.

[MS] Battle Report – GGG vs The Zonderized Federation

This is one of the many test games we did for GaoGaiGar in the last several months using the MechaStellar VER 8.8 Rules. For this series of games the setting is a SRW style Earth with multiple factions.

The narrative was that the GGG organization was deployed to a Federation base where a Zonder had begun to Zonderize the Federation mobile suits there. It was up to GaoGaiGar, HoRyu and EnRyu to stop them.

Below the break you’ll find a write-up for the battle report as well as an after action report and MechaStellar designer commentary.

Continue reading “[MS] Battle Report – GGG vs The Zonderized Federation” →

MechaStellar Roster Update – May 2023 – The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar (Yuusha)

For this month’s roster update we have the Braves series, also known as the Yuusha series.  The Braves or Yuusha series was a long running Super Robot series from the 90s produced by the animation studio Sunrise (most well known for Gundam and countless other Mecha series) and sponsored by Takara. The Braves series produced 8 shows over the decade, each show is independent of each other but have recurring themes and designs. 

For this month we are releasing units from the first show, The Brave Fighter Exkizer, as well as the final and most well known show The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar. You can find the profiles here. If you are new to the Braves / Yuusha series then read this.

Continue reading “MechaStellar Roster Update – May 2023 – The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar (Yuusha)” →

Where to start the Braves (Yuusha) series?

For most people the most well known Braves show is The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar released in 1997 and then followed up with the GaoGaiGar FINAL OVA in 2000. It was the final show in the Braves franchise and studio Sunrise went all out delivering a tour-de-force in the Mecha genre, it was beloved both by Mecha fans and casual viewers when it was released.

Although still very popular today, not many people know that GaoGaiGar is the final show in a series. This post hopes to illuminate some of the other shows in the Braves / Yuusha franchise you may be interested in.

(Note: Yuusha is the original Japanese name that is translated as Braves for this series, when searching for information on these shows if you can’t find what you are looking for using the Braves keyword, try using Yuusha instead.)

Continue reading “Where to start the Braves (Yuusha) series?” →

VER9 Preview – G Gundam and Wing

Here’s a preview for the VER9 layout for G Gundam and Wing, both of which received a rebalance to comply with the VER9 design standards including the Power stat as well as a higher EQ Slot maximum for certain units.

Additionally the Gundam Fight rules were updated with a new version for High Mobility which now lets you interrupt your opponent and attempt to move on the battlefield to stay out of range of shooting or melee. You can see the full pdf below.

ver9-layout-g-gundam-and-wingDownload

MechaStellar VER9 – Updated Draft

The DRAFT VER9 Rules have been uploaded. You can find them on the Draft VER9 page here: https://mechastellar.com/ver9-drafts/

VER 9 Core Rules Updates

  • Super Titans type split into Super Titan (Super Robot) and Kaiju / Super Heavy (Jaeger, Megadeus)
  • Power is no longer a requirement for Super Titans and Kaiju, they now operate the same as a MS does.
  • The Power stat now provides a bonus to your attacks.  It is named Havoc for Kaiju / Super Heavies. 
  • Not every unit will have a Power or Havoc stat, typically it is used for very powerful units, or ones who specialize in throwing their opponents and destroying terrain.
  • Updated Crash Through rules under Full Throttle
  • Added Throw Terrain under Shooting Attack
  • Added Target Lock +1 ARM PEN in Sensors range. 
  • Reverted “Pilot Tier” nomenclature to “Pilot Level” to prevent confusion with unit tiers based on Performance
  • Adjusted the Improvise skill and moved it to Universal skills.  Added the Seize the Day Universal Skill.
  • Moved Expert Evasion to the core rules as an optional replacement.  Updated cost to be [M-X]
  • Expanded Pilot Skills – Removed the cost reduction for Indomitable, Heavy Arms & Assault Types.
  • Pilot Traits: Added Zeal (Driven II) and Solo Operative (Lone Wolf II).  Combined Legendary & Genius Pilot.  Combined Noble with Fighting Spirit.
  • Updated Stun DMG to also affect Power
  • Clarified Battle Damage regarding stacking
  • Gritty MS – Shield Breaks are now optional
  • Added Dangerous Terrain