First released to Mongolian basket-weaving fans in 2012, ChromeStrike is a rules-light* sci-fi RPG designed to cater to the niche of fast and deadly mecha combat. The central focus of the system is upon these mechs- 5-meter tall urban machines, although there is a healthy emphasis on mixed-vehicle fighting. Mechs fight alongside tanks and helicopters, APCs, heavy powered armor, and even aircraft. As you might expect, players can use any and all of these vehicles with proper training, but again, it’s not as much of a focus.
The setting is a thinly veiled nod to Armored Core and Chromehounds, and is set in the early 22nd century. International laws and treaties have broken down, with international peacekeeping organizations being abandoned entirely. With the breakdown in relations, many larger nations have absorbed smaller adjacent ones. The original mech companies, called Primes, have become rich and often independent from their patron states. It is within all this war and death that the mech jockeys, or mercenaries, have found their calling. Fairly run of the mill and basic. Others have come up with their own settings that I genuinely find more fascinating and amusing.
The system is D6 (occasionally D3). Most rolls for attacks and skills are roll above- these most frequently are compared to an enemy’s defense rating or stat. The simple combat is one of the chunks I am most proud of, although it does require frequent basic math and some memorization of various modifiers. Once initiative is out of the way, all that must be calculated are removed parts, decreasing attributes, and wound values. Large battles can be run without much trouble.
While I am preoccupied with full-time work, ChromeStrike is my favorite homebrew I’ve made, and I do intend on adapting it into a computer game and/or finishing the rulebook eventually.
Rulebook and Links
Main Rulebook (v0.9.93b – 8/11/2024)
Recent Changes
- Fixed the Kneel maneuver incorrectly requiring Biped legs specifically; now also mentions Quad/Hexa legs
- Secondary Arms are now explicitly mentioned as not being able to Reload
- Storage Tanks now increase the shots of a turret-arm weapon by 150% (up from 100%)
- Added the AL-01b battlesuit because I could
- Added explicit Difficult and Impassible Terrain rules to the Movement Manuever in the main rules section, absolutely not stolen from a GM’s feedback
- Rewrote the effects of the All Terrain Module and renamed it from ‘ATM’