Mechanics Update: Arms Race
Arms can be an important aspect of mech design. Through its arms, a mech interacts with the world. And so the choice of what to put on those arms signals a great deal about the mech’s history, purpose, and role.
Still, of the parts we’ve discussed previously, no single part is visually essential to making a something mech (save maybe the core, though perhaps some example eludes me). A machine can scan as a mech even if it doesn’t have a distinct head, obvious arms, or legs as its main form of locomotion.
But if any of these parts are absent from a design, that absence makes the remaining parts all the more important to the silhouette. Many classic mech designs have treads, wheels, or thrusters in place of legs, but they’re still clearly styled as mechs. This includes the A-Traks and U-Trak from Arbelos, precursors to the transforming, legged M-Trak.
Some arms have manipulators or hands, but even a sufficiently arm-like gun can read as an arm. Of course, a mech with gun arms really narrows down its use cases, as do specific equipment instead of more versatile arms. The A-Traks and U-Traks have guns and utility arms as options, but each one has a clear purpose, such as a lifter arm or a winch. The M-Trak, by contrast, is a multi-purpose vehicle, with flexibility of use built into its design. Its arms and weapons systems reflect this design ethos.
Archetypical Arms
When assembling the contents of the Precipice Preview Kit, I knew that arms would be a key point of differentiation between archetypes. While the preview kit is “setting neutral” and intended to empower Bring Your Own Mech play, the silhouettes still needed to communicate the mech’s roles. The arm sets a great deal of a mech's visual identity, especially if one includes the shoulder. Many famous mechs are recognizable by a shoulder pad alone.
Javier’s designs for the archetype mechs reflect these functions. The Hot Rod archetype’s arms are the most humanlike, capable of equipping any gear. Reaper’s arms are designed to deal damage, at range and up close. And Crusher’s arms are asymmetrical; a shield for defense, and, fittingly, a claw for (predictably) crushing.
Gearing Up
I wanted the preview kit mechs to function with nothing equipped in those arms. This allows players to begin playing with only Part cards if they desire, or with a minimum number of Gear cards. With that said, (most) arms can, in fact, hold stuff! And while Reaper and Crusher have great built-in options, we wanted to make sure the feeling of your robot having hands was included in this pack.
For the sake of simplicity, the Preview Kit includes a only couple of Gear cards, although if you're excited to expand your options, you can find several more printer-friendly examples of Gear cards in the printable resources, here!