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Thank you so much! I wasn't expecting to get so much info, I can definitely use all of this. We were supposed to have our first session of Steel Hearts last night but my internet went out. (shaking my fist at the sky) I figure with the extra time I can tweak the intro to introduce some of these characters.

(I'm already thinking Ivar might show up on Bjorn's behalf to officially instate the new team, since he seems like the most likey to speak to the players as people instead of pilots, which should hopefully allow for some good roleplaying.

And we have a Neurosensitive Nomad pilot who I'm thinking might've been handpicked by Sigurd to join the team, so maybe he stops by after the planned Wyrm hunting exercise to check in.)

I can't wait to get this show on the road!

As it turns out, the player wound up choosing a different part anyways. Put together a Syphon Talisman + Grenade Launcher build. (I see what you're saying about starter builds being no joke.) I do have a few more questions, if you've got time. Does Kinetic Regen work based on cumulative damage or do you have to deal a multiple of 5 damage in a single action to proc it? Also, does Blinding Flash apply the Dazed status to allies before Beacon of Hope procs?

If any of my players are reading this, don't read this next part. You know who you are. 👀

I'm currently working on a few homebrew bosses, as well. I have a fun idea involving a series of combat and non-combat encounters involving the Wyrms Fáfnir and Reginn (and Ótr). Feels appropriate since I'm using Asgard as the setting. I was wondering if you had any advice toward designing bosses beyond what's in the book (Which has set me off to a great start!) I've got some solid ideas but I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with smaller enemies with abilities that synergize with the boss. I realize that's a vague question, but I figure it's worth a shot.

 I have a bunch of other questions I'd love to ask, about like, the structure of the EDA, Asgard's leadership, Nekos sans Frontiers' catgirls (I'm assuming the one on the cover is wearing catgirl accessories rather than literally having cat ears and claws, but I've been wrong before...) but I figure, for those, it'd be best to try to hold on for the next update to Steel Hearts, for the time being.

While coming up with starter MECs (3 Parts from the Squire or 9 starter classes, and 150k in upgrades), one of my players found a way to boost their Speed to 20 (4 Base Speed, +6 Base MOB, +3 from Ranger Core, +4 from Weightless Steps, +3 Speed enhancements), and they took the Cyber Thighs, which have a Stratagem that converts Speed into Direct DMG, no roll required. I just want to double check that we aren't misinterpreting any rules here, because this feels like a pretty big thing to be able to just DO with a starter MEC. (I don't think there even is an non-boss enemy with more than 20 Armor/Vitality yet.) I'm willing to let it fly, I can certainly fudge some extra Armor/Vitality on my enemies if I need to, but I just want to like, let ya know it's there.

Oh, that’s great actually, love that! Learning that that was intentional gives the moment of confusion a good payoff. I’m thinking about writing a scene where someone tries to sell this to my players. See if anyone takes the bait. Thanks for the response!

Thank you, good to know! Plus now I have an idea for a cool passive if I ever create a homebrew MEC Class! Something like... Daredevil Core: [[Passive]] : Risk Dice generate SYN. (Feel free to use that if you want.)

Actually one other thing, if the Dual Core takes up 1 Core slot and 1 Fabled slot, and in return, you gain 1 Core slot and 1 Fabled Slot... isn't that a net zero? You're not actually gaining anything from the Dual Core itself... Unless I'm misreading that. There might be a benefit if it can act as a dummy Core for the purposes of a Core Break... but I don't know what happens when you roll a Core Break with two Cores. Might be good to have a rule for if/how redundant/bonus parts break, since the Asura Core also gives bonus slots.

Didn't mean to find another thing to nitpick, just kinda stumbled onto that by accident. Sorry!

Sorry for bumping this, but I had my own question that I think fits here. I just want to double check, do Risk Dice generate SYN? There's a chart on the character sheet that suggests yes, but I don't actually see this explicitly clarified in writing anywhere. Might be a good thing to add?
Anyways, I'm enjoying reading the book so far, easily worth the price, optional or not. I'm hoping to give the system a test run with my group soon. Looking forward to the finished game!