#giant stompy robots

[oldschoolfrp]

"Robot Wars," cover art by Steve Purcell for Different Worlds 38, Chaosium, Jan/Feb 1985

There's no giant stompy mech content inside this issue, but you'll find a Call of Cthulhu adventure and articles on Runequest, Traveller, the Rosicrucians (as background for secret societies in RPGs), and "Women & Gaming," plus positive film reviews for The Terminator and Supergirl.

[terasaurtheveryflowydragon]

Finally done my way too magnetised Imperial knight Good god i am NEVER magnetising something this much ever again

Also pacific rim music cus big stompy mech needs big stompy mech music

>:3

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Have you played MECHA & MONSTERS : Evolved ?

By Alan Bahr, Banana Chan, Sen-Foong Lim, Shawn Carman, Christopher Helton, Jack Norris, Steffie de Vaan, John Kennedy, and Mari Murdock

Mecha & Monsters: Evolved is an updated, refined and fully stand-alone game in for the TinyD6 line, presenting an upgraded version of our second game ever: Tiny Frontiers: Mecha & Monsters!

Using the rules in this book, you'll be able to play giant stompy robots defending civilization, awakened monsters wreaking havoc to teach mankind a lesson, bizarre deep space hybrids and so, so much more.

Character creation is simple, fast, and exciting. You pick your character type based on the exciting stories your Game Master is going to tell, you pick a few Systems or Evolutions that each grant a single benefit, and you're done!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #649

Top Ten Interpretations of Transformers

Do you know what I love? I love Transformers. I always have; there’s very little of my life where I wasn’t enjoying those big ol’ stompy robots in disguise, one way or another. I have a comic dated February 1985, when I was only just three. It’s been there all along, like Agatha Harkness (who, funnily enough, was also in disguise, and also had a bangin’ theme tune).

Anyway, one of the things about Transformers as a franchise is, really, it’s just a bunch of toys. There isn’t that one central storyline the way there broadly is in most other long-running franchises; Star Wars is (basically) all one thing; Marvel and DC comics have (basically) one core comic book storyline as well as all the various spin-offs and adaptations; even stuff like Turtles or My Little Pony, which have also had multiple reboots and varied continuities, seem to keep a lot of the basics, or at least don’t continuously contradict each other. Transformers, though, has so many different interpretations; if you ask something relatively straightforward, such as “how did the war start”, “why do they transform”, or even “where did they come from in the first place”, it’s impossible to give an answer without qualifying that it’s only true for some versions. What’s Vector Sigma versus the Creation Matrix versus the Allspark? Who knows? Who cares?

As it’s the fab bot-and-convention TF Nation this weekend, I thought I’d take a moment to celebrate my favourites of all these random, disparate, contradictory realities; what with Deadpool & Wolverine slicing up audiences like nobody’s business, it feels like a very good time to journey through the multiverse again, this time hopping from one Transformers verse to another like a giant metaphysical frog.

What am I on about?

Basically, this week’s list is me looking back on my favourite versions of Transformers, from comics to TV and (potentially) movies. I’ve not included toylines, as I sort of don’t think that counts really without a storyline behind it; and I would have included games, but I never got on with what I’d say is the really big “games-only” Transformers story, the War for Cybertron games, so that’s out. So: stuff to read and watch, essentially. And there is absolutely no surprise over what looms large in my psyche, like a giant predatory bird.

That’s all there is to it. Do you really want me to say it? Sigh… okay.

Roll out.

IDW Volume 1 (comics, 2005-2018): Of course it’s this. What else could it be? At thirteen years, this is probably the longest-running and most consistent Transformers continuity; it’s also the best, offering everything from bombastic action romps to complex and nuanced character arcs to thought-provoking examinations on the concepts and tropes of the franchise itself. From the slow-burn opening arcs to the tragi-comic odyssey of More Than Meets the Eye, this was long-form storytelling at its most impressive; a masterpiece of comic art. Spawned careers and upturned central tenets of the franchise: Megatron being a good guy in the most recent cartoon would not have happened without these comics; I don’t think we’d be getting Impactor and Xaaron toys without these comics. It’s incredibly good.

Marvel UK (comics, 1985-1990): I’m focusing here on the UK-originated stories, which began with Man of Iron (first issue I ever got!) and arguably ended with the text story Dreadwind’s Xmas. In here you have franchise-defining arcs that really helped establish what Transformers was to a lot of readers; long-form epics such as Target: 2006 and Time Wars that delved into places the US version of the comic couldn’t go. Looking back, the timey-wimey weirdness, high body count, and focus on B-and-C-list characters really helped solidify the things I look for in fiction.

Marvel US (comics, 1984-1991): even outside of the (IMO superior) UK-generated stuff, the “main” comic series still ruled. This is the cornerstone, the foundation myth of the entire franchise; this is where most of us get our bedrock knowledge of what a Transformer is, I’d say. Writer Bob Budiansky did a tremendous job wrangling so many characters for so long; once British writer Simon Furman took over (essentially marrying the UK style to the main US stories), it went full-bore apocalyptic. Timeless stuff.

Transformers: Rescue Bots (TV, 2011-2016): my favourite animated series might seem strange; but I applaud it for stepping outside the box, delivering a show for younger kids focused on new characters and scenarios. And, delightfully, it developed its own mythology and sense of style; the inhabitants of Griffin Rock grew into a large cast of beloved faces in that organic Springfield sort of way; and the core four ‘bots are just all-timers in our house.  

The Transformers (TV, 1984-1987): I suppose, really, this is where it all began; the original animated series. For essentially a forty-year-old toy advert, it’s aged pretty well for the most part; some stories are silly, some downright horrendous, but the opening More Than Meets the Eye arc still rocks. The theme tune is iconic. And, of course, this is where we get The Transformers: The Movie; something I’d argue is probably the single most important and formative piece of Transformers fiction. Yes, it’s fun in and of itself, and for its interesting production story; but also it was the seed that bore fruit in so many ways across the franchise for decades to come. Til all are one, indeed.

IDW Volume 2 (comics, 2019-2022): when IDW rebooted their whole universe in 2019, I was a bit nonplussed; you only have to scan your eyes upwards a little bit to see just how much I revered their original incarnation of the franchise. However, writer Brian Ruckley (who seemed to steer most of the story) was able to craft an intriguing and slow-burning plot that showed how various schemes and conspiracies led to the outbreak of war. Sharing DNA with IDW’s first run, I feel it lacked a bit of the heart and the smarts, but it was still a compelling tale.

Transformers: Animated (TV, 2007-2009): another great, fun animated series, and another that sort of reimagined the core of the franchise. Here, a small team of Autobots (with an Optimus who is not the big wise old leader) are, effectively, superheroes, operating on Earth like they’re the Teen Titans or something. A slow arc builds as the war intervenes, but the combination of a new dynamic, funnier and more characterful plots, and especially the kinetic and hard-edged design, makes this a classic.

Transformers: Generation 2 (comics, 1993-1994): it took me a while to warm up to this; like when the first IDW continuity ended, I was so wedded to the original Marvel run that this odd and edgy sequel felt out of place. It wasn’t my Transformers, so I didn’t read it at the time. Now, though, I can look back at it fondly as a timely curio; a gruff, bombastic, violent ode to nineties excess, like a parody of an Image Comics version of the franchise. Explosive and propulsive widescreen entertainment, with some great art.

Dreamwave (comics, 2002-2004): they get a lot of stick, quite rightly, for the way the company was run; and also, to be honest, for the quality of some of their early miniseries. But they really did pull it together; the art improved, the spin-off series were gold (The War Within!), and by the time the ongoing was unjustly cancelled (coz the company ran out of money, basically), it looked like it was going to some good and very interesting places. And really, nothing can compare to the thrill I had of seeing that preview issue in a comic book window at university; here was Transformers, looking like my Transformers, back again.

Live-action universe (movies, from 2007): there was a lot of jostling for the tenth spot here; the new comics continuity, from Skybound, is good but I’m still warming up to it; and the animated EarthSpark has some great concepts and designs but I’ve not really seen enough of it yet. So I’m going with the live-action continuity, and quite frankly even I’m shocked. Because what we’ve got here are a series of films that are, for the most part, frankly terrible. But. But! The first Transformers (2007) and last year’s Rise of the Beasts are both good fun; explosive, busy films, maybe too long, but still enjoyable and recognisably Transformers. However, I’ll be honest: this is here entirely because of Bumblebee. I wanted to put that one film on its own but felt it wasn’t fair. Perfectly distilling what made Transformers special, the story of one-girl-and-her-car is poignantly, brilliantly old; it’s essentially E.T. with a giant robot Volkswagen. So watch that, it’s great; and if you enjoy it, watch those other two. Skip the rest, though. They’re shite.

So there we are. I kinda wish I’d managed to watch more than the first few eps of EarthSpark; but to be honest I’ve bust a gut to include Bumblebee, because I genuinely think it’s the best non-comics piece of Transformers media ever produced, so even though it’s part of a stable of films I generally do not like, here it is, propping up the list.

Anyway, hope everyone has a good time at TFN this weekend. And, of course, happy fortieth birthday to Transformers as a whole! And here’s to the next forty. Because, after all… it never ends!

[izolyn]

Streaming Battletech (2018) at 8pm EST!

We finished XCOM so now it's time for: XCOM but with giant stompy robots!

Okay, that's not entirely correct (we'll be getting shot at a lot more, for one), but still. It's turn-based shooty stuff and you can basically 1-to-1 replace the phrase "That's XCOM!" with "That's Battletech!"

[zeemczed]

Yuuuuup.

A friendly reminder that the 5e rules are CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSED, so you can do whatever you want with them without putting cash into WotC's pocket, and there are THOUSANDS of other good RPGs out there, ranging from Honey Heist (you are a bear and a criminal planning a huge heist at HoneyCon) to Pathfinder (D&D, but better) to Paranoia (George Orwell meets Looney Tunes) to Mechwarrior Destiny (you are a mercenary with a giant stompy robot in one of the most ridiculously detailed settings in RPG history) to freakin' Bunnies and Burrows.

[misternizz]

Mechwarrior Alpha Strike Campaign

Test Game, May 2023, Scrum HQ.First real game June 23 (could not attend due to conflicts) John Sears is running a mini campaign with Alpha Strike rules for Battletech. We are all in charge of our own mercenary companies of Battletech giant stompy robots. We are responsible for choosing the mechs, naming the company and coming up with a logo. I’m working on the logo (I’m no artist) but I’ve…

[ultravioletcombat]

Wings of the Warriors is finally out, after years of writing. If you’ve ever wanted a novel inspired by real-robot mecha anime and the writings of classic BattleTech authors like Stackpole and Charette, hopefully this novel pleases you.

(Cover art by @drawmaus, go check them out, their stuff’s great)

[optimysticals]

STOMP... STOMP... STOMP...

Do you like Giant Stompy Robots? 

Because we love Giant Stompy Robots! We've picked our 3 favorite Giant Stompy Robots and created a Bling Module box that is all about each of them.

Sign-Ups for the July boxes are still open through June 28th, so if you want to get the amazing July box, be sure to sign-up ASAP.  - You Can Sign-Up Here -

Would you like a hint for July's Giant Stompy Robots...

A castle, a lion, lots of colors

[radwolf76]

To borrow a character from a different post apocalyptic hellscape and a saying from a totally unrelated tabletop wargame about giant stompy robots:

It's TrashCAN not TrashCAN'T!

I can’t stop myself from grabbing all the junk in the wasteland

[starlitskvaderart]

Another Mega Man OC, this time for the classic era!

Way back when @omnicenos first made her Wily descendant, Aaron, it made us think about what Wily’s family in the classic era could have possibly been like.

I immediately concluded that Wily’s daughter HAD to be a deranged science milf.

And so we have his most loyal sidekick, Elly. Among the robots she’s especially close to Shadow (her constant companion with whom she is eternally teetering on the brink of a relationship), and her engineering specialty is heavy weapons and mech - there’s noting she likes more than a giant stompy vehicle to rampage in!

Wily insists she gets her looks from him.

[littlemisspipebomb]

god the worst thing happened at the game store today. Was upstairs playing magic with some friends while some guys were playing warhammer in the back of the room. But it wasn't normal warhammer, it was the version called Titanicus where you play with the giant stompy robots, but they're actually smol.

My friend and I are just vaguely talking about this and I mention that the game store we're playing at has the big 40k size of a larger robot one of the guys is running. This absolute chonker

smol boy here is normally about the size of the big boy while next to infantry in normal 40k. So you can imagine how big the full size titan is

So how big is the full size titan? "The size of a fat toddler" I say. Because it's about as tall as a toddler, 2-3 feet tall and just as wide. So I take her downstairs, to where we can see the one the size of a fat toddler is sat next to the counter.

"huh, I guess it really is the size of a fat toddler" she says while the fairly rotund store owner is stood next to said titan.

[surge-the-tenrec]

introducinnnng robian orbot and cubot ! proud owners of the sunset cafe and prouder dads to lil ol rossum and. if orbot had his way, everyone else.

design rambling under the cut, you know how i be

orbot

first thing w orbot is i wanted him to be something w wings/the ability to hover since,, i feel like that’s something he’d prefer to keep from his robot form. and it helps him reach the top shelf despite being a short ass. he’s specifically a cinnabar moth mostly bcs their colour palette matches his and also their wings have lil circles on them? kinda perfect for him. cinnabar moths technically have straight antenna but his are curled bcs a) nothing abt him is straight, b) i wanted some more roundness in there.

he gets a waistcoat bcs. how he is. originally i was gonna give him like,, pant shoes where theres no seperation between pants and shoes but ended up going w heeled ankle boots mostly to add a lil more roundness to him bcs it’s still orbot. also glasses! he probably doesn’t need them bcs robot but i think it adds something. big poofy shoulders on his shirt to mimic his robo form.

orbot gets the half bangs over the eye for a few reasons, the biggest being i didn’t wanna copy everyone elses designs and give him a bowlcut (which,, yeah really works), it mirrors rossum’s eye-covering quill (and is literally mirrored onto cubot bcs matching)

cubot

not as much to say since my only thoughts were “make him big” and “make him soft”. he’s based off a flemish giant rabbit. his features are wider and his eyes a lot bigger than his counterpart with some face markings to mimic his old round optics. im not sure if its really noticable but i tried to keep his underbite in bcs,, its cute. hes also still supposed to be hunched but i have like, no idea how to properly convey that w sonic body types.

outfit is a lot more casual than orbot’s - i know it’s typical to have them in matching outfits but thats usually in the context of them still being under eggman and in this au there is no eggman so--. outfit is suposed to be comfortable and practical - big ole stompy boots, a shirt w the sleeves rolled up and shorts bcs it felt weird not giving him pants.

oh also on his bangs i feel like a lotta the time he either pins or gels it back bcs it gets in his eye and is a lil annoying to him.

[leaninlenin]

And they look wonky! if your giant stompy robot doesn't look kinda fucked up in its most basic shape, weirdly hunched, like a two legged crab, has a fucking cathedral om its back, or like a trash can with legs, then what are you even doing?

Begging all the mecha/robot lover girlies to please read up about Warhammer titans

We got:

Withdrawal symptoms from being out of the cockpit, that vary from similar to drug withdrawal, to dysphoria over not being a walking mountain of death

Mind merging with the machine (and fellow crew)

Becoming lost in the Mind-Interface / becoming one with the machine spirit after piloting for so many years

Full-body immersion tanks if you've become too feeble from spending all your time piloting and not doing any exercise, literally living in the head of the machine

Stanky after days of combat in the titans, without rest

Animalistic machine spirits that affect the pilots, making them restless for combat

Screeching warhorns

Feel of the reactor as your own heart

[jimclassicstoycollection]

Transformers War For Cybertron Earthrise

Deluxe class

Runamuck

by Hasbro (2020)

Runamuck is a Decepticon from the post-movie G1 era, and was a Battlecharger. Basically the most basic or basic robot man with wind-up wheels that would zoom forward when released.

Vehicle Mode:

Vehicle mode is a car. It’s an ordinary, white, two-door sedan; quite mundane for a Deceptcion, but sometimes simplicity is the way to go; a true robot in disguise.

The car mode is pretty panel-ly, there’s definitely a lot of breaks in the mold, and I don’t think everything tabs in well enough.

I don’t think the car mode rolls too well because parts of the transformation is as low as the wheels itself.

The car mode has a 3mm port on the bottom to simulate a ramp jump, or something, and you can see the faux roof/robot chest on the bottom, but that’s fine.

Comparing Runamuck with the 2012 Transformers Collector’s Club version, I think I like the Club version a bit better as far as vehicle modes go, but of course the Earthrise version is the more G1 accurate alt mode.

Transformation:

Transformation is not too difficult, and it’s pretty fun.

Robot Mode:

As far robot mode goes, Runamuck is a fun, little Decepticon grunt.

This character has got a lot of personality, and posability, his big, stompy feet allows for action posing, and stability.

He definitely passes the one-foot balance test with those giant feet.

Once again comparing the Earthrise, and Collector’s Club version, I think the Earthrise version wins this arguement.

Battlecharger mode:

A neat feature for this toy is that you can half-transform Runamuck to resemble more of his original G1 Battlecharger mode, but collapsing the legs in, and pegging his gun on his shoulder, since the original toy didn’t have articulated arms. It’s a fun feature, and totally unnecessary. 

Accessories:

It’s a starchart. I think it’s just lines.

Final Thoughts:

Runamuck is a fun toy. 

The Battlechargers were never meant to be anything other than Decepticon goons, and this guy fills that roll just fine. Just waiting for Runnabout (spoilers it’s 2022 and I’ve had him for over a year now...but don’t forget I’m grossly behind).

[profanetools]

i "assume" (jokingly unless true) that if you could be an awesome giant mech person you would take the opportunity

who WOULDN'T want to be a big stompy robot who breaks time. anything for an extra hour sleeping in.