Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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Senhara No Thoughts, Head Empty / (she/they)

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Critical Shell - A Mecha Roleplay

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The year is 2075 roughly 40 years after the AI war that nearly ended humanity. The world has recovered, for the most part, civilization rebuilt. Two main groups control the world, with smaller factions squabbling beneath them both. United Empire and Vertex, they control their halves of the world. Vertex rules under a dictatorship, while the United Empire a monarchy. Pressure is being placed on the United Empire as Vertex slowly pushes closer and closer to their territory.

Amongst the forces are HELIX Frames, giant legged war machines originally made by the AI. Both factions control armies of their HELIX Frames, them being their multipurpose destroyers. Controlled by a neural interface planted in pilots, the Frames move as a human does, naturally and with great agility. Using these machines, armies can strike with superhuman abilities that show their strength in battle. To make these machines even feasible, Phalanx drives are used, which were generated by the AI as a new power source. A miniature nuclear fusion plant, able to generate a unique shield called a Phalanx Shield, these drives were used for their military applications.

Vertex is moving ever closer and closer, raising tensions sky-high. With the military of the Unified Empire on alert, scouting is done to watch over the nations, one of these groups is called the Snowbirds, a Canadian HELIX Frame squadron watching over the edge of Alaska, ensuring that Russian Vertex squadrons do not move in. The leader of the Snowbirds pilots a machine named EYE2, known for being one of the top pilots in battle simulations. With these rising tensions, he has been tasked with training recruits to fight back against Vertex if they so choose to attack.

The new pilots have been moved from training, or retraining for veteran pilots, to directly under the control of EYE2's pilot. Today is the initial meeting of the new pilots and the first operation. The pilots have already been assigned new bunks, hangars, and operation details. It's a simple scouting mission, plus overseeing the setup of long-range scanners for the detection of mass movements.



Rules:

1. No mary sues, powergaming, metagaming, or being overpowered from the start, this is a standard rule.
2. Don't be an asshole to other players, please do not take IC actions personally.
3. Posts should be at least one paragraph long, and a realistic amount of detail is ideal, however, please do not pressure players by going too into detail.
4. Discuss with the GM if you want an antagonist character.
5. Any questions, concerns, or requests should take place in this thread.
6. You can have as many characters as you want, so long you don't burn yourself out.
7. This roleplay is death enabled! You have been warned.

Pilot Sheet Template:

[b]Pilot Sheet[/b]

[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Backstory:[/b]

[b]Misc Info:[/b]




HELIX Frame Sheet Template:

[b]HELIX Frame Sheet[/b]

[b]Codename:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Class: (Light, Medium, Heavy, etc.)[/b]

[b]Role: (Scout, Long Range, Interceptor, anything you think it fits)[/b]

[b]Equipment: (Weapons, utilities, defense, etc.)[/b]




NOTE: This is my first time GMing, so please don't be put off by that. I want to get better at roleplaying and being a GM, also the fact it's been half a year since I last roleplayed here.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by PhoenixEye9
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-Reserving for sheet-
Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Lionel Samson
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Lionel Samson The avid master-student

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LINK TO CHARACTER SHEET


This CS has been revised, making the initial comments on it below obsolete.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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Senhara No Thoughts, Head Empty / (she/they)

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@Lionel Samson seems good, however it looks like it could be countered by extremely fast CBQ builds, might want to take a think into that and editbif you want. Otherwise it's fine for posting into the character category
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Cleverbird
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@Senhara Isnt it the point to make specialized builds, that can be countered by something? It would be kinda boring if every single frame is a jack-of-all-trades with no weaknesses, no? Plus, it means you would need to rely on your teammates to protect the heavier frames, and the heavier frames to protect the lighter frames; creating a role dynamic.

I'll probably work on something soon. What sort of tech is available? Lasers? Railguns? Could a frame run something different from a Phalanx Shield, like a stealth mode or something?
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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Senhara No Thoughts, Head Empty / (she/they)

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Yeah true, @Cleverbird, I was just worried since a lot of medium machines tend to be agile. Lasers and railguns are a thing. You can potentially run stealth but a relatively powerful weapon hitting you could kill your machine right there and then, so it needs to be quick.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Lionel Samson
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@Senhara@Cleverbird
I understand. I knew that in making the Marauder. I'll see if I can't tweak it a little bit. Cleverbird is actually thinking what I'm thinking regarding teammates and covering each other. But I'll tweak it a little bit so that the Marauder can have something against medium builds, even if it doesn't let him win every time.

Just so I understand, what is an 'extremely fast CBQ build?'
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@Lionel Samson something with a shotgun or only blades, designed to quickly close distances or dash behind cover before getting struck. Something along the lines of that.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Lionel Samson
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So I thought about the Marauder, and what I was thinking last night as I chose each armament. I had intended for it to be able to counter smaller faster Frames with its Advanced Rotation System and Shield Focus Array. It can focus all of its shield power into one direction and lock it onto an enemy, say that it is circling the Marauder. Its rotation system helps it keep track of a target moving around him. This keeps its Grappling Claws, Autocannon, and pistons lined up with the target, in theory? Coming in close to bash on his enhanced Shield opens them up for a flurry of attacks from his Claws, Cannons, and Pistons, I would think.

I could rewrite his Flash Skates to allow him to make evasive maneuvers for situations like that as well. So he can still be fast, just not as fast as a Frame with less mass.

Also, melee-orientated Frames might have to deal with the back spikes if they're not careful--they're not small 'bumps' that you brush up against and shear metal. We're talking multiple impalements in different parts of the body if Julian times it just right. And then they get electrocuted....

Granted, if he's ever in a situation where he's dealing multiple smaller faster Frames at one time, he's just as screwed as anyone else might be. And that's a matter resolved by proper tactics and team strategies, right?
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Cleverbird
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I'm not the GM, but wouldnt a mech that could counter everything kinda break rule 1? And wouldnt that also break the need for frame categories? Why name it a heavy frame if it can keep up with a lighter frame?

These are just my 2 cents, coming from someone who adores the Battletech universe, but classes keep things balanced. Heavier frames might be able to carry more weapons and armor, but they're countered by lighter frames that can dance around them, which is why you'd want a well balanced team that can handle multiple types of threats.
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@Cleverbird I agree. I'd much prefer if it were more of a tank tank. Now that I know it's purpose I think I would much prefer if it were a heavy siege unit with those specs. It shouldn't be able to spin around like hell to deal with something that goes really fast

Tired rn, sorry for my grammar and my overall inability to process things
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Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Lionel Samson
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@Cleverbird

I definitely want Julian to have to rely on his teammates, and his Marauder having glaring weaknesses will force him to accept that fact. The Marauder's role as Forward Assault, I'm imagining, will mean he's part of the tip of the spear that breaks into an enemy's formation/base, and paving the way for the rest of his group to come up behind him and lay down the law. Base Breaker just means the Marauder should be able to break down walls and armored fortresses. Then, Zone Control, he should be able to help prevent enemies from getting through an area (say a choke point).

So if you guys have ideas on how to tweak the Marauder, let me know. I'm probably the least experienced one here in mech lore and mechanics.

EDIT: @Senhara Hey lol. Okay so I can make him a siege unit with long range capabilities, but he can go closer if needed? I want to keep the pistons and grapple hooks if possible. Hmm, and yeah I'll remove the waist rotation.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@Lionel Samson I don't particularly mind that, EYE2 is actually really similar to that, it's a sniper with close range capabilities (although is not designed for it at all)
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Lionel Samson
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Okay thank you. I'll redesign the Marauder then later tonight and set it up according to your wishes. No worries either way. :) Thank you for the help guys.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by BigPapaBelial
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@BigPapaBelial I like it, especially since I'm part Native American. Approved.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Nate1008
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Everything here is still a WIP. ALL ART IS NOT MINE!
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@Nate1008 the United Empire wouldn't accept someone who's insane. Also, you need to describe the weapons more as I have no idea how strong they are.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by BigPapaBelial
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@Senhara Oh cool. tansi nistasis. I'm Plains Cree myself. So as I just said in Cree, Hello Brother.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Senhara
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@BigPapaBelial Mohawk, unfortunately I don't know the language.
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