Mekton is a role-playing game which centers around the conventions of mecha anime and science-fiction (although it can easily enough be adapted to other genres like police drama or high fantasy). It has seen several editions since its introduction in 1984, the most recent, Mekton Zeta (メクトン Z; a reference to the anime series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) being first published in 1994. The use of katakana to represent the title of the game begins with the "Zeta" edition and may or may not be carried over into future editions. A "fourth edition," usually referred to as Mekton Double Zeta and assumed to be using the Fuzion System rules (Mekton II and Mekton Z use the older Interlock System ), has been rumored to be in development by publishers R. Talsorian Games since 1997. Mekton is a moderately supported system (though no new official material has been released since 1996), with a very active albeit small fanbase, centered around the Mekton Zeta Mailing List , an ezmlm based mailing list active since the fall of 1996.

Within the context of the RPG, mecha are referred to as "mektons," abbreviated as "meks" and sometimes alternately called "suits". Several official settings have been published.

Mekton Zeta has a more pronounced anime influence than the previous two editions; the full cover title of this edition if read in Japanese and translated into English reads "Super Dimension Mobile Warrior Mekton Z", the title of the game referring to both Macross (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross) and Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam).

Editions of Mekton

• "White Box" Mekton (1984)
• Mekton (1984)
• Mekton II (1987) - converted Mekton to run on the Interlock System, introduced in Cyberpunk 2020.
  • Mekton Techbook/Mekton Technical System (MTB/MTS) (1991) - a MAJOR conversion of the mecha-building system of Mekton
• Mekton Zeta (1994) - general update and improvement of Mekton II
  • Mekton Zeta Plus (メクトン Z プラス) (1994) - general update and improvement of the Mekton Techbook
• Gundam Senki (2000) - Japanese language Mobile Suit Gundam RPG using the Mekton system. Scheduled for US release, release date unspecified at this time.

Official Settings

• Algol - A "grab bag" setting in an alternate universe, mixing many different styles of anime together.
• Mekton Empire - A space opera setting taking hints from Captain Harlock, Gundam and Voltron.
• Jovian Chronicles - A heavily Gundam inspired licensed setting created by Dream Pod 9, set in the 23rd Century. This would later become a separate game using Dream Pod 9's Silhouette System.
• Invasion Terra - A Macross-like setting in the future of 2105.
• Imperial Star - Very similar to Mekton Empire but set in the Milky Way Galaxy.
• Quicksilver Blues - Unreleased as of 2004 (complete since at least 2000). R. Talsorian continues to insist that they are waiting for the "right time" to release new Mekton material.
• Starblade Battalion - A Gundam-like setting, set in the far future of the Cyberpunk 2020 world (AD 2180 ).

Fan Settings

• Metal Storm 2380 - Mark Chase
• Virtual Mekton - A semi-official setting created by the Mekton Z Mailing List and its spin-off, the Virtual Mekton Mailing List. Loosely based on the video game Virtual On and the manga Break-Age .

Links

MektonZeta.com, a semi-official fansite and the homepage of the Mekton Z Mailing List. Mekton Alpha, an officially sanctioned "free" (but stripped down) version of Mekton Zeta.