Greetings and salutations to you all! I've got a brand new idea cooking up my brain, and I'm looking for some intrepid writers to embark upon the adventures it shall encourage with me, and I should probably stop talking like this now before you roll your eyes out of your head. I don't talk like that normally, I promise. I just thought it best to give a friendly opening, since the rest of this pitch is a little heavy and a warm opening is better than a cold one, wouldn't you say? Anyway, on to the idea; it's been sitting in my head for a long-ass time, and I thought I would finally put pen to paper and pitch it to all of you lovely individuals. The premise is, as the title of this post would suggest, a Mech Arena Combat. What this means is that the game will revolve around a handful of individuals who each belong to one of a few teams (I'll decide how many teams there are once I know how many people are interested) engaging in
Glorious Combat in a selection of pre-constructed arenas for the promise of money, fame and glory. These teams can either hate each other or love each other - I leave that to your discretion - but one thing I can promise: Cross-team drama is welcomed, nay, encouraged! The characters will be spending just as much time out of their Mechs as in them, and as such, I am not just looking for shiny mechs (though that is a bonus). I'm looking for character, for drama, for interesting dynamics and complex characters, I'm looking for accomplished writers who want to really bring this game to life. Interested? Continue on, dear lad and/or ladette, and I shall explain.
It is the year 2163, and the human race has expanded across their home system with colonies on every planet, planetoid and moon that lies in a stable, predictable orbit (and even some less legitimate settlements in other, more dangerous locations), its numbers reaching far in excess of 100,000,000,000 individuals...and that's one of the conservative estimates. Humanity has fractured massively in the century and a half since 2015, with each new extra-planetary colony and moonbase and Satellite State eventually suing for independence from its mother (or father) land, to the point where there are now thousands, if not tens of thousands of different nations, each with their own customs and languages. Hundreds and thousands of bitter wars have been fought between many of these new identities - as if often the case with humanity, no independent factions can exist without
some conflict - but each day, life moves on for the billions upon billions of people spanning the solar system. But there is one thing that unites the varying cultures and nations in at least a token way; the bloody, violent sport of Mechbowl. With the march of technology, older and more antiquated systems became cheaper and easier to obtain, and soon entire scrapyards were full of gears and hydraulic pipes and rusty, dented weaponry. A group of engineers and small-time businessmen decided to start up what, in their day, had been a mere fantasy; giant piloted robotic suits duking it out in a variety of locals for the entertainment of the paying public. It began, as most things do, rather humbly...but soon enough, the new sport had taken hold across the various colonies and nations of the human race. Sponsorship deals, television programming, rival promotions...everything that happens to a new craze happened, and with the heightened stakes and brutal action that humans seem to enjoy so much, it quickly supplanted all other contenders as humanities sport of choice. The twisted metal, the brutal combat, the earth-shaking footsteps and explosions of larger-than-life, commercialised warfare...the ridiculously huge jackpots, the inter-planetary fame and - of course - the sheer awesomeness of owning a giant, armed and deadly device of pure power.
And you? You are all contenders in the greatest sport to be broadcast across dozens of planets. You could be a green recruit, a veteran, a new transfer from another promotion...you could be a farmer looking to make his fortune, or a rich boy just looking for a bit of fun. The choice is yours; all the crowd cares about is whether you can fight.
I know it isn't a comprehensive history of the world(s) we're playing in, but I figured that it worked as a framing narrative, and leaves plenty to the imagination for me to build upon later. Similarly, it leaves
you with a lot of room to create your own characters history; with thousands and thousands of colonies and nations spanning the solar system, it leaves you with plenty of room to invent your own nation, your own characters family, your own identity within that and your own history to bounce off of other people. If you're interested, please take a moment to just post below saying "I'm interested," before proceeding; character creation may take a while, since there's quite a bit to cover, so just let me know that you're working on the proposal if indeed you're interested. Please and thank you!
Now, there are just a few major factions and planetary traits I want to nail down to begin with, just to add some flesh to the background and give you an idea as to where to start:
These spoilers are long, so if you don't care about fluff, just skip them.
Due to the nature of space-flight - in the 22nd century, travelling from one planet to another can easily take weeks, if not months - most families live on the same planet that they work on. Therefore, you can easily distinguish the rich from the poor simply by journeying to new planets.
Mercury: Used primarily as "Magma-Farms," the people who live and work in the Bio-domes are usually poor and working-to-lower-middle-class. The "Magma-Farms," as they are known, are primarily used to supply thermo-energy which is then exported to the rest of the system. The Magma-Farms are also used as cheap and effective waste disposal, though those sections are kept away from the residential areas. Whilst the people who live and work there tend to be on the poor side, the owners of the various energy factories and disposal sites are all, without exception, very wealthy. Mech-Pilots who start out from Mercury usually salvage their first Mech from the Junk that has been sent to be disposed of or recycled. As such, Mercury has a thriving Independents scene where the contests aren't so much displays of tactical combat but street-fights in dusty, rocky arenas.
Venus: Despite its status as the hottest planet in the solar-system, its high concentration of CO2 (96%) makes it an ideal place to grow rare and valuable vegetation. Though most of the plants are kept inside the Biodomes to shield them from the worst of the surface heat, the domes are designed to allow most of the CO2 from the outside environment to enter. The owners of the various biodomes have genetically engineered the plants to grow faster and larger the more CO2 is present in the atmosphere - having been unable to simply increase the size of the plants, a catalyst was required - and the produced O2 is siphoned off and sold as "Pure Oxygen" on Earth. Much like Mercury, it is staffed primarily by the Working Class, though due to extreme atmospheric pressure and the high concentration of CO2, specialised worksuits must be worn in all areas except the Residential Sections. It doesn't have the thriving Independent Mechbowl scene that Mercury does, which just means that when the major products decide to tour on Venus, they almost always sell out every event.
Earth: Earth at this point is almost one giant city that has been carved up between the several major factions; the three major ones, and a handful of other, smaller nations. The population on Earth has long since exceeded Earth's natural resources and as such, it must rely on income from the other planets of the system to maintain its population. Whilst pollution has, thanks to various strides in renewable energy, halted, it will still be many more generations before the atmosphere clears completely. As such, pure untainted oxygen from Venus fetches a very, very high price and is sometimes served alongside a fine wine or an aged scotch. The Earths moon, due to its strategic location, has been kept neutral by international treaty. Every faction on Earths surface is allowed a small colony on the moon, but that is it. As such, most of it is still empty. Most of the families living on Earth are either upper-middle-class or upper class, being primarily businessmen and politicians.
Mars: Mars is entirely barren, being used almost entirely for production and factory work. Every major and middle-card faction has some holdings on Mars, and every other faction has a contract with at least two or three factories located on its surface, but the Zhu Dynasty is by far the most powerful on this particular planet. The workers on Mars are usually from the Middle Class, either being technicians and engineers to keep the production machines online, or in order to oversee day-to-day workings as managers or bureaucrats. Several of the major Mechbowl promotions have heavy presences here due to the planets wealth and manufacturing power, and as such almost any pilot of any skill arrives on Mars at some point in their career. Any decent pilots found living on Mars are quickly given a sponsorship deal. Because of the major promotions clout on Mars, the Independent circuit doesn't really have a presence on Mars.
Jupiter: Being a gas giant, you can guess what the hundreds of satellites orbiting the planet are harvesting. Much like Mars, the Satellites are mostly home to the Middle Class, who primarily work as office workers. Since the Mech Combat can only take place on specialised satellites, illegal Mechbowl matches and Independent Circuits aren't present.
Saturn: Though a Gas Giant, Saturn is a little more stable than Jupiter on its surface, and as such the few solid areas have iron and nickel mines peppered along its surface. These mines are protected by Biodomes and are worked by much the same class of people used to staff Venus and Mercury, with much the same Independent Circuit of Mechbowl. The Independent Circuit relies heavily on what is discarded from the Satellites above, however, since it doesn't have the second-hand industry that Mercury does. It has one, but Mercury's is far stronger. The aforementioned Satellites are very similar to Jupiters in that they are staffed by the Middle Class who oversee the Bureaucracy of harvesting the various gases from the planets atmosphere.
Uranus and Neptune: Being ice giants, their primary export is pure water and ice, which is oftentimes hard to find on many of the other planets. Much like the Gas Giants Saturn and Jupiter, they are staffed by a mixture of Middle and Working Class individuals, with a few select Upper Class families whose job it is to oversee the planets functions.
Pluto: Whilst Pluto is not technically a planet and is too far away and too small to really export anything meaningful, Pluto does have the ability to at least supplement Neptune's supply of water and ice and was the landscape for an extremely brutal theatre of the Second Solar War. As such, the three major factions have each staked a claim on a section of Pluto to A) give them a small supply of water, and B) to at least gain the semblance of a win to their people after fighting so hard over the planet(oid).
Other: There are a variety of asteroid belts and hundreds of moons within the Solar System today, each of them being home to small independent Colonies, city-states and slums. Many of the asteroid belts inevitably hide criminals, fugitives and black market traders, but no matter how many times the various police forces and militaries sweep through them, they always evade capture or move somewhere else. As such, law enforcement has largely given up on clearing these areas out and larger factions view subjugating the various independent nations as too much trouble for too little gain, so they are largely left alone except for token trade.
- The UFP, or The United Federation of Planets: After the Second Solar War in 2135, the UFP - modelled on a combination of the 21st century UN and EU - was formed from the majority of nations on one side of the conflict to attempt to safeguard humanity-wide peace in a bid to prevent another system-wide conflict. To this end, the UFP unified over a thousand nations across the system under one democratically elected Republic (which is governed by an elected Prime Minister), giving each nation only basic powers in its own day-to-day affairs whilst maintaining a federal oversight, much in the way that the USA governed its States in the early decades of the 21st Century. The nations within the UFP, however, have far less power than those United States in that they may not pass their own laws unless they are approved by the Republican Senate. Each "state" in the UFP has immediate defensive command of a branch of the UFPC (The United Federation of Planets' Corps), though they ultimately answer directly to the Republican Senate and the UFP Prime Minister. The UFP's main areas of influence (both directly through holdings and indirectly through allies and trade agreements) are Mercury, Saturn, the North-Eastern section of Pluto and roughly 70 of the 442 known natural satellites inhabiting the Solar System. Its base of operations is the former North American continent on Earth.
- The Zhu Dynasty: Formerly the Pan-Asian League (including China, North Korea, sections of annexed Japan and most of the smaller Asian mainland countries) at the time of the First Solar War (2069, when Humanity was only just beginning to colonise planets past Mars), the League quickly morphed into an Empire as the more dominant factions either crushed the opposition or combined to further their own interests, the first official Emperor being crowned in 2128. The Empire has passed through many Dynasties in its life - at this count, close to thirteen - and is currently firmly under the control of the Zhu family. It boasts, amongst other things, a cornering of the technology and production markets, thanks to its influences over Mars, Jupiter, the Asian mainland on Earth and the southern hemisphere of Pluto.
- The ANN, or Alliance of Neutral Nations: Originally created in the middle of the Second Solar War to unify those nations wishing to stay neutral in the conflict but also desiring to maintain their own sovereignty. This alliance - whilst having been fractured more than a few times as splinter groups went their own way - is governed by a Senate of representatives from each nation. Whilst each nation has complete control over its own laws, system of government and culture, in the event of conflict each nations military is put under the direct command of the Senate itself. Its main areas of influence - that is, its strongest allies - reside in large parts of Neptune, the north-west of Pluto and most of the "Middle East" on Earth.
Now that the fluff is out of the way, here is how the RP will work:
- Each player controls one character, who is allocated a team once I know how much interest there is.
- We are all Freelance teams who compete in whichever Promotion offers us the most money. Right now, we have all shown up in our respective teams to compete in one of the Productions annual tournaments, whose first heats take place on Mars and are televised system-wide. We will be living, breathing and interacting on Mars for the first couple of rounds of the tournament. The final of this particular tournament will take place on Earth.
- Out of Mech Combat, we will be free to roam the Residential areas that have been provided to us. Each team will have a separate Residential building in the same Biodome. How your characters feel about each other - whether they know each other, whether they like each other, etc etc - is up to you.
- Inside Mech Combat, for the moment, there will
not be a dice rolling system. I want to see if the players that are interested can play nicely and fairly. If you can't, I will implement a dice rolling system to ensure fairplay. To encourage fair play, even the losing teams will be rewarded with winnings upon completion of the round. Not as much as the winner, but you WILL get paid. Mech repairs between rounds are free.
- Please follow the instructions below to apply.
1) Please fill out the character Bio below:
Player Name:
Character Name:
Age: Must be 18 or over. No 16 year old savants, please.
Sex:
Planet or colony of origin: You can choose one of the planets I described above, or create your own unique colony or nation to come from, it's entirely up to you.
Appearance: Can be a description or a faceclaim.
Brief History and Motivations:2) Provide a Mech proposal using the template and instructions below.
- There are four classes of Mech in this universe: Scout, Assault, Heavy and Command.
--- Scout Mechs are lightly armoured and fast. Common uses for them include scouts, harassment from the flanks, or - if high ground can be found - snipers. They're most effective when in a support role because, on their own, Scout Mechs are easily dealt with.
--- Assault Mechs are the all-rounders. They're well-armoured but reasonably fast and agile, and are the most versatile of the classes. They can fill any roll from rapid-response to dependable soldier to heavy fire-support. However, without a Scout Mech providing intel or covering fire and without a Heavy providing heavy fire-support, they can be easily overwhelmed by a coordinated or specialised enemy.
--- Heavy Mechs are extremely heavily armoured but very slow. They have access to the heaviest weaponry, but are usually sitting ducks for faster, more agile Mechs. They usually need to be supported by other classes, or they can easily be ganged up on and eliminated.
--- Command Mechs are the Mechs given to Team Leaders. They can be any Class - Scout, Assault or Heavy - but gain access to some unique Support Gear and some other small benefits in order to fill the Leadership role more effectively.
The first thing you need to do is decide what role you want to fill. To begin with, I'll be giving each Team ONLY one of each role, to ensure that they are relatively balanced.
Secondly, you'll need to decide on the equipment that your Mech will carry into combat. Don't worry, this lot is
just starting gear, and you can use the money gained in-game to customise and alter your Mech as you go along. As we progress, I'll be introducing more unique and flashy weapons and equipment.
One thing that I should note, however; every mechs cockpit is encased in a nigh-indestructable material. This way, even if a pilots mech is entirely mangled, the pilot will survive with, at worst, a few bumps and bruises. So don't worry about your pilots safety.
Of course, this means
no open topped Mechs. Well, maybe in the illegal Underground circuits, but not on live System-wide television.
In order to balance it properly, each "Class" will have different equipment available to them. I'll give instructions on outfitting your Mech in spoilers, so if you've decided to use an Assault Mech, you can skip straight to that spoiler.
Scout Mechs are the smallest and fastest of the three classes, but as such, have the least choice when it comes to weapons and equipment. When outfitting a Scout Mech, remember these four rules:
- Every weapon class has a "Weight Rank," or "WR." This gives you an easy-to-remember indication of whether or not your Mech can carry the weapons you want it to. Scout Mechs have a WR of 10.
- Scout Mechs may also either choose three Sub-Systems that add abilities to the Mech itself, OR the Class-Specific Support System that gives your Mech unique abilities that you may or may not want to consider.
- Weapons are given values depending on their stats. These stats won't be used in a numerical system (unless I find that it's necessary to implement one), and are for reference for gameplay only. It should be self-explanatory.
- Scout Mechs always have humanoid, agile limbs. Pilots control them through an interface as if they were their
actual limbs. As such, Scout Mech arms can perform fine motor functions such as climbing, picking something up, grabbing something, etc etc. Therefore, if you equip a weapon, you must be holding it to use it. If it says "One Handed," it means that you may wield it in one hand. If it says "two handed," you may only use it in two hands.
Light Weapons (WR:3)
-Light Pistol: One Handed. Range: Medium. Accuracy: High. Damage: Low. Magazine Size: Medium. Reload Speed: High. Rate of Fire: Medium.
-Heavy Pistol: One Handed. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: High. RoF: Low.
-Machine Pistol: One Handed. R: Medium. Acc: Low. Dam: Low. Mag: High. Reload: High. RoF: High.
Medium Weapons (WR:6)
-Assault Rifle: Two Handed. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: High.
-Battle Rifle: Two Handed. R: High. Acc: High. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium (3-shot-burst).
-Shotgun: Two Handed. R: Low. Acc: Low. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Low.
Heavy Weapons (WR:7)
-Sniper Rifle: Two Handed. R: Very High. Acc: Very High. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Low.
-Bazooka: Two Handed. R:Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Very High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Low.
-Grenade Launcher: Two Handed. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: Low. RoF: Medium.
- Jump Jets: Allows prolonged ascension. Comes with a "Climbing Claw" on one hand. Perfect for Sniper-Scouts.
- Advanced Sensors: Allows you a higher chance of spotting "Stealthed" Units.
- Stealth: Temporarily renders you invisible, and immune to lock-on. Breaks established lock-on.
- Smoke Dispenser: Provides a Smokescreen. Blocks you from view, and may interfere with Lock-On. Not affected by Advanced Sensors.
- Enhanced Aiming: Makes weapons more accurate, allowing your shots to hit their target a little more often.
- Ammo Delivery System: Decreases reload time.
- Marker: Transmits targets location to the rest of your team and allows them to instantly lock on. Continues broadcasting for thirty seconds, even if target enters stealth.
- Target Lock: Tracks targets movement, even behind cover. Broken by deploying a smokescreen or entering Stealth, unless target has been hit with a "Marker."
The Scout Mech transforms into a four-wheel-drive, all-terrain buggy. The Scout Mech gains wheels or tracks on its feet that allows it to move faster when in humanoid mode. It also gains basic jump-jets, an activated speed boost when in Buggy mode and the ability to either deploy smoke or enter a weak stealth mode in which the buggy becomes mostly invisible, save for a light-refraction effect that isn't as pronounced in the "standard" stealth sub-system. The buggy also has access to any one one-handed weapon that is being carried on the Scout Mechs person at time of transformation, as well as any one shoulder-mounted weapon should the Mech possess any. If either of these weapons is lost or disabled, the buggy loses the ability to use that weapon. The appearance of this buggy is, to a large degree, up to the controller of that Mech and should be described alongside the Mech-form.
Assault Mechs are the "middle" class, and are the most versatile of the three classes and often move just as a human might. As such, it has the most choice when choosing its equipment. When outfitting an Assault Mech, remember these four rules:
- Every weapon class has a "Weight Rank," or "WR." This gives you an easy-to-remember indication of whether or not your Mech can carry the weapons you want it to. Assault Mechs have a WR of 10, up to a max of three weapons. Assault Mechs also get access to the unique "Assault Weapons" Class.
- Assault Mechs may also either choose three Sub-Systems that add abilities to the Mech itself, OR the Class-Specific Support System that gives your Mech unique abilities that you may or may not want to consider.
- Weapons are given values depending on their stats. These stats won't be used in a numerical system (unless I find that it's necessary to implement one), and are for reference for gameplay only. Their stats should be self-explanatory.
- Assault Mechs can either have humanoid, agile limbs which pilots control as if they were their
actual limbs that can perform fine motor skills,
or fixed-limbs that do not move and are more like platforms for heavier weapons. Some weapons require a fixed-limb. If you equip a weapon that is listed as "Humanoid Arm," you must be holding it to use it. If it says "One Handed," it means that you may wield it in one hand. If it says "two handed," you may only use it in two hands.
Light Weapons (WR:2)
- Light Pistol: One Handed, Humanoid Arm. Range: Medium. Accuracy: High. Damage: Low. Magazine Size: Medium. Reload Speed: High. Rate of Fire: Medium.
- Machine Pistol: One Handed, Humanoid Arm. R: Medium. Acc: Low. Dam: Low. Mag: High. Reload: High. RoF: High.
- Heavy Pistol: One Handed, Humanoid Arm. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: High. RoF: Low.
- 4-Missile-Pod: Shoulder Mounted, Humanoid or Fixed. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Officer Vibro-Saber: One Handed, Humanoid. R: Low. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: N/A. Reload: N/A. RoF: N/A.
Medium Weapons (WR:4):
- Assault Rifle: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: High.
- Battle Rifle: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: High. Acc: High. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium (3-Burst-Shot).
- SMG: One Handed, Humanoid. R: Medium. Acc: Low. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: High.
- Autocannon: One Handed, Fixed Arm. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Very High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Low (Single Shot).
- Shotgun: Two Handed Humanoid or One Handed Fixed. R: Low. Acc: Low. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Low.
- 6-Missile-Pod: Shoulder Mounted, Humanoid or Fixed. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Rail Rifle: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: High. Acc: High. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Low.
Heavy Weapons (WR: 6)
- Bazooka: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Very High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Low.
- Grenade Launcher: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Light Machine Gun: Two Handed, Humanoid. Must be on Tripod. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: V. High. Mag: High. Reload: Low. RoF: High.
- 8-Missile-Pod: Shoulder Mounted, Fixed. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Battle-Cannon: One Handed, Fixed. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium (3-Shot-Burst).
- Flame-Thrower: Two Handed, Humanoid. R: Low. Acc: High. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: N/A. RoF: N/A. Fuel vulnerable on back.
Assault Weapons (WR:8)
- Machine Gun: Two Handed, Humanoid, Must Be On Tripod. R: Medium. Acc: High. Dam: High. Mag: High. Reload: Low. RoF: High.
- Mini-Gun: Two Handed, Humanoid, Must Be Stationary To Fire. R: High. Acc: Low. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Low. RoF: High.
- Advanced Sensors: Allows a higher chance of spotting stealthed units.
- Smoke Dispenser: Deploys a smoke screen. May interfere with Lock-On.
- Flares: Can interfere with lock-on, including deflecting locked-on weapons.
- Stability Modules: Increases stability of arms. Increases weapon accuracy.
- Ammo Delivery System: Decreases reload time.
- Ammo Belt: Increases ammo storage.
- Target Lock: Tracks target, even through cover. Allows equipped missiles to track and follow target.
- Nanobots: Basic Nano-Armour. Can repair light damage.
- Heavy Armour: Increases armour strength, but sharply reduces speed and mobility.
This upgrades the Assault Mech to a Tactical Strike Mech, or a "Striker" for short. A Strike Mech has access to advanced Jumpjets and advanced mobility blades on its feet that allow it to move at high speeds with extreme agility. It has access to the basic nanobot subsystem, and two humanoid arms that are each armed with an advanced type of combat-blade. It also has a Scout Mech's stealth subsystem that renders it temporarily invisible to the naked eye, radar and lock-on. This, however, comes at a cost: the only ranged weapon it has access to is a Heavy Pistol light weapon.
Striker Blades: One Handed (x2) R: Very Low. Acc: Medium. Dam: Very High. Mag: N/A. Reload: N/A. RoF: N/A.
Heavy Mechs are the largest, slowest and most heavily armed of the three classes, but are also the least agile. Instead of ducking and weaving between cover like the other two classes, the Heavy Mechs stand in the open, soaking up the punishment and returning fire with blistering salvoes of their own. When outfitting a Heavy Mech, remember these four rules:
- Every weapon class has a "Weight Rank," or "WR." This gives you an easy-to-remember indication of whether or not your Mech can carry the weapons you want it to. Heavy Mechs have a WR of 12, with a maximum number of 4 weapons.
- Heavy Mechs may also either choose three Sub-Systems that add abilities to the Mech itself, OR the Class-Specific Support System that gives your Mech unique abilities that you may want to consider.
- Weapons are given values depending on their stats. These stats won't be used in a numerical system (unless I find that it's necessary to implement one), and are for reference for gameplay only. Their stats should be self-explanatory.
- Heavy Mechs, due to the weight of their weapons, always have "fixed limbs," which are more akin to stationary platforms than arms. They can either be in the shape of arms, small outcroppings or having the weapons directly grafted onto the torso itself. It's up to you. However, these arms/platforms
do not move like the Scout and Assault Mech's humanoid arms do. They also do not have access to Light Weapons.
Medium Weapons (WR:3):
- Assault Cannon: Fixed. Range: Medium. Accuracy: Medium. Damage: Medium. Magazine Size: Medium. Reload Speed: Medium. Rate of Fire: High.
- Rail Gun: Fixed or Shoulder Mounted. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Medium.
- Automatic Shotgun: Fixed. R: Low. Acc: Low. Dam: High. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Battle-Cannon: Fixed. R: Medium. Acc: High. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium (3-Shot-Burst).
- 6-Missile-Pod: Shoulder Mounted. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Medium.
- Plasma Rifle: Fixed or Shoulder Mounted. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Low. Reload: Low. RoF: Low.
Heavy Weapons (WR:4):
- Minigun: Fixed. R: High. Acc: Low. Dam: High. Mag: V. High. Reload: Low. RoF: V. High.
- Plasma Cannon: Fixed or Shoulder-Mounted. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: V. High. Mag: Low. Reload: Medium. RoF: Low.
- Flame Cannon: Fixed. R: Medium. Acc: Medium. Dam: V. High. Mag: Low. Reload: N/A. RoF: N/A. Fuel supply vulnerable.
- 8-Missile-Pod: Shoulder-Mounted. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- 14-Missile Pod: Shoulder-Mounted, occupies both shoulders. R: High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Medium. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- Grenade Cannon: Fixed or Shoulder-Mounted. R: Medium. Acc: Low. Dam: Medium. Mag: High. Reload: Low. RoF: High. Can be Indirect
- Advanced Sensors: Allows a higher chance of spotting stealthed units.
- Specialist Grenades: Must have the Grenade Launcher equipped. May use Smoke, flash and sticky grenades as well as explosive.
- Flares: Can interfere with lock-on, including deflecting locked-on weapons.
- Ammo Delivery System: Decreases reload time.
- Ammo Belt: Increases ammo storage.
- Target Lock: Tracks target, even through cover. Allows equipped missiles to track and follow target.
- Nanobots: Basic Nano-Armour. Can repair light damage.
- Fortress Armour: Increases armour strength to incredible levels, but sharply reduces speed and mobility.
- Overcharge: Allows you to charge up and increase the strength of Plasma and Rail weapons, but each time you overcharge, you are more likely to overheat or break the weapons.
The Heavy Mech may transform into an "Earthshaker Artillery Platform." The Heavy Mech possesses the Advanced Sensors and Fortress Armour Subsystems, along with one Fixed Arm weapon from the Heavy Mech Medium Weapon list. The Mech is also equipped with one "Siege-Class" Weapon, from the list below. To use the Siege Weapon, the Mech must enter "Platform Mode," which will vary depending on the appearance and design of the Mech in question. The transformation will take thirty seconds, in which time the Mech will become completely immobile, the Siege Weapon will shift to a usable position - be it braced along the mech's back, or planted firmly on the ground or any other position from which it can be fired depending on the design of the Mech - and the Medium Weapon will assume a defensive turret-like position somewhere on the Mech's platform in order to offer basic protection from attack. The Siege Weapons are indirect, and as such will require coordinates fed from other Mechs in order to be fully effective.
Possible Siege Weapons (pick one):
- Rail-Cannon: Range: V. High. Accuracy: Low (without spotter). Damage: V. V. High. Magazine Size: High. Reload Speed: Low. Rate of Fire: Low.
- Artillery Cannon: R: V. High. Acc: Low (without spotter). Dam: V. High. Mag: High. Reload: Medium. RoF: Medium.
- 25-Pod-Siege Missiles: R: V. High. Acc: Medium. Dam: High. Mag: Medium. Reload: Low. RoF: High. May fire all 25 individually, or all at once.
Command Mech's are not, strictly speaking, a separate class. Command Mechs may be any "class," be it Scout, Assault or Heavy, but do get a number of basic upgrades to help them carry out their leadership responsibilities with greater efficiency. They have slightly better armour than "normal" members of their respective class, and gain two extra Sub-Systems - regardless of whether or not they are equipped with their classes unique Support System - that must be chosen from the following list. Each team gets only one Command Mech.
Command Subsystems:
- Localised Shield Generator: The Command Mech may deploy a portable shield generator that creates a spherical shield around the generators current location. Mechs and humans may pass through the shield unhindered, but gunfire may only leave the shield and not enter it. Once deployed, the shield cannot be moved, and after the shield has sustained a certain amount of damage, it will shut down. One use per generator. Start battle with 2 generators.
- Ammo Cache: The Command Mech may deploy a single ammunition duplicator that supplies the controlling team with unlimited ammo refills. Can be captured. Cannot be moved or redeployed. Max per Command Mech: 1.
- Communications Scrambler: May periodically disrupt enemy teams communications. Lasts for forty-five seconds. Takes five minutes to recharge.
- Advanced Radar: Upgrades the basic Mech radar. It has longer range, can tell what class the mech is and estimates its current loadout. Basic radar can tell friend from foe.
- EMP: The Command Mech may periodically disable all weapons - friend and foe - in a localised area. Duration: 20 seconds. Recharge time: 90 seconds.
- Advanced Nanobots: May apply advanced nanomachines to self or ally to repair light to medium damage. The nanobots must take two minutes between uses to recharge.
- Mobile Turret: The Command Mech may deploy a Machine Gun Auto-Turret. May be picked up and redeployed. Can be destroyed.
- Advanced Communications Relay: The Command Mech has a protected communications line that is immune to scrambling. This line connects to one and only one other Mech.
- Sophisticated Communications Relay: The Command Mech possesses a protected Communications Relay that protects its line to all team members from scrambling. Team members may talk to the Command Mech and vice versa during scrambling, but team members communications to non-Command Mechs are disrupted as usual. This Subsystem takes both slots.
- Hidden Weapon: The Command Mech may carry one Scout Mech Light Weapon in addition to its other weapons.
And there you go! If you got through that, you should be ready to create your mech!
Step 3) Please provide a writing sample; I would like you to write an average (for YOU; I want to know what to expect from you in terms of content in-game) post from the perspective of your proposed character. The scenario can be whatever you want, so long as it is one that could occur in-game.
So, as a recap:
I need:
1) A brief character Bio using the template below:
Player Name:
Character Name:
Age: Must be 18 or over. No 16 year old savants, please.
Sex:
Planet or colony of origin: You can choose one of the planets I described above, or create your own unique colony or nation to come from, it's entirely up to you.
Appearance: Can be a description or a faceclaim.
Brief History and Motivations:2) A brief
Mech Bio, using the template below:
Mech Name: What your character has nicknamed their Mech.
Mech Class: EG, Scout, Assault, Heavy, Command Heavy, etc.
Mech Armaments: The weapons and subsystems your Mech possesses, including whether or not it is using the optional Special System.
Mech Appearance: You can use a written description, a picture or a drawing if you want so long as it gives me an idea of what your Mech looks like. It
must fit the class and requirements. EG, a Scout Mech is
not going to be gigantic or heavily armoured. If your Mech can transform, include a description of the alternative mode as well.
3) I need a written sample, from the perspective of your proposed character. It can be any scenario you can think of, I just want to get a feel for your writing style.
And that's about it from me! I hope you're all still paying attention, and I hope this interests a few people. It took me literally 8 hours to write, so I hope
somebody likes it.
