Santa Giulia, and a note on design generations in METALLURGENT.

Designed by Italian defense monopoly SANFIERRO, the Giulia is a thoroughbred Vanguard Anvil, sporting a powerful engine and superior agility. The Giulia dances around enemy fire with ease, confounding sensors with its Radar Spoofer before savaging targets with its Physical Blade.

The Giulia is the frontrunner for the more purpose-built Anvils of what we're calling Gen1. While more elegant than most of the designs that will be present at the launch of Gen1, it is still emblematic of the changes made in the intervening time. I'll detail some notes on the differences below.

Generations:

METALLURGENT’s setting and gameplay is divided into different Generations of Anvil, or ‘Gens’ as they’re typically referred to. This gives us flexibility to tune mech balance better, have different tones for each era, and to gate our releases so that we can isolate and finish parts of the game faster. A Generation is not a specific amount of time, but rather refers to the general time period a class of Anvil is active during. There’s room for blurring lines, and GMs will have tools for bringing a party to the next gen, as it were, but they provide a convenient reference point.

Gen0 starts in the 1990s, in response to a manpower shortage in the US Army due to the personnel demands of orbital, lunar, martian and now venusian garrisons, as well as the large portions allocated to the Air Force and Space Force. The idea is floated to repurpose an existing modular construction vehicle popular in the various colonies, which is attempted with off-the-shelf components adapted ad-hoc into the Anvil Platform. Anvils are tested with the army on some expeditionary operations, during which other nations catch on to the idea and start their own development programs. However, after a few years of production, a chain of crisis erupts between the major powers of Earth, leading to a general collapse in the global status quo. While the remaining states try to salvage the situation and local governments turn to any help they can get, it’s the perfect environment for those with the will and the means to seek mercenary work.

Gen0 is a low-tech environment, where Anvils aren’t quite ubiquitous yet and as such those who possess them have a sizable leg up on those who do not. A mercenary company of 3-5 Anvils can take a variety of contracts dealing with many different types of combat, and the universal connectors that defined the construction vehicle make replacing parts (and fabricating new ones) relatively straightforward. The setting is one where global norms of trade and free travel have collapsed, and while there may not be local shortages of goods, the transport of bulk cargo requires much more effort and protection that at any point in the 20th century. In short, it’s a paradise for those who wish to make their fortune at the barrel of a tank cannon.

Highlights for Gen0 -

• Emphasis on mercenary work, including rules for building a company including support units and infantry in the campaign supplement
• Mechs are low-tech, somewhat cumbersome, and feature mainly repurposed equipment that is roughly analogous to 90s and 2000s technology. It takes cues from western mech media, predominantly Battletech.
• The spread of combat units on the field is less symmetrical than later gens, because of the chaos of the era. Anvils are dominant but not necessarily common.

Gen1 picks up in the aftermath of Gen0’s chaos, centering on the conflict between those who wish to perpetuate the system of corporate-state hybridization that was the result of the collapse of global trade, and those who would rather burn down what they view as a oppressive bastardization of a sovereign state and forge something new. Both sides of this conflict deploy generally limited forces and put a large emphasis on limiting civilian casualties to keep public opinion on their side, which results in less infantry emphasis as well as giving the Anvils more of the spotlight. This becomes something of a self-fulfilling loop, and leads to wider adoption and production of new, more advanced and more marketable Anvils. These become colloquially known as First Generation Anvils, of Gen1 colloquially as a result of their ground-up design as opposed to the somewhat slapdash construction of the original designs.

Highlights for Gen1 -

• Fights against opposing anvils are more common. Pilot skill take a bigger place in determining outcomes of battles with a generally more even playing field.
• Both sides of this conflict have an interest in swinging popular opinion. Heroic deeds caught on camera can be a powerful boon to any group looking to make a name for themselves, but the inverse is also true.
• Anvils in Gen1 are more capable, specifically in the areas of agility, load, and dexterity. Weapons sport usable magazines more often, and a larger variety of melee weapons are found on the field.
• Campaign support will be available for corporate, rebel, or mercenary factions depending on your party’s preference.