Heavy Gear 4th Edition Roleplaying Game Update!

[rduboisParticipant 74xp 4]

It’s with great pride and pleasure that Dream Pod 9 announces the final Heavy Gear 4th Edition Roleplaying Game plans. Writing and basic layout is now complete for the HG 4th Ed RPG Rulebook, which clocks in at a massive 480 pages and includes everything players and gamemasters need to play and run games. Inside players will find a detailed history of the world, the core game rules, character creation, plus a massive library of gears, vehicles, and equipment to use in the game. The new edition calls back to the beloved 2nd Edition, while also presenting Heavy Gear to a modern audience. It focuses on roleplaying and storytelling while using an updated version of the Silhouette d6 system. Instead of just additional 6’s giving you a +1, now other results can do so as well, like in Heavy Gear Blitz. Also, players can customize not only their character but their gear.

Dream Pod 9 is in the process of relaying out the older scanned RPG ebooks on DriveThruRPG into a high quality digital format (Heavy Gear Revitalized ebooks). A conversion system in 4th Edition will allow you to use your existing 1st or 2nd Edition sourcebooks or the new Revitalized ebook versions with the new edition.

The team has put in a lot of work to get the new edition to this point and now we need your support. We are now in the process of planning a Kickstarter for Mid-April to secure funding for the work done so far and to fund new art pieces for the rulebook. We have a team of talented artists helping us out, including Osborn Yu and Eldon Cowgur who will be doing the new art. You can checkout Osborn Yu’s artwork of Miranda and Julius which we plan to use as the rulebook’s cover and as our Kickstarter flyer below.

The Kickstarter’s basic reward level is planned to include a digital copy of the rulebook. Additional reward levels for both physical soft and hardcover books are planned. With other reward levels to include new adventure modules for the new edition as digital copies. These adventure modules will be delivered as bundles called “seasons” each with 2 adventures. Each adventure covers a major event in the history of Heavy Gear such as Saint Vincent’s War or the first Black Talon operation on Caprice. This will allow players to experience firsthand some of the major events of the Heavy Gear Universe. Each adventure itself has over 80 pages of content. This includes additional new or historic vehicles, special rules, characters and even character options for use in that adventure.

For our Heavy Gear Blitz players, the rulebook has conversion rules to take your RPG character into Blitz. In addition, each adventure module includes playable Blitz versions of the major scenarios. This allows players to experience the story via a series of Blitz games instead of as an RPG.

We hope you will all join Dream Pod 9 in Mid-April and support the Heavy Gear 4th Edition Roleplaying Game Kickstarter. DP9’s goal is to deliver the digital format rulebook and season 1 adventures, plus printed rulebooks by the end of 2023.

[angelicdespot 4689xp 2]

Is there a sign-up / notification page on Kickstarter?

I’ve got a big library of old HG RPG books and was sad when the game – and storyline – fizzled out. I wasn’t really into the minis so didn’t keep up with HG Blitz.

When is the new RPG set? Does it start at the same point as the previous version(s)? Or does it move the timeline on?

I’m glad to see this amazing setting making a comeback!

[tankkommanderParticipant 6424xp 1]

Glad to see HG still going strong.

[rduboisParticipant 74xp 1]

The Heavy Gear 4th Edition RPG is set in the current War for Terra Nova timeline from Heavy Gear Blitz. With historical RPG adventures planned as well, like the Saint Vincent’s War announced in the post. And in future releases the timeline will move forward for both the HG RPG and HGB at the same time.

We are still in the planning phase for the Kickstarter, as it gets more locked down, we’ll get the page prepared and then make more announcements as to the exact launch date in April.

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

The “old” source books were fantastic, loved the artwork as well.

 

It was a shame when the animated series came out and basically ignored the source material. For many this was the first contact with the game and was rather off putting (the original source material was more like NATO vs Soviet in SPAAACE (with giant stompy robots).

 

I had a load of the RAFM (15mm) miniatures (which were great for the RPG game, as long as you could get all the parts in the blister :D). But I found it hard to justify rebuying everything in the smaller scale. Plus I was more of a fan of the original rules than the “Blitz” ones (which were more fast play, but then that’s the meta now for simpler rules).

 

Still it’s a fantastic background (hopefully it will allow players to get immersed in the background just like we did with Battletech), now if only we could get Heavy Gear and Heavy Gear II working on modern PCs easily (features ZERO-G combat with GIANT STOMPY ROBOTS).

 

I know Shiny Games sell the game here in the UK (so no silly import duty dues and fees from customs) to make things easy.

[koraskiParticipant 1981xp 1]

Looking forward to this. I ran 1st edition HG RPG back in the day and tried to keep up with the newer editions but lost track along the way. This will be a good place to start fresh.

I do miss the larger scale miniatures. I mostly use the smaller scale blitz gears in 15mm weird ww2 games (gearkrieg, konflict 47, dust, etc).

[xaoseac1984 2196xp 0]

I’m so excited for this, it’s been a long time coming

[Author]

Posts