[center] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/173495-xcom-the-black-winter/ooc]OOC Here[/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB0SpUoU5bo&list=RDVB0SpUoU5bo&start_radio=1][img]https://downloads.2kgames.com/xcom2/blog_images/POI/POI_Disease.jpg[/img][/url] [Click image for mood music] [h1][b][u]XCOM[/u][/b][/h1] [h2]The Black Winter[/h2] [color=gray] [i] Earth is lost... The aliens reigned fire on us with a fury that we simply could not match. In mere weeks, our first and last lines of defense were shattered. Our once great cities were destroyed, replaced by foul mockeries rife with lies and deceit... Worse yet, is that our own people have turned against us. We are XCOM, once viewed as the protectors of mankind; but now seen as a terrorist scourge... Our forces are broken, disconnected, and isolated. We have been since the fall ten years ago... Despite this, we push on. Everyone in XCOM believes that one day we will rise again, but until that time, we hide in the shadows. We work independently in small squads, helping those who reject the elders, and fighting those who embrace them. Once, there was a whole platoon of us... But now we are only half a dozen... There was a time we viewed one another as strangers from far away lands. Not anymore. In the fires of war and the desperation of survival, we have become one. We aren't merely comrades or the best of friends. We are a family. Each and every one of us has lost something in this war that motivates us. This is the story of the abandoned... The story of Falcon team.[/i] [color=white][h2][b]The Premise[/b][/h2][/color] Hello! Welcome to my interest check for XCOM: The Black Winter! I have been wanting a gritty sci-fi military RP lately, and figured why not set it in the XCOM universe ten years before the events of XCOM 2? So here we are! This RP is meant to be a rather intimate story of six surviving XCOM operatives. The team, as well as the rest of the platoon, was deployed to defend a listening post in northern Canada during the days of the invasion. When HQ fell, the platoon was cut off in the remote region, and left to fend for itself. Ten years has passed since then, and the platoon has dwindled down to six operatives, the player characters. The team has traveled across North America in the ten years since, and have all become known and wanted by the newly installed Advent government. Each member of the squad will have a specific role to fill, and nobody can do something entirely on their own without their squad mates watching their backs. Winter is just around the corner, ice and frost forms in the morning, and you can see your breath in the air. Survival is difficult, but each member of the team is a hardened soldier after ten years of fighting a covert war. Any takers? The squad roles are as follows... [color=red][b]Assault [/b][/color]- Fast and furious. The assault operative is generally the one to both start and end fights. This operative likes it up close and personal. The assault operative generally works in tandem with the scout operative. They prefer shotguns and blades, but aren't limited to them. [color=saddlebrown][b]Scout [/b][/color]- Silent and deadly. The scout operative is the eyes and ears of the squad. Where the assault kicks open doors and clears rooms, the scout spies and infiltrates with precision and stealth. Because of the scout operative's forward position, they are usually fighting side by side with the assault operative when the going gets tough. They prefer submachine guns and knives, though they are proficient with most small arms. [color=white][b]Medic [/b][/color]- Calm and reliable. The medic operative has the tightest bonds with the rest of the squad. They have patched every other operative up on more than one occasion. The medic is the glue that holds the squad together, and is often the moral compass for the other operatives. They are by no means a push over in combat either. Carbines and pistols are their preferred weapons for their light weight. Due to the medic operative's support role, they are often in the back line with the tech operative. [color=dodgerblue][b]Tech [/b][/color]- Smart and creative. The tech operative is the electronics expert of the squad. If there's an electronically locked door that needs opening, or an Advent MEC that needs shutting down, the tech is on it. The tech operative is also responsible for monitoring Advent movements and feeding intel to the rest of Falcon team. It is thanks to the tech that the squad has been able to pick and choose their next targets, and execute their missions with such precision. The tech operative is often equipped with a machine pistol when carrying their equipment around, or an assault rifle for when they need to join the fight. Being in the back line means that the tech operative is often fighting alongside the medic. [color=yellowgreen][b]Sniper [/b][/color]- Patient and precise. The sniper operative is capable of deciding the outcome of a firefight before it even happens. Their attention to detail has saved Falcon team from more booby-traps than the rest of the team would like to admit. Using information relayed from both the scout and the tech operatives, the sniper can find their mark with ease and take the shot that's needed to turn the tide of a battle. Their sniper rifle's heavy weight means that in a close up engagement, they're quite outmatched. Luckily, the sniper's trusty sidearm usually saves the day. But beyond that, the sniper's partner, the rifleman, sticks close to their side, and watches their back. The rifleman and sniper are rather versatile, and can take up the other's role if the situation calls for it. [color=olivedrab][b]Rifleman [/b][/color]- Watchful and adaptive. The rifleman is the sniper operative's partner. They clear rooms and escort the sniper into position, and watch the sniper's flank should somebody come to pick a fight. The combination of a marksman rifle and a machine pistol work well to engage at most distances. Their marksmanship is bested only by the sniper's, and should the sniper be unable to take the shot, the rifleman wont hesitate to take over. [color=gold][b]Gunner [/b][/color]- Strong and unforgiving. The gunner operative is the one who will saturate an area with bullets to keep an enemy pinned. Their light machine guns are relentless. The withering hail of bullets is often enough to shred through even the thickest of armors. Their reinforced armor plating helps to protect the gunner and maintain their position even when under fire. The gunner operative is the backbone of the squad. Without them, Falcon team would be easily overrun. One could almost class the gunner operative as a heavy infantry, fighting alongside the equally heavily armored grenadier. [color=orangered][b]Grenadier [/b][/color]- Destructive and feared. If something needs to be blown up, the grenadier is the one for the job. An expert with explosives, the grenadier is Falcon team's anti-tank solution. They are adorned in blast padding, and armed with a heavy assault rifle. The grenadier operative is often seen with either a grenade launcher, or a rocket launcher. They equip themselves for the mission at hand, and usually fulfills the role of hunting down the biggest threat on the battlefield and utterly destroying it. When Falcon team comes across a bomb that needs defusing, it's the grenadier that accepts the task. Their heavy armor finds them fighting alongside the gunner as an immovable, and unstoppable force. [color=blueviolet][b]Psionic[/b][/color] - Gifted and clairvoyant. Falcon team's ace in the hole. The psi operative is the squad's shield against the more ethereal threats the elders send their way. The psionic fights on a whole other level from the rest of the squad, able to bend reality to his will and wield it against Falcon team's enemies. Light armor is not a concern for the psionic, as they can form psionic shields and cover for both themselves and their squad. They fight with assault rifles against those who go unaffected by the psionic's power. The mental link between the psionic and the rest of the squad means that everybody has a deep connection with them. The presence of the psionic is sometimes considered by the other members of Falcon team to be therapeutic. There can be only one of each of these roles. So pick wisely and form Falcon team with the other roles in mind. There are nine roles, and only six slots, which means there will be weakness in the squad that we all must figure out how to overcome. [color=red][b]THIS IS NOT FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.[/b][/color] I will be reviewing your character sheets, and picking the ones I feel will benefit the story best. The empty roles will be left open in case I decide to include more players in the future to join Falcon team. I am going to be playing one of the roles as well, so that leave five other players able to join. [color=red][b]NO LONGER ACCEPTING[/b][/color] [color=red][b]Assault[/b][/color] - OPEN [color=saddlebrown][b]Scout[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4721579]David Washington[/url] [color=white][b]Medic[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4720268]Fiona West[/url] [color=dodgerblue][b]Tech[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4721532]Carlotta Missotti[/url] [color=yellowgreen][b]Sniper[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4719820]Jimbo Muldoon[/url] [color=olivedrab][b]Rifleman[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4719983]Lukas Travers[/url] [color=gold][b]Gunner[/b][/color] - OPEN [color=orangered][b]Grenadier[/b][/color] - OPEN [color=blueviolet][b]Psionic[/b][/color] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4722489]Sara Lancaster[/url] [/color] [hider=Character Sheet Template] [color=gray] [CHARACTER IMAGE HERE] [color=white][b][CHARACTER NAME HERE][/b][/color] [color=white][b]Age[/b][/color] ## [color=white][b]Gender[/b][/color] Male/Female [color=white][b]Country of Origin[/b][/color] United States, Canada, Britain, Russia, etc. [color=white][b]Squad Role[/b][/color] Assault, Scout, Medic, Tech, Sniper, Rifleman, Gunner, Grenadier, Psionic [color=white][b]Personality Profile[/b][/color] The way your character behaves and interacts with others. Likes, dislikes, and quirks go here as well. Note that Falcon team have been together for ten years now. They treat one another like family. [color=white][b]Background Profile[/b][/color] Your character's history before and during XCOM before joining Falcon team. Important information leading up to platoon being deployed to the listening post. The rest is known history between all characters. [color=white][b]Inventory[/b][/color] Stuff like weapons, gadgets, and armor goes here. For this RP, we are using real world weapons. [color=white][b]Squad Relations[/b][/color] This section isn't expected to be filled out right away. When a character is accepted into the RP, begin working and collaborating with the other accepted players to establish the relationship between the characters. This could also be personal opinions. [color=white][b]Other[/b][/color] Any miscellaneous goes here. This is not required, and can be filled with whatever flavorful things you want. It could be a spot for theme songs, additional images, etc. [/color] [/hider] As a final note, I am currently working on a rule system for this RP. However, I know that some people like to RP purely on freeform alone, so if you express your interest, please also let me know if you'd rather play this with a gameplay system in place, or just as pure freeform RP. We will put it to a vote. [/center]