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[i]The year is 3034. The Fourth Succession war ended 4 years ago, the clan invasion of the Inner Sphere is still 15 years away, and Voice of Kerensky won't reach Terra for another 600 years. And whilst the great houses are hardly at rest, eagerly gnawing at each other as they have always done, trying to undermine each other's powers in the shadows, open war has once more faded into obscurity and a new era of peace reigns. With the looming birth of the FedCom alliance and the secession and establishment of new Inner Sphere nations like the Free Rasalhague Republic, a sense of normality seems to finally be returning to everyday life.

However, all is not well, and the first signs of a future conflict are already starting to appear on the horizon. Dark clouds gather on the borders of the major houses as they try to consolidate their assets in the new power balance. And whilst their own resources have dwindled significantly and open war seems out of the question with a super-state ruling over half of the Inner Sphere, mercenaries have once again the primary way to fight border skirmishes. A new age of prosperity is upon all the daring mechwarriors and mercs who take up the great houses on their contracts, and with the recent discovery of the Helm Memory core the toys available in their arsenal have expanded significantly. Old mechs born anew with SLDF era technology, weapons never before seen being fielded and a wide variety of cheap mechs available from the stockpiles of the Fourth Succession war as they arm themselves with newer gear, there has never been a better time to be alive in the Inner Sphere for a mercenary.[/i]

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[hr][center][h2]RECRUITMENT[/h2][/center]
"That's where you come in. I'm legally obligated to give this to you before I continue." The gruff sergeant sitting across a mostly empty steel table slowly leans forward, and places a beat-up looking datapad down in front of you with a quiet clink. Scratches and smears cover the dim surface, but even in the hazy light of the recruitment office you can make out the details of the contract that is presented to you. You take a moment to pick up the tablet and read into the file a little, but you soon realize that it doesn't matter whether or not you understand or even agree with the contents: mechwarriors don't usually live long enough to hire a lawyer and get win their rights to a pension plan. The sergeant waits a few more seconds before his patience runs out and then reaches forward, grabbing the top of the tablet and pulling it back down on the table to show that your allotted time has ended to study your contract. So much for "fair terms". His fingers quickly run up and down the length of the contract with the dexterity of someone who's manouvered this exact contract upside down hundreds of times. Soon enough, a large square appears that asks for your fingerprint, and the gives you a hurried look. "If you'd place your thumb here please. This is your non-disclosure agreement, I'm sure you understand." Even if he tried he couldn't have made that attempt attempt at sympathy any less convincing, but you've already spent the last month sitting on a cramped JumpShip to get here, so you might as well hear him out. You press your thumb to the screen, and after a few moments of waiting and a surprisingly comforting chime later the datapad is already whisked away and placed back into the depths of the sergeant's drawer. 

"Let me be frank with you. I don't see the need to hire untrained and unprofessional mercs like you, but that is what the powers that be demanded. The Free Rasalhague Republic is still young, and we can't be everywhere within the large territory we inherited to iron out every kink that the Kuritas might have left us. So-" He slowly leans back in his seat as he pauses for a moment, his arms crossed and eyes tightened whilst the man tried to decide how many weeks it will be before you manage to run your mech off a cliff or into a swamp. "the Rasalhague Republic is forming merc companies to help us. Under this contract you just signed, you'll be given a mech of your own from your surplus and assigned to one of our independent merc lances. We will give you financial aid to get your company off it's feet, but after that you'll be reliant on your merc job for c-bills. Your obligations will be first and foremost towards the Free Rasalhague Republic, but you'll be allowed to take contracts from third parties as long as it doesn't go against the interests of the state. Any questions?" Plenty, but the fact that the sergeant's face has gotten progressively more and more annoyed ever since you stepped foot in the room even though you haven't said a word makes you think that a simple nod will suffice. You don't need trouble with your new employer, and you certainly don't want a late night visit from a Mimir agent if they as much as suspect that you're going to tell anything you've heard here to, let's say, a Kuritan informant. "Perfect. "Off you go then. A shuttle is already waiting for you in Hangar Bay 1, along with all the new recruits. Try not to get lost." He shuffles inside his drawer one more time before handing you a new datapad, this one somehow looking even more beat-up than the last one. The screen is already illuminated with almost offensively simple instructions towards Hangar Bay 1. You sneak in one more glance over the top of the datapad at the sergeant, only to be met with a stern gaze. Right, this is where you take your leave. You think for a moment about saluting the man, but then decide it's probably best you left as fast as you could if you wanted to avoid a stern talking-to. Walking out the door and towards Hangar Bay 1, you have plenty of time to muse over how differently you imagined this situation going, but in the end you got the job you came here for. Certainly beats piloting busted-up AgriMechs on backwater planet until the rest of your days, or the next war between the great houses sees it, and consequently you, reduced to radioactive ash.

[hr][center][h2]THE LONG AND SHORT[/h2][/center]
Hello, and welcome to all of you future [i][b]mechwarriors[/b][/i]

After a long, looooooooong absence from the site and RPing both, I have returned with a [i][b]ravenous appetite[/b][/i] for some BattleTech content, so without a further a-do, let me explain this RP.

Principally, this RP is a mix of the many mecha RPs you are familiar with, and the more open ended sci-fi mercenary RPs. However it is wholly unlike Gundam: the reality of BattleTech is that it is gritty, it is unforgiving, and wars usually play like games of Defcom, where casualties caused by orbital bombardments and nuclear strikes are touted as high-scores between the Great Houses. There is a long and rich lore for the setting, but let's just say I picked a part that has the least amount of things going on, whilst still giving plenty of fun options for us to explore. If you are a newcomer to the franchise who is completely confused by the lore, I will have a codex down below to explain the main points, but I promise you won't need to read it to understand the basics.

[h3]Premise[/h3]

So, you'll be playing as a newly recruited Merc, short for mercenary, by one of the Inner Sphere's governments to join a mercenary unit of fellow Mechwarriors who will accept contracts to help them out with various issues. All of you are pilots, Mechwarriors who pilot bipedal mechs that are awesome tools of war, able to deal with just about any manner of threats that they may face of the battlefield. They come in many shapes and sizes, some designed for lightning fast precisions trikes and scout missions, whilst others clad several dozen tons of armor and carry weapons designed to obliterate smaller mechs in a single salvo. Gifted to your company by the government of the Free Rasalhague Republic, you'll first be equipped by surplus mechs of dubious quality, leftovers of previous wars and aging machines too expensive to keep in storage. You and your fellow pilots will travel in your company's DropShip from planet to planet and system to system, taking on jobs by various employers to keep the lights on and afford better equipment, whilst at the same time completing the orders of the government that helped form your lance whenever they need your help.

The primary plot points will be the struggle of staying afloat and not getting blown to bits, as a merc's life is as hard as it can be difficult. However, with time the "almost canon" part of the RP will come to life as your company will start receiving jobs that will take them deeper and deeper into political intricacies of the Inner Sphere. I won't spoil much though, you'll just have to stick around and find out ;)

All of you will be able to tend to and personalize your own mechs in the downtime, and hopefully do a good job of keeping them together when the going gets tough. Some game-like systems will be in place, but overall I plan on keeping the meat of the RP free and focused on your characters, the pilots. In the downtimes you'll have time to spar, chase down lucrative jobs and partake in the lives of most mercs, but in battles you'll have to do your best to keep each other alive. I'm hoping to see a group of pilots emerge who have been scarred by battle fought together, and have many stories to share over a couple of glasses of cold ones.

[h3]Battles[/h3]

As far as battles go, we'll be using a [b][i]significantly simplified system for combat[/i][/b]. If you've ever played DnD, you know what I mean: depending on what you write and do in your own post, the chance to hit someone or evade an attack will become better or worse. Then, based on the result of a simple dice roll, in your next post you can explain just how you've succeeded or failed. 

Now, I already hear some of you clicking away, but please stay for one more second. I love number crunching, but even I hate when there are too many rules involved. However, in BattleTech mechs can survive some surprising amount of punishment, and foes are usually numbered few but highly dangerous, so there needs to be a system to make sure it isn't just a simple "I kill him with my pew-pew" for every mech. However, this system only applies when fighting other mechs; when your party faces infantry or other vehicles, it will be a first come-first served basis of combat, unless specifically stated by me. Proper fights should be tough and unforgiving, but all the more awesome in the end, when the twisting fates of the dice gods give us plenty of writing material.

[h3]Rules and Comms[/h3]

Every RP needs active players interested in the setting to survive, so I'm hoping that the many sci-fi nerds and mech lovers can come together on this RP, and I get to share one of my favorite franchises with fellow vets and interested newcomers. I'll do my best to guide anyone new through some of the more "confusing" aspects of the BattleTech, but honestly this is probably one of the easiest sci-f setting to get into. Certainly much easier than something like Warhammer 40k, or Star Trek.

Before I give you the CSs, there are a few simple rules I'd like for everyone to follow. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it's best not to tempt fate and write them down :)

[list]
[*] No Powergaming: Plain and simple. The premise is that everyone is either new or simply ill-equipped, I'm not looking for people who want to have characters with the "endgame" characters. As always, looking for people who enjoy the setting, and want write cool stories with others. If you want to shoot stuff to bits in every post, this isn't for you.
[*] Ask First: If you are confused or don't know something, ask before you write. A lot of headache can be saved by proper communication.
[*] Respect: Respect each other's decisions and writing. It's as simple as that, I don't want people arguing OOC over what someone wrote in their post during or outside of combat. If there is beef, make sure it's in the form of a well written collab post :)
[*] Schedule: We'll try and stick to frequent posts if possible, so if you can't handle that because something comes up, make sure to tell us. Might not be as important during downtime when characters are interacting, but during combat I'd like to wait no more than 2-3 days between GM posts to make sure things go smoothly. The exact details we'll figure out once we have the full team, but for the sake of everyone else, I won't wait weeks for a single person.
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I promised it would be simple. Other than this, the "standard" forumwide rules apply, you all know the drill by now haha.

There will be a Discord channel, and the invitations will be sent out via DMs on a need-to-know basis. I've seen enough trolling and bot spam on public servers to know that I don't want to deal with that, but don't be afraid to ask for the link from me if you are interested in the RP but ultimately undecided, and you want to ask some questions without the forum delay :)

[h3]Characters[/h3]

The fun part! The CS will be split into 2 sections: your Pilot, and his/her/their mech. For now, leave the Mech part empty and focus on coming up with a character. What motivations do they have to leave their old life behind? Maybe they got bored of being a farmer or a delivery driver who already used IndistrialMechs, maybe they are an ex-military veteran who wanted to get a more lucrative career, or maybe your home planet was ravaged during the last succession war and you have nowhere to go. Whatever you might come up with, know that your character means everything: even the strongest of mechs can fall to the superior skill, or motivation, of their adversary, so make your Mechwarrior someone we can all cheer for.

[hider=MechWarrior]
Name: What is your character called? 

Nickname: What do the other pilots call you? Feel free to leave this empty for now, and "earn" your nickname like real pilots do.

Appearance: What does your character look like? You can link a picture if you have one you fancy, or you can write their physical description down. Preferrably both.

Age: How old is your character?

Origin: Where is your character originally from? Check the Codex if you need help figuring this one out, there are plenty of options, and none of them are wrong (except for Capellans, we don't like them)

Personality: How does your character usually behave? This is the important bit, feel free to go into detail if you want.

History: What happened to your character before they got into the mercenary business? Generally speaking, you'd have to have had some experience with mechs before you'd get a job as Mechwarrior. You don't need to write an essay here, but some fleshed out backstory always helps in the long run, so go wild if you have a cool idea.

Skills: 
[list]
[*] Gunery:
[*] Piloting:
[*] Guts:
[*] Tactics:
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(This one works a bit differently. Every pilot has 4 basic skills: Gunnery, Piloting, Guts and Tactics. These are numerical values that normally affect the outcome of certain event. Gunnery for shooting, Piloting for manouvering and dodging, Guts resisting injury and melee, and finally Tactics for using sensors and communicating with the team. We'll use these as "soft" values, little extra stats to augment the RP side of things, and not as cold hard factors to take into account with everything we do. In the tabletop these very much define your chances, but we aren't playing tabletop, so these will be nothing more than adding flavor to the game. You start with 12 points that you can assign to the 4 categories. The max points a skill can have is 5 points for now, so spend them to give others a general idea of your character's proficiencies and shortcomings as a Mechwarrior.)

Abilities: We'll keep track of pilot's abilities here once they earn any. These are usually beneficial modifiers for specific situations, and will be "awarded" during the RP if it feels like a pilot earned it. Same soft statistic as Skills, used mostly for flavor to give a unique flare to every pilot.

Misc: Add anything here you feel is important about your character, or that you normally add to your CSs. Otherwise, you can leave it empty or delete it.
[/hider]

[hider=Mech]
Type: The type and variant of your mech.

Name: The affectionate name given to the machine by your pilot.

Mass/Class: The weight and class of your mech.

Armor: How many tons and what type of armor your mech has.

Top Speed: How far can your mech run/jump.

Armanents: The amount and type of weapons that your mech carries, as well as how many tons of ammo it has available.

Heat Sinks: The amount and type of Heatsinks your mech has.

Quirk: Any notable feature associate with the type, or the specific mech.

(Almost all of this data is readily available on [url=https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page]Sarna[/url], the excellent website for all things BattleTech related. However, we'll be breaking the rules a bit here and there, and adding things to Quirks, such as damage sustained in previous engagements that we have been unable to repair, or other oddities.)
[/hider]

That's about it. If the need arises I can provide an example character for both lore and formatting purposes, but I prefer to let people be creative with their characters ^^

[hr][center][h2]FINAL WORDS[/h2][/center]

And that's it, we have a wrap! This should be all the things you need to get started on making a character and deciding if you want to play the RP with me even if you are a newcomer. Of course, feel free to check out the Codex for more tidbits and sources where you can find other info and see if you'll like the setting. I think everyone will pick it up as we go, so I hope to see plenty of people interested in becoming a mercenary and piloting giant mechs in combat with their lancemates and having epic adventures. Don't be afraid to ask questions if there is anything that you feel I didn't explain or that you are interested in!

Hope to see all kinds of applications, and until next time, stay safe Mechwarriors!