Hello and Welcome!

I’m Russell Collins, the designer and author of Tears of a Machine; A story game (or RPG) about teenagers piloting giant robots against an attacking alien force and all the triumph and loss of their dangerous lives.
I’ve built the game around the pilot’s own strength of will and self-confidence, so that a good day in school or at the mall or on the basketball court will help a pilot beat the odds when the alarms sound and the alien assault force strikes. But on the other side, a pilot’s fears and frustrations may leave him or her drained and apathetic and a weak-willed pilot could be just as dangerous as the enemy. The SAInts, the giant robots built by Earth’s defenders, are made from the same tech as the alien’s war machines and if a pilot loses control, the SAInt becomes a raging monster!
The rules are quick to resolve and focus in on what is most important to a pilot’s success or failure and how those situations relate to his or her outlooks and attitudes. They also scale, zooming in to add more detail when the pilot’s life is on the line as insect-like robots storm the city, but staying light enough so that combat scenarios can still be high-speed, high-energy dramatic events.
As production of the game progresses I’ll be adding more details about the world of Tears of a Machine through stage setting fiction and rules examples. There will also be some supplemental writing and behind-the-scenes information too.
Thank you, and May the SAInts Preserve Us.