science

Mekton

Mekton is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mekton rather than just read about it. In short: Mekton is a mecha game franchise published by R. Talsorian Games starting with a board game in 1984, and then several editions of the first mecha role-playing game in North America, the most recent being Mekton Zeta (メクトン Z).

Key takeaways

Mekton belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mekton to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mekton from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mekton is a mecha game franchise published by R. Talsorian Games starting with a board game in 1984, and then several editions of the first mecha role-playing game in North America, the most recent being Mekton Zeta (メクトン Z).

Contents

Board wargame The first edition of Mekton is a board wargame simulating combat between giant robots, drawing on Japanese animation for inspiration. "Mekton", the name of the giant robots, is a nod to "mecha".

Role-playing game Mekton advanced from a wargame to a role-playing game by adding basic role-playing rules that cover character and robot construction and combat, plus historical background for the world of Algol and an introductory scenario. The rules for giant robot construction are detailed, while the rules of character creation for the pilots who control the robots are sparse. Mekton II is a complete revision of the original Mekton rules, including expanded character generation and political info on Algol. This version is compatible with the cyberpunk role-playing game published by R. Talsorian, Cyberpunk 2020.

Official settings Algol - The default setting for Mekton and Mekton II (as well as Operation: Rimfire and Landstriker), and remains in Mekton Z for legacy purposes. Algol is a long-lost human colony of the Bendar Galactic Empire, where the various factions are locked in a cold war and must deal with an impending ice age and the possible return of their ancient alien enemy, the fearsome Aggendi lizard warriors. Mekton Empire - A space opera setting taking hints from Captain Harlock, Gundam and Voltron, set in the distant Bendar Spiral Galaxy. It added rules for playing aliens (including non-humanoids), space combat, psionics and creating new alien creatures. 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. Starblade Battalion - A Gundam-like setting, set in 2180, the far future of the Cyberpunk 2020 world.

Publication history

Mike Pondsmith became interested in the Mobile Suit Gundam anime and decided to design a board wargame that would combine the mecha genre with the Imperial Star game system that he had designed for his own amusement. Pondsmith, with Mike Jones, designed the wargame Mekton, and self-published the "white box edition" in 1984; the boxed set included a 32-page book, a large color map, two cardstock counter sheets, and dice. Mekton sold well, and the following year, Pondsmith founded R. Talsorian Games to publish further products. One of the first was a role-playing version of Mekton, released as a 100-page rulebook that included counters and two maps. Pondsmith revised and expanded the role-playing elements, and changed the combat and skill resolution system to R. Talsorian's newly created Interlock System; this second edition was released in 1987 as Mekton II, a 96-page book with art by Ben Dunn. The third edition of the role-playing game, also using the Interlock System, was released as Mekton Zeta in 1994, with cover art by Yuji Maida. A supplement of advanced rules called Mekton Zeta Plus followed in 1995. R. Talsorian published a reprint of that game as the ANimechaniX-branded Mekton Zeta in 2000.

Video game A prototype of a video game based on Mekton was developed by Silicon Graphics using Coryphaeus Software's Activation Engine for the IRIX operating system. It was presented at the 1995 SIGGRAPH and bundled on CD-ROMs with other IRIX tech demos.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mekton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mekton claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mekton before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mekton ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mekton

In research: Mekton appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mekton in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mekton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fiction set around Algol, Mecha role-playing games, Mekton, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mekton outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mekton in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mekton means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mekton out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mekton in simple terms?

Why does Mekton matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mekton?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mekton.