Long story short, I've been piddling around with the skeleton of a mecha system that's meant to be crunchier than "rules-lite" but not as crunchy as Mekton (and certainly not as crunchy as those things beyond Mekton on this continuum), and it's meant to do 'super' robots rather than 'real'.  

It finally occurred to me that one of the reasons I was hitting roadblocks in development is that I was aiming too generic; I decided to do an original setting to go along with the skeletal rules, which would then propel more specific rules (the meat over the skeleton, as it were) and get me moving on this project.

My first thought was either far future or post-apocalyptic Knights of the Round Table, except with personal (transforming) mecha.  This rolled around in my head a little bit, and was kind of satisfactory.  But then I started thinking that the whole Arthurian thing - while well-known - is probably overdone.  Then I thought about going more Celtic with something Mabinogion-inspired.  Then I considered Charlemagne's paladins (Song of Roland, etc) as a model.  Then other stuff.  Then even weirder other stuff.

So I'm looking for impressions, I guess.  When you see something that's Arthurian pastiche, at what point do you stop saying "cool" and start saying "meh, overplayed"?  What shouts "more interesting than Arthur rehash" to you?  Mabinogion?  Mahabharata?  Mabiongion vs Mahabharata?

If you want my opinion all techno-mythic mashups are overwrought and gimmicky. Although if you imagine it through the lens of anime camp, maybe not so bad. In that case I'd go for Babylonian/Sumerian. Try to do as little research as possible!

I do have an inordinate love of ziggurats.

That being said...  it's like I asked you to recommend a restaurant and you told me you were tired of eating.

Breatharianism forever!

Okay, the thing that really has me down on doing Arthur is that you may be sucked into including the Arthur-Lancelot-Guenevere triangle and variations on Arthur-Mordred-Camlann-Avalon. Not only angsty, but forced storyline, to be sure.

So I'd look for a myth that has a beginning, but not much of an end. AFAIK, Babylonian/Sumerian myth doesn't have a Ragnarok, so you'd be good there.

Quote from: Elliot Wilen;331361Breatharianism forever!

Okay, the thing that really has me down on doing Arthur is that you may be sucked into including the Arthur-Lancelot-Guenevere triangle and variations on Arthur-Mordred-Camlann-Avalon. Not only angsty, but forced storyline, to be sure.

So I'd look for a myth that has a beginning, but not much of an end. AFAIK, Babylonian/Sumerian myth doesn't have a Ragnarok, so you'd be good there.

Not too many players in those myths, however.  Really just Gilgamesh, Enkidu and Inanna?

Ugh, I would not use the Epic of Gilgamesh because, again, it's a complete story. Just take the gods and maybe some of the heroes, use the general milieu and names as inspiration, and go from there.

I confess only this:  'Gilgamesh' is a badass name for a mecha, and you know it.

But yeah, I'd be looking at general themes, not 'playing out' the established myths.

Quote from: Elliot Wilen;331508Ugh, I would not use the Epic of Gilgamesh because, again, it's a complete story. Just take the gods and maybe some of the heroes, use the general milieu and names as inspiration, and go from there.

Following this direction, my suggestion:

• Get a copy of Zechariah Sitchin's The Twelfth Planet.  The other books in the series are interesting, but optional.
  
• Put your notions of sensibility and disbelief on hold.
• Pay close attention to Sitchin's assertions about the identities of the old gods.
• Replace Sitchin's "rocket ships" with "giant mecha".
• Rock on.

The orbit of the 12th planet* is destined to pass close to Earth again.  We'd best be digging up those 6,000-year-old schematics of the original mecha designs before it's too late.

!i!

[*Edit:  Whoops, I was thinking of the hidden 10th planet on the other side of the sun that is still home the descendants of the old gods.  And, on second thought, maybe I should recommend Sitchin's third book in the series, The Wars of Gods and Men.]

Sounds like a plan, IA.

Quote from: VectorSigma;331714I confess only this:  'Gilgamesh' is a badass name for a mecha, and you know it.

Indeed. So are Marduk, Bahamut (okay, not ancient, but Arabic, possibly cognate with "behemoth", but it sounds cool), Moloch, Ashtoroth (sounds better than Ishtar), Tiamat, etc.

@Ian - it's been a while since I read any Sitchin!

Wait, didn't one of the later Macross timelines use 'Marduk' as a Zentraedi offshoot?

Quote from: VectorSigma;331737Wait, didn't one of the later Macross timelines use 'Marduk' as a Zentraedi offshoot?

Not that I'm aware of, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

!i!

Yes, Macross II did, and it had an alien super-babe named Ishtar...but it was orphaned. (Never saw the anime; the comic was terrible.)

It was the first sequel, actually, if you exclude the 1984 movie version (which was a sort of scrambled retelling of the original TV show).

All the other sequels used a different timeline.

So here's what you do: use Sumero-Babylonian-Semitic names for places and mecha. Borrow the idea of multiple city states among the stars.

Mecha designs are constructed from super-advanced ceramics that impart upon them the appearance of stone, rather than metal.  They are like giant statues astride the firmament.

Marduk smites Tiamat with a mighty wind!

!i!

Quote from: Ian Absentia;331757Mecha designs are constructed from super-advanced ceramics that impart upon them the appearance of stone, rather than metal.  They are like giant statues astride the firmament.

:hatsoff: You sir are mad.

I will steal this and use it for a far future Ramayana homage....

Regards,
David R