Gundam, Zoids, Battletech, or an original Mecha Universe (Interest check linked)

[King Serperior]

Or perhaps loose it's initial heavier armor like Gundam 00's Gundam Virtue => Gundam Nadleeh, thus becoming more mobile.  Either way is pretty awesome.   :D

[Karma]

True, but I prefer not to invoke 00. *laughs*

[King Serperior]

Well, that was the only example I could think of that was like a reverse Hulkbuster!  :P

But, yes, we're sticking clear from Gundam in this idea.

I see three (up to six, if others join) people who come together for some reason or another and form a Mech Team for the system's massive arena combat games in the hopes of winning the league.

[Ralhend]

Alright, being that we havent decided on a setting yet, I'll keep this as open as possible.  If you are wanting to do arena style combat, the battletech setting has the "Solaris-7" events, which are battlemech style gladiatorial matches...

My character is a highly skilled mecha technician / grizzled combat veteran.  He is of Slavic descent, in his mid fourties, and speaks with a thick Romanian accent. His arms, legs, and eyes were lost of the battle of [Insert battle name here], and have since been replaced with advanced cybernetic prostheses of his own design, not unlike what was seen in the video game "Deus-Ex Human Evolution"

His normally humanoid appearing legs are able to split apart into 4 separate limbs each, allowing him to crawl all over the outside of his mech like a spider, making repairs a little bit easier. They are also re-configurable to be ungulate, giving him a boost to agility, and giving him an edge in hand-to-hand combat.   His cybernetic arms are likewise riddled with hidden tools and weapons, making him an excellent "Repairman" of sorts.
His cybernetic eyes are standard issue combat models, set up with infrared, ultraviolet, light amplification, flash protection, and magnification.   He has a neural interface allowing him to directly connect his brain to most computer systems, allowing him to pilot his mechs just a little bit faster than average, at the cost of being susceptible to bio-feedback.  This has taken its toll on him over the years, and he has developed a slight paranoia not unlike PTSD, earning him the monniker "Crazy Ivan".  Despite this setback he remains a valued asset to any mecha team.


He is skilled in piloting all types of mecha, be them light for scout type missions, medium for added flexibility, or heavy for a full blown frontal assault.   Regardless of his selected chassis however he favors mobility over heavy armor, and will often select a chassis with the bigger, heavier engines capable of more power.  For extended engagements behind enemy lines he favors energy and particle based weapons, since they dont need ammunition.  For quick fights (Such as arena style combat) he favors heavy rotary-autocannons for their armor penetration capability.

[Ralhend]

(He borrows heavily from this character for his personality:)

I played this game when i was younger, and while it wasnt the best I did love Ivans character =D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGFuvK6ay9E&spfreload=10

[King Serperior]

In all honesty, your character seems to be a bit overmuch.  I don't mind that he is a veteran from some war, but the cybernetics is....well...they just don't sit right in the way I picture the game.  It seems that you're trying to make him a walking killing machine, effectively a mecha in his own right.  :/

The kind of characters I am wanting to see are fairly average overall (such as my character  who is skilled in the arena, but isn't perfect;  or the character Karma mentioned who is mostly a tech, designer, and theorist rather than a super-skilled combatant.)

That said, I do want the focus to be on the arena combat.  I'm not looking for massive interplanetary wars and the like as seen often in the Battletech universe.

[Ralhend]

Alright, it seems like we are after different things after all.  thank you for your time and consideration.  I'm sorry we couldn't reach an agreement, and I wish you luck in finding a group of suitable companions.

Peace =D

[King Serperior]

No problem.  I kind of thought we wouldn't make an agreement on ideas, but I hoped.  Good luck in your search.  Maybe there's a mecha game looking for a cyborg super soldier out there.

On that note, it's down to two people.  If we can get 1-3 more, we may be able to make a team for this.

[Saria]

I am intrigued. I am looking to end a long hiatus, and wouldn't mind playing GM for the story.

As I understand it, you're looking for a more story-oriented mecha game - one that has a level of realism, but spends more time on character development and interaction, rather than combat, combat, combat (although, what's the fun in having a 10 ton mecha and not doing any combat with it). That sounds wonderfully appealing to me.

The downside is that I know pretty much nothing about Battletech or Zoids, and my knowledge of Gundam is limited to the less fanciful incarnations (such as War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team). But you were hinting that you would rather do something in an original universe, and I can manage that quite well.

To throw a concept out there that we might be able to work with, how about this: A heavy transport space plane is carrying tons of cargo somewhere for some reason, when it is fired on by an unknown assailant. In order to avoid crashing, the pilots opt to dump their cargo - mostly shipping containers full of stuff... but of course it will include our characters' mecha. Our characters decide that rather than seeing their mecha simply jettisoned, they board their mecha, and jump. They land in the territory of a rogue, warlike nation - analogous to North Korea, but I'd say at least as big as Russia - and decide to embark on a thousands-of-kilometres long zig-zag trek to safe territory. It will take them through multiple dangerous countries - some outright enemies like the North Korea analogue, which would simply execute us as spies and claim our mechs if we're captured, some simply chaotic and dangerous like contemporary Syria, and who knows what they'd do to us. Along the way they'd have to occasionally attack enemy outposts, or hook up with the local resistance, to resupply, picking up new friends and enemies, and maybe losing some of both as they go.

For a character, I think I'd opt for one whose military role is normally that of a scout or "spotter" (someone who marks targets for artillery or orbital strikes), to sort of balance out the trio so far: Angela as the tactically-clever powerhouse, Athena as the vicious technician, and then my character as a more reserved "let's see if we can find a way around the enemy defences rather than through them" strategist. Her mech will be a mass-produced light armour - the same type that would be used by scouts, support units for heavy artillery mechs, and snipers (though she will not have a sniper rifle, or any great aptitude for long-range shooting), outfitted with primarily anti-personnel weapons and electronic warfare packages (including radar, lidar, thermal, and jamming countermeasures) and optical and electronic camouflage. Her piloting skills will be unremarkable - I'd put the balance of her capability in her strategic and planning (not so much tactical) skills.

Her strategic chops and military rank (which neither of the others appear to have) would make her the de facto group leader (much to her chagrin) - though not in the sense that she has any real authority over the others, more in the sense that she's got the best chance of survival, and everyone else's chances rise dramatically if they stick with her (again, much to her chagrin). (Of course, she would have to defer to Angela's tactical wherewithal in open combat, and Athena's on technical matters.) That would also make it easier to do in-game GMing.

What do you think?

[Karma]

I'm in love.

[King Serperior]

I am intrigued. I am looking to end a long hiatus, and wouldn't mind playing GM for the story.

Well, you're most certainly welcome and a GM is ever more welcome.   :D

As I understand it, you're looking for a more story-oriented mecha game - one that has a level of realism, but spends more time on character development and interaction, rather than combat, combat, combat (although, what's the fun in having a 10 ton mecha and not doing any combat with it). That sounds wonderfully appealing to me.

*Nod*  True and, while I do love character interaction and development, I do like my action as well.  I'd just rather not have the mech combat take over the more important parts of the story and outshine the characters themselves.

The downside is that I know pretty much nothing about Battletech or Zoids, and my knowledge of Gundam is limited to the less fanciful incarnations (such as War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team). But you were hinting that you would rather do something in an original universe, and I can manage that quite well.

No problem at all!  You're right that I was hinting at a more original universe.  It would be easier for some who don't have quite as much experience with canon universes.

To throw a concept out there that we might be able to work with, how about this: A heavy transport space plane is carrying tons of cargo somewhere for some reason, when it is fired on by an unknown assailant. In order to avoid crashing, the pilots opt to dump their cargo - mostly shipping containers full of stuff... but of course it will include our characters' mecha. Our characters decide that rather than seeing their mecha simply jettisoned, they board their mecha, and jump. They land in the territory of a rogue, warlike nation - analogous to North Korea, but I'd say at least as big as Russia - and decide to embark on a thousands-of-kilometres long zig-zag trek to safe territory. It will take them through multiple dangerous countries - some outright enemies like the North Korea analogue, which would simply execute us as spies and claim our mechs if we're captured, some simply chaotic and dangerous like contemporary Syria, and who knows what they'd do to us. Along the way they'd have to occasionally attack enemy outposts, or hook up with the local resistance, to resupply, picking up new friends and enemies, and maybe losing some of both as they go.

For a character, I think I'd opt for one whose military role is normally that of a scout or "spotter" (someone who marks targets for artillery or orbital strikes), to sort of balance out the trio so far: Angela as the tactically-clever powerhouse, Athena as the vicious technician, and then my character as a more reserved "let's see if we can find a way around the enemy defences rather than through them" strategist. Her mech will be a mass-produced light armour - the same type that would be used by scouts, support units for heavy artillery mechs, and snipers (though she will not have a sniper rifle, or any great aptitude for long-range shooting), outfitted with primarily anti-personnel weapons and electronic warfare packages (including radar, lidar, thermal, and jamming countermeasures) and optical and electronic camouflage. Her piloting skills will be unremarkable - I'd put the balance of her capability in her strategic and planning (not so much tactical) skills.

Her strategic chops and military rank (which neither of the others appear to have) would make her the de facto group leader (much to her chagrin) - though not in the sense that she has any real authority over the others, more in the sense that she's got the best chance of survival, and everyone else's chances rise dramatically if they stick with her (again, much to her chagrin). (Of course, she would have to defer to Angela's tactical wherewithal in open combat, and Athena's on technical matters.) That would also make it easier to do in-game GMing.

What do you think?

To quote Karma:

I'm in love.

I love that idea!  Of course, I'll need to do a bit of editing to Angela's mech's weaponry in this scenario since the weapons are designed for an arena-based game, thus limited.  I'll need to get her some more appropriate war-ready weapons, though the minigun, missiles, and rail gun are deadly enough!  :P

[Saria]

I'm glad you both like! I shall spend this evening preparing a character, and looking up mecha designs, and we can start tossing about ideas for the world and setting.

Of course, I'll need to do a bit of editing to Angela's mech's weaponry in this scenario since the weapons are designed for an arena-based game, thus limited.  I'll need to get her some more appropriate war-ready weapons, though the minigun, missiles, and rail gun are deadly enough!  :P

Alternately, you could leave her mech as-is, with its not-quite-ideal arena-based weaponry, and one of our early goals could be procuring actually useful weaponry (and maybe ammo), either by raiding an enemy supply outpost or by hooking up with the local resistance.

The logic could be that she was actually on her way to an arena fight when they had to abandon ship/plane. Similarly, my character's mech might have only very limited weaponry - maybe it was on its way to get some of its ECM stuff installed/fixed/updated - and maybe Athena's was en route to some kind of show or proving ground demonstration or something. Basically, they're all only minimally or inappropriately armed, so our first requirement will be to get some gear. We could start by ambushing a search unit, then move up to attacking a supply depot, or something like that.

[King Serperior]

That's certainly an idea.  This transport could have been transporting a number of people to a port, but be forced to fly over risky territory.  So, when they are forced to jettison supplies, they get into their mechs rather than them be lost. 

As for her arena-based weaponry, they're still powerful.  The main issue is that ammunition is the big problem for her mech, so acquiring an energy-based weapon to draw power from her mech's nuclear core would be essential for long-term travel.

Can't wait to see your character and Karma's revised one.   :D

[Saria]

Yup, I'm having my character's motivation being that her mech is loaded up with the latest ECM equipment, along with up-to-date encryption keys, communications codes, maps, etc.. It's not so much the equipment she's worried about - it's top secret military hardware, but it's not exactly ultra-cutting-edge stuff, so it's probable that enemy spies have already stolen the designs - but rather the contents of her mech's hard drives. When she hears that her mech is about to be jettisoned, she has two options: hit the "self-destruct" (which doesn't really blow up the mech, it just wipes the hard drives and melts down a handful of key circuit boards and components) and let it drop, or go down with it to make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands. Because the "self-destruct" isn't 100%, and because there's still a chance it might land in friendly territory and be safe, she opts to go down with the mech.

But of course, they land in the worst place ever - right smack dab in enemy territory. So her dilemma is whether to "self-destruct" and then try to make it with a crippled mech (or on foot), or not "self-destruct" and keep the valuable data risking that it might fall into enemy hands. Her chances are enormously better with her mech fully operational, so she opts to risk it, figuring that if it ever gets too grim, she can do the "self-destruct" then.

So, really, she isn't responsible for the others, and could - in theory - just ditch them and try to make it back on her own. Her only concern is preventing her mech's key data from falling into enemy hands. But she has a much better chance with them than on her own.

[King Serperior]

*Nods*

Makes sense.  The good thing is that if this cargo ship is hit, it'll be forced to fly low.  It's going to need to fly low if the Ragnarok is going to survive the drop as it is far too heavy for jumpjets to slow it's fall.  >.>

[Saria]

Ah! Actually I had a thought about that, too.

I figured that none of our mechs would be prepared for a drop, right? No one was planning for the disaster, after all. So how do they survive?

Well, I was thinking that we're all travelling on a space plane - one of those planes that basically goes straight up, follows the turn of the Earth, then comes straight down, and get you from like London to Sydney in 30 minutes. This plane is carrying a bunch of shipping containers (and our mechs are in one each) - similar to the standard shipping containers used today, but with a twist.

In the event of an emergency, these containers are designed to be jettisoned. But of course... you don't want them to hang around in orbit and smash into the space station(s), and you really don't want them to fall down to Earth: a 50 tonne container falling from orbit would be like punching the Earth with the fist of an angry god.

So the containers are designed to survive a hot reentry (which slows them down significantly), then deploy parachutes to land "softly". This design not only prevents a massive catastrophe from a full-speed impact, it also makes the container more-or-less salvageable, and in a pinch they can serve as escape pods from a doomed ship. (They would even deploy floats if they hit water, not that that would matter in our case (unless someone wants to land on water :P).) It wouldn't be a comfortable descent or landing, but you'll probably survive.

That's how our mechs can survive the fall from the plane. The containers survive reentry, and then deploy their parachutes, and land "softly". They're not shot out of the sky by any hostile forces because of my character's mech's ECM systems. Then we all emerge from our busted up containers, and take stock.

Of course, we have no idea where we're going to land until we do. But on the flip side, the enemy has no clue that 3 mechs were dropped into their territory: all they "saw" were dozens of massive shipping containers that could have been carrying cars or playstations for all they knew. That's why we're not immediately swamped by their armies hunting us down - the first enemies we run into have no idea what they're walking into, they're just investigating. (Of course, the enemy will figure out that there's a bunch of rogue mechs in their territory before too long. But before they do, we have the element of surprise, which we could use to raid for supplies.)

This way you don't need to worry about making your mech "drop-safe" (I had actually assumed none of them were). The container would protect it during the landing. It would probably get banged up a bit if it weren't well-secured - and maybe even then - but it would survive.

((EDIT: Actually, I just remembered your character is from a Moon colony. Rather than a space plane it could have been a shuttle to/from the Moon.))

[Ralhend]

Alright, I have looked for a mecha game where a cybernetic killing machine would compliment the other characters...  Such a game does not exist (Yet).
My thirst for a mech game is just getting worse...

I jumped off the ship too early, and I apologize.

The idea of a mech survival situation resulting from our ship getting attacked or having a mechanical trouble sounds like a lot of fun.  Like you said the mechs we would jettison to escape are not outfitted for this particular mission, forcing us to work with what we have, and the goal being to acquire better equipment through salvage or other methods.

Rather than go through the hassle of starting a new thread and finding more players, I'd rather shelve the Krazy Ivan inspired character for a later game and help contribute to this one. 

I can make an interesting mecha pilot type without being overmuch after looking at the examples presented here, to compliment the group rather than being overpower-full,
We can say he is an enlisted 20-something Test Technician with no previous piloting experience outside of the utility loaders, simulators and video games. The only reason he is part of the group is because he is the wrong person in the right place at the time of the attack/meteor strike/ship malfunction, and jumped in one of the mechs to be jettisoned.  At first he would be inept and clumsy, but over the course of the campaign learns the skills necessary to pilot a bipedal war machine, and becomes a competent pilot...   

I'd be willing to go completely random on the type of mech and its loadout, equipment compliment, and other such factors. ( I could construct a table with various qualities, submit it for GM review, and when the time comes i can roll dice on the dicebot to see what is on the chassis he jumps into...

that is, if you will have me and there is still a spot available?

[King Serperior]

Ah! Actually I had a thought about that, too.

I figured that none of our mechs would be prepared for a drop, right? No one was planning for the disaster, after all. So how do they survive?

Well, I was thinking that we're all travelling on a space plane - one of those planes that basically goes straight up, follows the turn of the Earth, then comes straight down, and get you from like London to Sydney in 30 minutes. This plane is carrying a bunch of shipping containers (and our mechs are in one each) - similar to the standard shipping containers used today, but with a twist.

In the event of an emergency, these containers are designed to be jettisoned. But of course... you don't want them to hang around in orbit and smash into the space station(s), and you really don't want them to fall down to Earth: a 50 tonne container falling from orbit would be like punching the Earth with the fist of an angry god.

So the containers are designed to survive a hot reentry (which slows them down significantly), then deploy parachutes to land "softly". This design not only prevents a massive catastrophe from a full-speed impact, it also makes the container more-or-less salvageable, and in a pinch they can serve as escape pods from a doomed ship. (They would even deploy floats if they hit water, not that that would matter in our case (unless someone wants to land on water :P).) It wouldn't be a comfortable descent or landing, but you'll probably survive.

That's how our mechs can survive the fall from the plane. The containers survive reentry, and then deploy their parachutes, and land "softly". They're not shot out of the sky by any hostile forces because of my character's mech's ECM systems. Then we all emerge from our busted up containers, and take stock.

Of course, we have no idea where we're going to land until we do. But on the flip side, the enemy has no clue that 3 mechs were dropped into their territory: all they "saw" were dozens of massive shipping containers that could have been carrying cars or playstations for all they knew. That's why we're not immediately swamped by their armies hunting us down - the first enemies we run into have no idea what they're walking into, they're just investigating. (Of course, the enemy will figure out that there's a bunch of rogue mechs in their territory before too long. But before they do, we have the element of surprise, which we could use to raid for supplies.)

This way you don't need to worry about making your mech "drop-safe" (I had actually assumed none of them were). The container would protect it during the landing. It would probably get banged up a bit if it weren't well-secured - and maybe even then - but it would survive.

((EDIT: Actually, I just remembered your character is from a Moon colony. Rather than a space plane it could have been a shuttle to/from the Moon.))

That sounds perfect!  I was thinking along those same lines as well.  That said, I wasn't expecting a 100% safe landing.  I just wanted to make sure that there was some way to ease the fall as the Ragnarok would hit the ground like a brick without something to slow things down.  >_>;

As for my character being from a moon colony, it can easily be changed some.  Though, in a world where mechs are used for a number of things, from entertainment to war, a moon colony isn't too far out.

Alright, I have looked for a mecha game where a cybernetic killing machine would compliment the other characters...  Such a game does not exist (Yet).
My thirst for a mech game is just getting worse...

I jumped off the ship too early, and I apologize.

The idea of a mech survival situation resulting from our ship getting attacked or having a mechanical trouble sounds like a lot of fun.  Like you said the mechs we would jettison to escape are not outfitted for this particular mission, forcing us to work with what we have, and the goal being to acquire better equipment through salvage or other methods.

Rather than go through the hassle of starting a new thread and finding more players, I'd rather shelve the Krazy Ivan inspired character for a later game and help contribute to this one. 

I can make an interesting mecha pilot type without being overmuch after looking at the examples presented here, to compliment the group rather than being overpower-full,
We can say he is an enlisted 20-something Test Technician with no previous piloting experience outside of the utility loaders, simulators and video games. The only reason he is part of the group is because he is the wrong person in the right place at the time of the attack/meteor strike/ship malfunction, and jumped in one of the mechs to be jettisoned.  At first he would be inept and clumsy, but over the course of the campaign learns the skills necessary to pilot a bipedal war machine, and becomes a competent pilot...   

I'd be willing to go completely random on the type of mech and its loadout, equipment compliment, and other such factors. ( I could construct a table with various qualities, submit it for GM review, and when the time comes i can roll dice on the dicebot to see what is on the chassis he jumps into...

that is, if you will have me and there is still a spot available?

Of course you can still join in.  I think a test technician would be an interesting compliment and the randomized aspect would certainly be interested.  However, what makes him choose one of the mechs, assuming that the transport is carrying multiple mechs?  Also, if the ship is carrying multiple mechs, I would say there should be no more than three spare mechs to choose from for him.  Then, when the cargo is jettisoned, something fails on the remaining two and they crash badly or hit water and end up sinking when the parachutes/jets/flotation devices fail.

[Ralhend]

He wouldnt really be choosing anything, and likely just jump in the closest chassis in an effort to escape from the crashing ship...

It would help if I knew what technologies were available,  someone said her mech was powered by a nuclear core, which makes me think of a small fission reactor...   most of the combat mecha designs I am used to either use standard internal combustion up to some form of fusion, either hot or cold. Nuclear designs are not unheard of, but were generally avoided due the the dangers of the cores going crtical if destroyed, making escape\ejections nearly impossible, as well as contaminating the battlefield with poisionous radiarion...

I am geussing we have acess to basic energy weaponry,(lasers, particle cannons, plasma ejectors, etc )  but no energy shielding?

Ideally id want something with light armor, a big engine for speed, with energy weapons that dont require ammo, meaning the dice would likely screw me over, giving me a medium mech with a damaged engine, missing its head an part of one arm, with half of a magazine of ammo for an lbx autocannon, and maybie 3 missiles in its shoulder pod...

I am ok with that though, since it presents an interesting challenge, not unlike what I was faced with in the video game "mechwarrior 3"

[King Serperior]

I would say that the technologies available would be similar to Battletech technology.  That said, I only said a small nuclear core powering the Ragnarok because I couldn't think of something powerful enough to power a heavy mech that makes sense.  However, a safer technology would be a good suggestion.  *nod*

In regards to weapons, basic energy weapons are there, but the depend on the mech's power source.  No shielding at all since that would take some of the strategy out of it.

[Ralhend]

Hmmm, if we have spacefaring and ftl tech its safe to assume we have fusion technology available, something like Robotech's protoculture cells or battletech's plasma loops...

We could also make them strictly electrical, have some kind of advanced battery technology, or a specialized type of high yield mineral, like what was seen in Valkiria Chronicles...

Also, is it just humans or have we made first contact ?

[King Serperior]

We don't necessarily have to have spacefaring tech, but I was seeing something along the lines of battletech's plasma and laser weaponry.  However, I feel we shouldn't go overboard with laser and plasma weapons.

As for first contact:  No.  Humans are deadly enough as is and we'll mostly be planet-side anyway.

I'd like to hear Karma's and Saria's thoughts on this first.

Also, I have been thinking of exchanging Angela's Ragnarok for DJ's Shinigami:

BattleMech

Chassis:  Wraith TR2
Model: TR2
Weight Class: Medium
Callsign: Shinigami
Description: The Shinigami is painted jet-black with light-purple 'bolts of lightning' extending along the arms and legs.  There is a signature, blood-red pair of crossed Scythes on the torso, creating a 'Jolly Roger' of sorts with the painted skull headpiece.  It is very well maintained as DJ has a very large nest egg from her time as a bandit and mercenary, allowing her to do repairs quickly. 
Weapons:
1X ER PPC (Mounted on Right Arm)
2X Tronel XII Medium Pulse Lasers (Mounted on Left Arm)

Equipment: 
1X massive LTV 385 XL Engine (allowing speeds of up to 119km/h)
7X seven CurtissJet 55 jump jets (Allowing for jumps up to 210 meters)
Background:  Shinigami was a lucky find for DJ in her search for a mech.  She discovered it by chance at a black market when looking for a mech and fell in love.  After she proved herself and joined the bandits, the Shinigami proved its namesake by taking lives before they knew they were dead and allowed her to move up in the ranks.  The unique color scheme allows for best concealment at night.  The Shinigami is her legacy for her father who was cut down for an unknown reason.

The reason being that the Shinigami is much faster and easier to use behind enemy lines while having energy-based weapons and actual hands.  Edits will likely have to be made, of course, but I feel that this high-offense, long-range mech is the best option.

[Karma]

As far as tech level, I'd like Gundam circa early 0079. The mechs would perform better, but the rest would be similar: Moon colonies, repulsor systems, particle weapons on the heavy hitters but still primarily ballistic weapons, nothing "magic" like FTL or replicators.

[Ralhend]

Im good with that...

Will weapon systems be standardized and modular, or will most weaon systems be proprietary?

[King Serperior]

I'd say that mecha weapons and systems would be standardized, but more customized weapons can be bought depending on the frame of the mech in question.  It wouldn't be advised to try and customize them unless you're someone like Karma's character who is a designer or you're sponsered by various companies in the Mech Arena like mine.

And, I think I'll keep the Ragnarok despite it's size and lack of speed since I think the group will need a mech to sponge hits with it's thick armor and break through the armor of foes with it's massive weaponry.