Monthly Mecha: Mecha Game Jam Highlights and Mech TTRPG Bundle

This is Asa Donald with your January monthly mecha ttrpg. This newsletter is 100% free. To support it, me, or my games, grab a copy of Rust Never Sleeps, my grunge solo rpg about doomed mech pilots. If you’d like to hear more from me, you can follow me on bluesky.

In this month's newsletter, you'll find:

• Community content, including a digital release and an upcoming Kickstarter.
• Seven featured mech ttrpgs from the mecha mini-game jam; plus
• a mecha ttrpg bundle with RIG, Spectres of Brocken, Lost Among the Starlit Wreckage, Leadbellies, Goodbye World, Rust Never Sleeps, and more.

This month, members of the Pilot's Lounge get exclusive access to an RNS mission module.

Sprinting Owl has compiled the Mecha Tabletop Experience bundle, which has mecha ttrpgs from 20 creators. Normally a value of $177, you can get 35 items for $20. Goodbye, World and Rust Never Sleeps for $4.99 (Retail value $11.00).

Sprinting Owl Mecha Tabletop Experience
Featuring RIG, Spectres of Brocken, Lost Among the Starlit Wreckage, Leadbellies, Goodbye World, Rust Never Sleeps, and more.

35 TTRPGs for $20.00

Dragon Reactor (Dinoberry Press) is now available in digital edition.

Aaron Voigt released his video The Golden Age of Indie RPGs: 2010-2025, which features a section on the Emotional Mecha Jam (42:19) and positions it within the larger history of ttrpgs. Aaron's project is massive and well-worth watching. I especially appreciate the interviews and video footage that he incorporated.

Bundle Content

Reviews for some of the games featured in this bundle:

• RIG TTRPG: First Impressions review by Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs
• Lost Among the Starlit Wreckage review by Matt Risby The Bad Spot.
• High School Never Ends review by A.A. Voigt of Spectres of Brocken.

Community Releases

Cyberrats in Space is coming to Kickstarter in Q2 2026! It's a classic tale of mechs and revenge, like Shakespeare himself used to write about.

Cyberrats in Space
Take to the stars to get Earth's revenge in a new campaign meant to be won (or lost!) in 10-12 two-hour sessions!

Build and customize your mech, including the ability to link up with others to share powers.

Community Content
You can submit your own community content for this newsletter. It's 100% free. Share your new releases, blogs, reviews, etc. as long as it's related to mecha ttrpgs.

Learn More

This month featureds SEVEN ttrpgs.

The Mecha Mini-games or Firebrands game jam ran from the start of September to the end of October. This game jam was for mini games like the ones you can find in Meguey and Vincent Baker’s Firebrands, which facilitate a short, self-contained scene with simple mechanics and “pick lists.” These scenes center a mech pilot or the messy entanglements between two or more mech pilots.

I hosted this game jam with Spectres of Brocken designer Aaron Lim, and after the rating period ended, the two of us read through each of the games and picked our highlights. If you're so inclined, we hope that you will support these indie creators by buying one of their games.

Aaron picks... Stars in Absence. A full-on hack of Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands and The King is Dead, with multiple minigames. "I like having a bit more of a narrative structure with the two Acts, and the selection of minigames is great. I also really like the setting and setup with lots of potential for political intrigue and morally grey characters."

Asa picks... This is not my mech by Alex Rinehart: A delightful minigame that mirrors the terrible experience of having to use someone else's computer, except this time its a mech. "This game is my pick for favorite concept. Its an extremely clever mini-game with a solid, relatable premise. The mechanics and resolution are fun and sure to create some antics." Check it out in the Mecha Tabletop Experience Bundle.

Aaron picks... Collar, Meet Leash. Leash, Meet Collar: "Love the premise and playing with the mechsploitation genre, which feels like a logical extension of Firebrands' spotlight on relationships and questions. Mecha can be about power, protection, anonymity, and also control, and this is a great taste of the sensuous breadth of the mecha genre."

Asa picks... CONROI by Jellyfishlines for favorite rules. It has such a good premise: A mini-game about "drawing straws" to determine who survives war. It is both (1) a mini-game that stands on its own and (2) a mini-game that could easily be slotted into a larger story. 

Aaron and Asa both picked No one in the world by JC Darcy.

• Aaron: "It's less fully-featured than Stars in Absence, but that's part of its charm. I love seeing the different explorations of Firebrands mechanics, and in particular the use of coin-matching for two of the minigames. It's a really great addition to a Firebrands game and matches the intimate feel of those minigames.
• Asa: "This was a highlight for Firebrands mini-games. The mini-games are good, but Goodbye stands out among them as my favorite, with Last Stand being another highlight."

Aaron and Asa both picked Heavy Vertical License by Alex Connolly

• Aaron: "I'm biased since Alex is a friend, but come on it's so pretty! The diegetic version obviously kicks ass, showing the consoles and datapads as they would appear within the fiction, and the text version is also still really nicely designed and reflects the theme of the game perfectly."
• Asa: "This is my pick for best production. It has a super fun mini-game premise: you're taking tests for your commercial mecha license. It also has incredibly striking visuals that simulate your cockpit (and gorgeous 2-d alternatives as well)."

Aaron picks... Bee-on Genesis: "Honourable mention for being a mecha game that's actually about insects and little critters wearing the exoskeletons of other bugs as "mechs". Creepy, AND cute!"

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This month’s RNS Content.

Every month I release RNS content for folks subscribed to the Pilot’s Lounge.

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