The “Big Book of Kaiju” is many things. It’s a collection of giant monsters culled from the annuls of movie history. Any fan of the genre will be able to recognize a favorite monster here. It is also a game master aid for the “Mecha vs. Kaiju” game, powered by Fate Core, offering statblocks for adversaries to throw against players. And finally it is an aid to players of “Mecha vs. Kaiju,” giving them an insiders look at how citizens of Japan and the world view the creatures that daily menace their lives.

If you play other Fate games it is unnecessary to have the Mecha vs Kaiju Core Book to use this supplement. Each kaiju is fully stated out with unique stunts and is usable in any Fate game. However, if you want your players to have a chance of beating any but the weakest version of these monsters, it’s best to have a mecha at your side!

The ground shakes under their clawed feet. They are the Tochi no Kaiju, the Kaiju of the Land. Whether on the surface or underground these creatures are unmatched in power and savagery. But even among these titans there is one who stands above – Kaibutsu, the King of the Monsters. This sourcebook details the history and abilities of these legendary monsters, and provides detailed statblocks at multiple power levels, each one ready to run right off the page.

This supplement contains:

• 4 new land-based kaiju. Each kaiju is described as if written in the “real” Big Book of Kaiju, with commentary by contributors about their behavior, tactics, and biology. Each entry features detailed stat blocks, complete with rules for all stunts and mutations, at three power levels:

1. A level for starting Mecha vs Kaiju characters, or those who run MvK without Construction points. This power level is also appropriate for ANY Fate Core game.
2. A level for Experienced groups who have achieved Major Milestones.
3. An Endgame kaiju, in its final form, suitable campaign finales or gamemaster tantrums.
• New statblocks for Kaibutsu, the King of Monsters, at his Birth, Showa-era, Heisei-era, and Millennium-era strength.
• New kaiju Mutations, such as “Assassin’s Wind” and “Death from Below”.

The “Big Book of Kaiju” series is available at RPGnow.

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime is the largest, strongest and wisest of all Autobots. Once a peaceful worker on the alien world of Cybertron, he was nearly destroyed when the Decepticon Megatron began his war of conquest. Due to his purity and nobility, the dying machine was gifted the Matrix of Leadership and reborn as Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader feels his role is the protection of all life, including Earth-life. Optimus fights unceasingly to defeat the Decpticons.

Optimus, like all Transformers, is a sentient being, and as such has a High Concept rather than a Design Philosophy.

High Concept: Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.

Glitch: Self Sacrificing

Archetype: Otosan (Father Figure)

Skills: Rapport, Athletics, Contacts, Empathy, Fight, Lore, Notice, Physique, Provoke, Resources, Shoot, Will

Stunts

• Tough but Fair: Optimus is uncompromising but respectful of those he is responsible for. Gain a +2 to Rapport checks with subordinates.
• Natural Authority (Requires “Tough but Fair”) Optimus’ leadership qualities are evident to all. Once per scene he may invoke Otosan when he is giving commands to another.
• Father Knows Best (Requires “Natural Authority”) Optimus draws on his lengthy experience in a crisis situation and may substitute Fight with Lore when creating advantages or overcoming obstacles on the battlefield. Advantages created in this way gain an additional free invoke.

Size: Towering (35’ tall;                 +2 Physique rolls; +1 stress box; AV & WV +2 shifts

Superstructure: Heavy (Physique 6; +2 Stress Box; Total weapons and armor: 4)

Variform: Optimus can radically alter his form, from a towering mecha to a monstrous sized semi truck. In a game where most mecha do not alter their form this ability costs 3 construction points. In a Transformer campaign variform is free.

A variform mecha may change its size up to one level up or down and assume shapes that enable it to disguise its nature. “Variform” becomes an aspect of the mecha, and if this aspect is compelled or suppressed it is possible to trap a mecha in its current form until the system is repaired.

Mecha Weapon Systems

Ion Blaster: Ammo (Once per scene Optimus may declare that a missed attack instead hits with +2 shifts. The weapon gains the “Out of Ammo” aspect and cannot be used until repaired) Autofire (This weapon fires constantly, making it possible to spray an entire area with fire. Make an attack against all targets in a sector. Any target hit is tagged with the aspect “Pinned Down”. If a target with this aspect attacks a teammate they may invoke “Pinned Down” when they defend against that attack at no charge) Penetrating (This weapon is designed to ignore a target’s defenses. Once per scene, when Optimus’ target invokes a personal aspect that causes the attack to miss, he may invoke Penetrating for free)

Energon Axe: Charger (This weapon is best used after closing in with a target. If Optimus successfully attacks a target after taking a move action towards them increase the Weapon Value by +2) Reach (This melee weapon can attack targets one sector away) Specialized (increase Weapon Value by +2 against Decepticons)

Defensive Systems

Omega Combat Armor: Ablative Armor (Whenever Optimus takes a mild physical consequence, he can choose to instead damage his armor. Reduce all defensive roles by -1) Extra Stress Box (3 and 4) Fortified (Optimus’ mecha is designed to shrug off attacks which would cripple others. Once per scene he may reduce the level of a Consequence by one)

Armored Weapons Platform: Optimus pulls a trailer that transforms into mobile base with extra weapons and human-size vehicles. The aspect “Armored Weapons Platform” can be invoked for free once per scene. It can be invoked or compelled normally as well.

Construction Points: 19

King Ghidorah

Motivation: Three Faces of Evil

Instinct: Destroy Everything

Skills: Fight +6, Physique +5, Shoot +5, Athletics +4, Notice +4, Provoke +4, Will +3

Attack Forms

Gravity Beams: Blast (use Shoot to attack targets 2 sectors away), Area-Cone (may attack all targets within 3 adjacent sectors; reduce damage -2 shifts), Knockback (anytime Ghidorah succeeds with style in a Fight check it may move its target back up to 2 sectors), Ranged Knockback (Ghidorah may Knockback targets with Shoot)

Defense Forms

Alien Physiology: Calamity (Ghidorah adds a -8 Collateral Consequence), Crown of Menace (King Ghidora kaiju is simply too terrifying to be attacked. Until it makes a physical attack in a scene, enemies with a Will lower than Good (+3) simply cannot attack it. Those with sufficient Will to attack still flinch on their first attack, though, automatically missing), Flight (can move as easily in the air as it can on the ground, as well as hover in place), Never Broken (Ghidorah has a -8 physical consequence which recovers in the same way a -2 consequence does)

Other Mutations

Three Headed: Two-Faced (gain +2 to Notice checks), Multi-Headed (each of Ghidorah’s 3 heads can take an action in an exchange, including attacking, creating an advantage, or teaming up with its other heads. Ghidorah may sacrifice a head to absorb the equivalent of a Mild consequence), Ceaseless Attack (When Ghidorah succeeds with style, it may reduce the result by one and make another attack against the same target.  It may do this up to three times), Multi-Attack (Ghidorah can use two of its attack forms in the same exchange, but must do so against different targets), Multi-Limbed – Constricting Heads (when Ghidorah succeeds with style on a Fight check it may place the “Constricted” aspect on its target with a free invoke)

Stress: Physical 4, Mental 3

Consequences: Unbroken -8 Consequence, Calamity -8 Collateral Consequence

Mutation Points Total: 14

AV-98 “Ingram” from Patlabor

In the future, monstrously large robots are called “labors” and do a variety of heavy construction jobs. As a result they are also used in criminal enterprises. To combat this new threat the police create “Special Vehicle” units, and the mecha of Tokyo’s SV-2 unit is Shinohara Industries’ Advanced Vehicle Type 98, codename “Ingram”. The anime “Patlabor” follows the adventures of SV-2 as it combats labor crime in the far-flung future year of 1998!

Design Philosophy: Police Intimidation

Glitch: Overly Attached to its pilot

Skills: Physique 7; Armor & Weapon Value +1; +3 Stress Boxes; Mild Consequence X2

Size: Monstrous (8 meters; +1 Physique rolls; +1 Stress box; AV & WV +1 shift)

Superstructure: Heavy (Physique 6; +2 Stress Box; Total Weapons & Armor: 4)

Weapon System

37 Millimeter Revolver Cannon: Accurate (Once per scene, when your target invokes a scene aspect that causes your attack to miss, you may invoke Accurate for free) Extra Aspect: Standard Issue

Anti-Labor Electromagnetic Riot Baton: Compel Consequence (once per scene offer a Fate Point to target; if they take the point they agree to take the Moderate Consequence “Tazed”)

Defensive Systems

Fiber-Reinforced Plastic: Extra Mile Consequence; Hardened (first stress box absorbs 1 extra point of stress)

Forearm Mounted Riot Shield: +1 to Armor Value; may invoke to absorb a single mild consequence

Control System: Digital (Create Advantage +2)

Total Construction Points: 20

On this momentous day in 1954 Godzilla first set foot in Tokyo, setting in motion a chain of events that would change the shape of popular culture.

Mecha vs Kaiju allows GMs to create any kaiju they can think of, and what better creation to begin with than the original king of the monsters Godzilla! Tune in next week for another great example.

Godzilla

Motivation: King of the Monsters

Instinct: Fight the Toughest Foe

Skills: Physique +6, Fight +5, Provoke+5, Athletics +4, Notice +4, Will +4

Size: Gargantuan (+3 Physique Check, +2 Stress, Weapon & Armor V

alue +3 Shifts)

Fortitude: Heavy (+6 Physique Check, +2 Stress)

Attack Forms

Atomic Breath: Blast (may attack targets 2 sectors away) Alternate Attack (use Physique for this attack) Blow Through (Once per conflict, when the kaiju inflicts a physical consequence on an opponent it may also inflict a 2-point physical hit on another opponent in the same sector)

Cry of the King: Roar (Once per scene the kaiju can make a Provoke attack against all targets within 2 sectors) Mighty Roar (Once per scene the kaiju can make Provoke attack against all targets that can hear it. This takes the place of the “Roar” attack)

Defense Forms

Indestructible: Bug Stomp (Godzilla’s attacks against human targets are devastating. When fighting human-size targets or vehicles, the kaiju deals one additional stress on a successful physical hit) Bug Proof (Whenever Godzilla is attacked by a mob, opponents do not get a teamwork bonus when attacking this kaiju) Absorption (Godzilla gains power by absorbing specific elements. When struck by a Lightning attack Godzilla gains the “Charged to Capacity” boost. When struck by a Radiation attack it gains the “Atom Smasher” boost) Regeneration (Once per scene Godzilla may reduce the level of a Consequence one step [Severe to Moderate, Moderate to Mild]) or eliminate a Mild consequence) Deathless (Godzilla’s regeneration does not stop after it is taken out. Once per session the GM may spend a Fate point. Godzilla removes its Severe Consequence and rejoins the battle) Strength at the Base (When Godzilla takes stress and that box is already checked, it may check off the next lowest box instead of the next highest. If there are none lower it must check off one higher as usual)

Stress: Physical 9, Mental 4

Consequences: Mild x2

Mutation Point Total: 28

On this day in 1998 Roland Emerich’s Godzilla film was released. I was in the theatre, having bought special event tickets with a little folder and soundtrack CD. After the first appearance of Godzilla I knew there was a problem. It wasn’t the design, it was the direction.

In my favorite Godzilla movies there’s a money shot – the camera pans up from foot to head and the Big G lets out his signature roar. It’s a moment where the monster claims the city as his own. The advertising of the movie had made such a big deal about keeping Godzilla’s look a secret I was waiting for that shot. And it never came.

If Emerich had grown up like me, watching these movies and absorbing their tropes, then he would have known that such a shot was necessary. Keeping a full body shot of Godzilla until the second time he shows up took away the impact of what should have been an amazing reveal.

Today the new Godzilla movie is in theatres. In the name of Ishiro Honda please let it be good.

On this day in 1972 the first kaiju mercenary, Gaigan from Nebula-M, appeared on the screen, alongside King Ghidorah, squaring off against Anguirus and Godzilla, appearing as a good guy for the first time.