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AndyC Guardian of the Universe

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A government in collapse. A world up for grabs. Millions of lives in the balance. And a mountain of cash for those brave, skilled, or crazy enough to take it. The work is usually difficult, often dirty, and always dangerous. If being a mercenary was easy, everyone would do it.






E P I S O D E I : B O R N T O L O S E


P R E M I S E:


The year is 3030, and Gawain’s Green Knights, a small mercenary command operating in the contentious Andurien region of the Inner Sphere, have found themselves in a situation. Originally under contract with the Capellan Confederation, they had been hired for garrison duty on the backwater border world of Espia, keeping the peace while the regular Capellan forces moved off-world to fight their hated enemies in the Federated Suns. It should have been easy money, chasing off bandits and looking good for photo opportunities while the local governor signed over fat stacks of cash until the regulars returned from the fighting.

Unfortunately for the Green Knights, things didn’t turn out that way. The Capellan Confederation lost their fight with the Federated Suns, and lost badly. While reeling from their disastrous war, the Capellan government withdrew its support from several border worlds, leaving Espia to twist in the wind. This resulted in protests, protests which became riots, riots which became a military coup. The new regime managed to seize most of the world’s military and economic assets….including the Green Knights’ Dropship, and the several million C-Bills the mercenaries were promised. Despite the local military seizing power, things continued to spiral out of control, erupting into a full-on civil war.

Now Gawain’s Green Knights are stuck without an employer, without a paycheck, and without a way off-planet. Between fanatical Capellan loyalists, opportunistic agents of the neighboring Free Worlds League, and radical Independents, the world is embroiled in a civil war which threatens to leave the entire planet in ruins. In the middle of this, Colonel Gaius Wayne and his band of mercenaries have to find a way out, either by finding the right client and rallying around their cause, or by grabbing enough loot in the chaos to pay for passage out of the system.

Whether they choose to fight for a higher cause, for the downtrodden caught up in the crossfire like them, for the money, or for each other, the only way out for the Green Knights is to fight their way through it. What remains to be seen is if they’ll still manage to get the money they were owed….or if any of them will be alive to spend it.






A B O U T T H E G A M E:


Disposable Heroes is an episodic sci-fi military roleplaying game set in the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe. Players will not need to be familiar with the wider lore of the setting in order to play, as the majority of the action will take place on a single locale (for this episode, the planet Espia), and details of the various factions and the broader history of the setting will be explained if and when they become relevant.

The GM and AGM, playing the roles of Colonel Gaius Wayne and of the opposing forces, will provide mission objectives and general orders, as well as describe enemy actions and give the occasional nudge to keep the plot moving. In general, these orders will be very hands-off, allowing the players more or less free rein over how they carry these missions out. In addition, the GMs will play the role of referee, enforcing the usual Guild rules and mitigating any conflicts that may arise, and determining how much the general lore is allowed to stretch and bend without breaking it.






A B O U T T H E S E T T I N G:


The Battletech universe is equal parts action-packed heroic pulp fiction, gritty hard-nosed war drama, grand sweeping space opera, and cloak-and-dagger political thriller. While the larger interstellar factions of the 31st Century are usually morally gray, each side has plenty of genuine heroes and villains to go around, and the conflict of characters is often just as important as the clash between Great Houses and their awesome mechanized armies.

The primary factions in the setting at large are the five Successor States, each ruled by a noble Great House which espouses an old-world culture: the Federated Suns (House Davion, primarily English), the Draconis Combine (House Kurita, primarily Japanese), the Lyran Commonwealth (House Steiner, primarily German), the Capellan Confederation (House Liao, primarily Chinese), and the Free Worlds League (House Marik, primarily Austro-Hungarian). Collectively, the Successor States and the worlds they occupy are known as the Inner Sphere. These states are mono-cultural, but multi-ethnic, meaning that a citizen of the Draconis Combine, for instance, could be of Asian descent or white or black or Middle Eastern or any number of other ethnicities, but would always be expected to speak and read/write Japanese and understand the tenets of traditional Japanese culture out of loyalty to the ruling Kurita family.

In between these huge interstellar empires and their constant battles are a number of smaller states known as the Periphery, shadowy organizations such as ComStar (who own the only existing technology allowing for interstellar communications), and countless mercenary companies that do whatever jobs these larger powers are willing to pay for. Mercenary commands can range from massive professional armies with enough skill and firepower to rival a Great House, to solo freelancers or tiny outfits that are little more than a pirate band with delusions of legitimacy.

After hundreds of years of unrestrained total warfare, the massive armies of the Great Houses have dwindled, the apocalyptic fleets of Warships have faded into distant memory, and both political expediency and strained resources have limited most conflict to the terrestrial battlefield. And in this theater of small-scale land-based combat, the Battlemech is king. As such, Mechwarriors are often held up as the new knights of the 31st Century, since they wield tremendous power that takes incredible skill and years of experience to master. Mechwarriors often have bombastic personalities, are prone to competitiveness, and will develop rivalries that can last lifetimes (lifetimes that are, just as often as not, cut spectacularly short),

The tone, aesthetic, and technology level of the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe can best be described as “mud and lasers.” Fantastical technology like faster-than-light travel and 20-meter-tall Battlemechs exist and are the focal points of most stories, but other common sci-fi staples such as aliens, nano-machines, and artificial intelligence either don’t exist at all, have been lost due to centuries of brutal warfare, or are simply too expensive and impractical to use. Computers are often bulky and slow, data is stored and carried in physical media like floppy discs and tapes, and hacking an enemy computer requires you to physically plug into it since the 31st Century equivalent of the internet is primitive and basic. In short, it’s the future, but it’s the 80s future.

TL;DR: take the hot-shot fighter pilots from Top Gun, the lo-fi cassette-futurism of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and the Machiavelian intrigue of Game of Thrones, and you’ve more or less got Mechwarrior.

For a more detailed dive into the lore of the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe, see the Lore Primer here.






R U L E S


  • All official announcements and discussion will be made in the OOC thread. To avoid an overabundance of chatter, basic chat will be done in our Discord channel, which you can find here.
  • This game is managed by two Gamemasters, @AndyC as the primary GM and @Pilatus as AGM. Any questions regarding rulings should be directed to them, but their say is final.
  • In addition to the typical GM duties of accepting/declining character applications, resolving disputes, and answering questions regarding the game, the GMs will also be playing the roles of the Commanding Officer, the Opposing Forces, and other prominent NPCs. While the Commanding Officer will give general orders (i.e. “disable the enemy’s airfield”), the players will have total discretion as to how they go about it.
  • Players have the option to play up to two characters, providing different roles (a Mechwarrior, an aerospace pilot, an infantry commander, etc).
  • When creating your character, bear in mind the name of the game: ‘Disposable Heroes.’ While we encourage creating a compelling character, tropes that reek of ‘main character syndrome’ will likely not be accepted. I.e. no Chosen Ones, long-lost heirs of the Star League, or secret Clanners. In addition, while Mechwarrior can have its share of grim and grit, brooding loners are discouraged; this is meant to be a cooperative game, so make sure your character can function as part of a team.
  • Explicit lore details in your character’s backstory are nice, but not required. If you are playing an ex-pirate, for example, you do not need to spend hours poring over Sarna to find the exact pirate band.
  • If you do wish to incorporate more specific lore details into your character, I’ve created a Lore Primer for people who are unfamiliar with the setting. The Primer can be read here.
  • When choosing your ‘Mech or vehicle, it must be one that is in regular service in the Inner Sphere by the year 3030. Extinct LosTech ‘Mechs, futuristic Clan ‘Mechs, and custom jobs are not allowed. In addition, for the early portion of the game, Assault ‘Mechs are off the table– the idea of the Green Knights being rag-tag underdogs falls through if everyone is stomping around in an Atlas.
  • If you are unfamiliar with the various Battlemechs and other combat vehicles available, I have compiled a list of the most common and popular vehicles of the era as part of the Character Generator, which can be found here.
  • Writing expectations for this roleplay are at least two well-developed paragraphs as a minimum per post, with three to five being the preferred standard. Fancy formatting like colored text and adding pictures is nice, but not required.
  • During 'Mech combat, keep the results of your attacks open-ended (i.e. "Bob shoots his Large Laser at the enemy 'Mech," rather than "Bob's Large Laser blasts off the enemy 'Mech's head.") To capture the chaotic nature of combat (and the chance-heavy nature of Battletech itself), some elements of combat are going to be left to chance, as described below.
  • You are required to post at least once per character within a fourteen (14) day period. There will be a post-check-in, once per week performed by the GMs in order to ensure the IC is moving consistently. Extensions will be given in extenuating circumstances. Please recognize your limitations before joining the RP; if you are unable to post once every two weeks, then it's highly likely that you do not have enough time to keep up with the RP. In the event that you do miss the deadline, your character will be listed as 'inactive'. After a further week of inactivity, your character will be expelled, and dealt with as necessary in the IC, whether killed or used as needed and then discarded. This whole process is simply easier if you just let the GM know if you're unable to keep up or simply have lost interest in the RP. If you find yourself in a plot with another player and they disappear, do your best to move on without them and quickly finish the arc to the best of your ability, or ask for the help of a GM.







M E C H A N I C S


Battletech is infamous for being a very rules-heavy, dice-dependent game, and while the GM is not going to require players to know these rules, 'Mech-on-'Mech combat is going to incorporate some dice for flavor. These are meant to be a tool for the storytelling, to replicate the chaotic nature of 'Mech combat, but the narrative will not be beholden to dice-rolling. We are not going to expect you to write out a post describing what you want to do, then say "you miss because the dice say no, lol."

Instead, dice mechanics will determine things like where on an enemy 'Mech your attack hit, or how many missiles in your salvo connect with the target. This is why the rules ask for you to keep combat posts open-ended; the GMs will read the players' posts to see what they are intending to do, will then determine the results, and post them as part of the opposing force's response. (i.e. Player: "Bob shoots at the enemy 'Mech with his Large Laser." GM: [rolls 2d6, with a result of 8, and consults the Hit Location table] "The Laser hits the 'Mech in the Left Torso") You'll always succeed at the thing you set out to do; the dice-- and the GMs' interpretation of them-- will just determine how much you succeed at it.

The enemy characters, however, will be determined by dice rolls entirely, hitting and missing as the rolls declare. The only instance where this will be overridden is in the case of lethal damage-- because this is a Casual game, the GMs will not kill a PC without the player's express permission.






C H A R A C T E R A P P L I C A T I O N


If you wish to either roll for your options or see a list of examples for inspiration, see the Character Generator here. You are allowed to pick options that are not on this list, provided they are within the limits described in the Rules.

For a detailed primer on the lore of the setting, click here.

Character Name:
Self-explanatory

Callsign:
What nickname does your character go by in combat?

Character Archetype:
Describe your character’s “high concept” in one phrase (ex: Hotshot pilot, Grizzled Veteran, Disgraced Hero, etc)

Character’s Guiding Motto:
What are the words your character lives by, that informs their actions and decisions? (ex: “Mind over muscle,” “Let God sort ‘em out”)

Character’s Fatal Flaw:
What character trait or element of their past keeps getting your character into
trouble? (ex: Short temper, Can’t resist a chance to show off)


Character’s Expertise:
Other than piloting their vehicle of choice, what are the three other main things your character brings to the team? (ex: Cyberwarfare, Knowledge of History, Negotiation) These are not the only things your character can do, but the things they do best.

Nationality/Allegiance:
In what nation was your character born? Are they a proud loyalist, an indifferent independent, a disillusioned expatriate, etc?

Background:
What kind of life did your character lead? Have they seen combat before? How long have they been with the Green Knights?

Battlemech or Vehicle:
What hardware does your character bring into battle?
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by AndyC
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M I S S I O N P R O F I L E


The situation on Espia is, to use a bit of ancient Terran military slang, FUBAR. Seven days ago, Gawain’s Green Knights were forced out of the capital city of Balya Gora by the Crimson Fists, their Dropships captured by the Espian Guard and much of the civilian contingent taken hostage. Since then, the Knights that escaped the coup have regrouped in the Eunsan mountains, establishing a new headquarters hidden from enemy eyes as Colonel Wayne and his mercs plan their next move. They need to recover from the blow they’ve been dealt, get back on their feet, free their people, and get some payback on the Crimson Fists.



P R I M A R Y M I S S I O N O B J E C T I V E S


  • Secure supplies and ammunition for survival
  • Liberate civilians from Fort Tie Shan
  • Disable Air Defense Network
  • Recapture the No Leaf Clover and Dittohead





SECONDARY POINTS OF INTEREST




S E C O N D A R Y M I S S I O N O B J E C T I V E S


  • Protect or secure the Aqua Vitae water purification platforms and pipelines
  • Secure valuable cargo from the Neodymium mines
  • Prevent damage to the Balya Gora HPG Station

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C O M M A N D I N T E L




L O C A L I N T E L





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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Abstract Proxy
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Woo, let's go!

Canopian ex-Pirate with a Raven-3L coming right up.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Th3King0fChaos
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LET'S GOOO!!!!
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Checking in, Archer driver in the works.
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Bork Lazer Chomping Time

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Biiiig taaaaaank.....
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Character Name:
Raven Rivers

Callsign:
'Family Man'

Character Archetype:
Loving Father

Character’s Guiding Motto:
"For my Family... Everything."

Character’s Fatal Flaw:
His love for his wife and children can be used to sway him to actions which do not benefit the group.

Character’s Expertise:
Well-read - Raven loves reading, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, or even cookbooks. Even trashy romance novels get a read sometimes, even if only so that he can laugh at how bad they are.

Knife Enthusiast - Raven loves collecting knives, and using them for hunting, cooking, and the occassional combat scenario even more.

A Real Man can Cook - Raven can cook almost anything edible and make it delectable with the right techniques and seasonings, including bushmeat, despite the diseases it carries.


Nationality/Allegiance:
Federated Suns/Loyal

Background:
Raven was born in a well-to-do world in Federated Suns territory, to a 'High Church' Protestant pastor and his wife. Joining the nearest Military Academy in hopes of one day finding the chance to pilot a fabled Mech, Raven was barely able to pass the test to be trusted a basic Phoenix Hawk Mech, and even then only because a cache of several units of those were discovered around his class' graduation. Nevertheless, he managed to make it as an average Mech Pilot, although he did not have the experience needed to earn the title of 'Mechwarrior'. Marrying a civilian just before the battle of Mallory's World at 2013, he fought beside Gaius Wayne and ended up forming plans to be 'honorably discharged' from service so that he can join the latter's planned mercenary company.

He, his wife, and their son (who was four when the Gawain Green Knigts were formally founded), accompanied their leader on various campaigns, although one spotted certain 'problematic tendencies' when his family was threatened; he was angrier, followed orders only to the letter and didn't give any more effort, and basically made it clear that if they were not safe, he would regard it as the fault of those charged with keeping them such. Nevertheless, he fought well enough, and his family was safe most times, that these tendencies were passed over, espcially when the Gawain Green Knights settled down to 'garrison duty'.

Then disaster struck when the Capellan Confederation lost the Fourth Succession War and the planet they were garrisoning rebelled and promptly set up its own authoritarian regime, and siezed the Green Knights' Dropships, including the one containing his wife and son. This caused him to spiral down into despair, and he genuinely pondered sending a covert message to the new Espian regime offering to betray his comrades in exchange for the lives of his family. However, this plan was derailed by his son covertly sending a message saying that he'd managed to escape the Espians' ship just as it was siezed, and he was now with the Free People's Movement.

Relieved at this news, yet knowing that his wife was still in harms' way, Raven dedicated himself to the coming fight once more, the question of divided loyalties laid to rest... For now.


Battlemech or Vehicle:
Shadow Hawk
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Main Character:


Supporting/Miscellaneous Characters:


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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Character Name:
Andrew Rivers

Callsign:
"Hope-1"

Character Archetype:
Wannabe Guile Hero

Character’s Guiding Motto:
"I'm precocious!"

Character’s Fatal Flaw:
Arrogance - Andrew has always considered himself smarter, stronger, and better than most everybody else; he will defer to the adults in order to get closer to what he wants, but he considers himself 'exceptional' to dangerous levels, and bridles when called out on his flaws.

Character’s Expertise:
Military Brat - Andrew has picked up a lot from spending most of his life in a mercenary company, including intense physical training, knowledge of dozens of types of guns and vehicles, and even basic tactics and strategy. This has fed his arrogance.

Well-read - Like his father, Andrew loves reading, although his preference is epic fantasy, preferably with protagonists close to his age (16). This has given him a large pool of general knowledge, but even he knows that that isn't the same as understanding.

Sneaky - Andrew is good at sneaking around; helps that he grew up around the watchful eyes of various mercenaries. From stealing cookies and sweets to bugging Ziska to take him along with him whenever she went out to the city (and even trying to sneak himself in what vehicle she was using at one point), Andrew has the makings of a troublemaker.


Nationality/Allegiance:
Federated Suns/No Loyalty

Background:
Andrew was born just before the formation of the Gawain Green Knights, and was four years of age when it was founded. He was raised in a loving household and family, his life sarcosanct by the rules against harming civilians. Spoiled a little by his father, Andrew learned to push the boundaries of every rules he was given without quite crossing them. Regarding himself as of prodigious intelligence (whether he was or not), Andrew soon assumed a leadership position among the children of the Green Knights' civilian contingent, making sure his lead was followed. This would have led him to devolve into a bully, had not his father caught wind of it and gave Andrew a kind but stern talking-to and involved himself more in the boy's life.

The death of one of his closest friends, Frederica, during the campaign against the Marian Hegemony further reminded him of his limits; the civilian dropship had not been attacked directly, but supplies of vital medicine had been cut off by Hegemony just as his friend caught a waterborne disease due to a broken water purifier failing to filter out the bacteria. He associated with the other kids less after that, and instead sought out Emma Ziska, one of his father's teammates. His mother disapproved of him trying to associate with her, and this caused one or two arguments before his father made peace between the both of them.

To this day, he didn't know if Ziska had been annoyed by his' constant attempts to learn from her or be her friend, but he remembers that he liked her cat.

When the halcyon days ended with the Capellan Federation withdrawing from the Espian System and Epsia itself prepared to break away, Andrew began preparing for the worst; the civilian ship they were in was very vulnerable to seizure and he had noticed that. So when the new regime, the 'New (Un)Democratic People's Republic' declared itself, Andrew took a pistol and a motor scooter and snuck off the ship, leaving behind only a note saying, "Mom, sneaking off; going to try and join Dad".

This part was a lie. Andrew knew that there had been relatively peaceful student protests going on in the capital's 'Planetary College' and so snuck off there in order to find a protest leader, preferably one with links to a deeper underground movement, who can take him in. Alternatively, should the new enemy begin violent suppression of the protests, he could follow those who escaped as any burgeoning 'resistance movement' took them in.

The latter happened, and he was promptly inducted into the 'Free People's Army' as a partisan after making several admittedly extravagant promises of 'Green Knight' support for the FPA...


Battlemech or Vehicle:
N/A; Andrew is an infantry guerilla.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Pilatus
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by AndyC
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Sameve, Ziska, the Rivers family, and Reya are all APPROVED.

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by AndyC
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Looks good for the most part, though I'm a bit confused about why Marit's backstory mentions inheriting a Catapult, but has her piloting an Archer.
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Inheriting a Catapult when her mother transitions to the Marauder. In the meantime, she wants to prove she can be trusted with it and won't screw up on day 1 and and ruin the 'Mech that has been passed down the family for generations. Trying to "earn it" so to speak.

That, and I thought rare 'Mechs had to be rolled for.
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Gotcha. In that case, Marit is APPROVED.
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wikkit hi

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by AndyC
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I like it. Ramrod is APPROVED.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by AndyC
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All right, grunts, meet the boss!

Character: Col Gaius Wayne



Battlemech or Vehicle:





Supporting Characters:

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