“The Force of Mekton” in 1986
One of the best parts of looking back on the past is when you can uncover the world’s first reaction to something that, at times, feels like it has always been in the background. Early reviews of Star Wars from 1977, those very first hints at the Transformers in 1984, and even the earliest 1993 advertisements for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game all look kinda simple and innocent these days.
One such “look at the past” comes from an early issue of Gateways, a roleplaying game and comic magazine from the mid-eighties in this two-page spread that offers up a brief glimpse at the Mekton game from R. Talsorian (find at Amazon.com*). Written by Gary Wolfe, this short overview of the game — less a review and more a teaser — says of the game:
“For under fifteen dollars, Mekton gives you an enjoyable RPG that’s a little different.”
That’s a bit of an understatement. When it came to giant robot action in 1986, your choices were pretty much Mekton, Fasa’s BattleTech, and Palladium’s then-new Robotech roleplaying game. And that was kinda it! Of the three Mekton was the most open for development and creativity; there’s not much of a setting in that first edition paperback book with only nineteen of the book’s 100-pages dedicated to the world (and a short adventure)!
