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Finally... => Forum Games and Roleplaying => Topic started by: Takosher on August 27, 2020, 03:11:13 pm

Title: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Takosher on August 27, 2020, 03:11:13 pm
IC (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=177196.0)

A generation has come and gone since I and the other members of Saint Mecha drove off the Enemy invasion at the Battle of Tenchii Bridge. Since then the Enemy has remained silent, biding its time and preparing to march once more. Saint Mecha kept a vigilant watch for the day the enemy would reemerge. I alone now stand watch over our tenuous peace. And regrettably, I must now drag others into the battle that Saint Mecha and I were never able to finish.

The Enemy is stirring, the time has come for them to once again seek the eradication of all human life on Mount Sanctum. I cannot stop them alone, and that is why I called on each of you.

You are our future. Bright minded young psychics who can pilot the mecha that will defend us all from the Enemy. You are our freedom. Our chance to finally push the Enemy back and make this mountain live up to its name. You are our hope. The wings on which we will soar to greater and greater heights, carving the name of humanity into the annals of history as the ones who refused to give up in the face of insurmountable odds.

You are Saint Mecha X.

Discord (https://discord.gg/nzBhsNE)

Setting

Hidden within the nooks and crannies of the fractured Mount Sanctum lie thirty villages. Their origins long-forgotten, the residents of these villages seek only to survive. But the mountain is a treacherous place. Across the Great Fracture there is an immense danger: The Enemy, a seemingly endless swarm of attackers whose goal seems to be the eradication of humanity. The only thing that stands in their way is the seemingly endless network of bridges that cross the Fracture.

The Enemy side of the mountain is covered with strange black machinery, giving it a deeply ominous feeling.

The mountain is a mysterious place full of long-lost secrets and ancient technologies. The origins of both the Enemy and humanity have been long forgotten, and rediscovering them has always taken a backseat to survival.

Escaping the mountain is generally considered impossible due to the treacherous jungle at its base that spans far and wide in every direction. A few have attempted to explore in flying mecha, soaring to the other mountains in the distance. But as they have never returned, it is impossible to say if they succeeded and chose to flee or simply perished.

Combat

Combat will be done in a guided freeform manner. Everything will be RP’d out without any direct interference from mechanical systems, however what is possible will be defined--and in some cases heavily limited--by a mechanical system beneath.

The Enemy will attack like clockwork, giving the players a week between assaults. During this week the mechanical side of the RP will come into play to govern what the players can do to prepare.

The goal of the players will be to prevent the Enemy forces from reaching and destroying a target, usually a village full of innocent people. Some combats may have multiple targets or multiple waves of attackers. A layout of relevant bridges and potential attackers will be provided immediately before each combat. More info here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/17gJE8JLwaR9osqMbAgPzn1o00lkygWb9Yvsu2_3rFsY/edit?usp=sharing).

Fights will take place on a system of bridges between the two halves of the mountain, simultaneously restricting and encouraging mobility. They will primarily focus on whatever attachments the involved mecha have equipped and their unique traits, but things such as pilot skill, previous damage, and even the weather will come into play.

Speaking of damage, damage will be sustained in two forms: major and minor damage. Despite the names, these are not measures of severity, but rather situation. Any damage dealt directly by an opponent is major damage and will potentially impact the mecha throughout the rest of the fight. Minor damage, on the other hand, is not immediately noticeable and will only be revealed at the end of combat, impacting the next if it is not repaired.

In addition to sustaining damage, mecha can fail entirely, forcing a pilot to eject. Players will only die if their ejection system is damaged prior to mecha failure, and ejection damage can only be taken as minor damage, meaning a minimum of two fights are required to die. Further, you will rarely experience a total failure without already having a damaged mecha before combat, leaving plenty of time to recover.

When a mecha is destroyed, the pilot will have to find some way to construct a new one and will be unable to participate in combat again until they do.

At the end of combat all players are semi-arbitrarily rewarded EXP based on their performance and Enemy mecha are automatically salvaged for materials and technology.

Mecha

Mecha are large mechanical suits that are designed to traverse rough terrain more freely than traditional vehicles. They’re generally around 18ft (5.5m) tall.

The standard design has a simple T-shaped torso frame. The legs make up about half the height of the mecha and have their knees about 2/3rds of the way up, making for rather short upper legs. The feet are sturdy but flexible boot-like constructs that can easily find stability on rough surfaces. The arms reach halfway down the legs and have the elbows right at halfway. They have large hands made for easily grasping tools.

Armor is primarily placed around the lower legs and arms, as protecting the entire mecha would be heavy. This armor is wide and slanted to make it better at deflecting attacks away from the mecha. There is also a bit of armor placed along the top of the torso, to protect the core and any back attachments, which extends over the shoulders in a pseudo-pauldron.

The pilot is harnessed onto the front of the torso, with a variety of levels, buttons, and pedals protruding around them to allow control of the mecha. A large windscreen covers them from the front, protecting against the elements and enemy attacks both. This windscreen can be retracted to make space for a ladder, allowing the pilot to easily mount or dismount the mecha.

Basic mecha as described above typically have three colors. An infrastructure color, usually greyscale as painting the infrastructure is inefficient and doesn’t add much. A primary color, which is used for the main armor plating and some larger pieces of infrastructure. And a secondary color which is used for detailing and decals.

Mecha always have a power source, infrastructure type, and armor type. No mecha can be constructed without all three of these components.

Each mecha also has a unique trait that sets it apart from the others. This trait can be virtually anything, from a general design philosophy to a specific piece of technology. For example, a mecha intended to be better for aerial combat might have a general design of having thinner armor and fins attached to its arms and legs, or it might have a pair of large air intakes attached to each shoulder. The possibilities are fairly limitless, although mecha traits are not usually massively impactful. Traits are there to give mecha specialization and a sense of uniqueness, not to massively strengthen the mecha.

Spoiler: Attachments (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: HQ (click to show/hide)

Levels, AP, and Skills

Between combats, players will be given time to perform a variety of actions that cost AP. For convenience, these may be done at any time between combats. Actions may be posted immediately and RP’d out after, posted as they are RP’d, posted after being RP’d, or posted at any time and not RP’d at all. AP is refreshed after each combat and cannot be stored, any unused AP will be scrapped.

Players may use their AP to do tasks for other players as well, and in fact it’s expected and will generally be more efficient than everyone doing all actions for themselves.

Each mechanical action will have an AP cost tied to it, and each type of action has a connected skill that reduces the cost of actions of that type by 1 AP per stat point, to a minimum of 1. One skill point is gained per level, and may be allocated freely to any skill. Each action type will be covered on its own later.

Players gain a level every time they reach 100 EXP. EXP will be granted after each battle based on performance, and exactly how much is gained will be somewhat arbitrary. Ejecting will immediately cost one full level and half of your current EXP, as well as preventing you from gaining any EXP for the battle in which it happens.

Max AP is equal to 2*level, although RP events may result in arbitrary reductions or increases to max AP at the GM’s discretion. Your total number of skill points is always equivalent to your level. The maximum level is 15.

Spoiler: Mining (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Inventing (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Repairing (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Researching (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Psychics (click to show/hide)

Sheet

You will be expected to actively maintain your own character sheet with accurate stats, attachments, and damage. To this end, you are not required to maintain the sheet in the OOC. So long as an up-to-date version is always linked in the OOC, you may use whatever tools you please.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Characters
Yuta Takata, pilot of the St. Barbara
Lee Ito, pilot of the Zaqiel
Tsukiko Mochizuki, pilot of the Our Lady of Sorrows
Kaji Habishi, pilot of the Gobnait's Flock
Hiro Meijō, pilot of the Seraphiel
Shiki Shingen, pilot of the Memory of the Righteous
Ren Hakuryuu, pilot of the St. Aquinas

NPCs
Sensei Shirou (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rbjaCRPJ35_yE7iJB1UVX5y9Zm0bN4RSw5A_XDaDGI0/edit?usp=sharing)

Enemy
Basic Enemy (https://docs.google.com/document/d/12hx5-HbUTDa1AogXkqMUin7aUCdfcLACiYpRaI-1_1I/edit?usp=sharing)
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Stirk on August 27, 2020, 04:25:19 pm
Spoiler: Leeto (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Naturegirl1999 on August 27, 2020, 04:33:54 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Please give feedback, I need to know whether anything needs to be changed. The name had been changed, and the fields have been filled out
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: SOLDIER First on August 27, 2020, 08:06:38 pm
third
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Maxinum McDreich on August 28, 2020, 04:47:22 am
I assume Discord is mandatory for this one. I like what I see, but am hesitant since I personally prefer to keep forum roleplays to the forums. But if nothing else, the game, fluff and rules are very well laid out and clear. PTW at the very least.
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Takosher on August 28, 2020, 10:01:36 am
Name: Lee Ito

Personality: Lee is as easy going as a man fighting for the lives of everyone he knows can be, deciding to enjoy the little things knowing that they can be gone at any moment. Keeps a cool head even when under fire. Prefers to spend off-time lazing in the shade (or warm sun, depending on the day), will accept working in the sun/shade as a close second.

Appearance: (We're going super anime with this, right?) Finger-length purple hair in a messy style. Violet eyes slightly less purple than his hair, with a kind-looking face. He's on the smaller size of those living on Mount Sanctum, but just to the point of being below-average rather than tiny. If allowed to choose the color of his uniform he'll stick with his color scheme and wear more purple.

Level 1 (0 EXP)

    Miner: [Reduces the AP cost of digging for resources]
    Inventor: [Reduces the AP cost of crafting new items]
    Mechanic: [Reduces the AP cost of repairing]
    Researcher: [Reduces the AP cost of studying artifacts]
    Psychic: [Has an unknown effect]
Yo at level 1 you have 1 skill point

Mecha Name: Zaqiel

Mecha Appearance: This mecha appears to be a modified version of the standard design, with comparatively thinner armor leading to a slightly smaller overall profile. Despite what you may think this design change was performed to allow more mass to be diverted to weaponry, its comparatively small girth only serving to make the large weapons attached to it look even larger. Replacing the pseudo-pauldron is a box resembling a battleship turret with three medium-caliber barrels, going over the shoulder to protect roughly the same area. Armor color is white with black detailing.
There should not be any weaponry inherent in your base mecha unless it's your trait. This also seems large enough that it would potentially get in the way of larger backpacks. I might be misinterpreting and this is meant to be your attachment from down below, but in that case you should leave it out of the mecha description and exclusively note it in the attachment. Attachments are not part of the mecha, they're made to detach too.

Trait: Heavy Weapon Specialist: Zagiel has been down-armored and up-muscled allowing it to effectively wield large (or multiple) weapons easier than the average mecha. To this effect it becomes a glass cannon, focusing on firepower above all else. 
Power Source: Power Core
Infrastructure: Steel
Armor: Intractium

Equipped Attachments:

Name (Type): Watcher Cannon Battery (Back)
Description: A built-in weapon system consisting of six medium-sized cannons attached the the shoulder as in Mecha Appearance. While capable of a powerful burst of long-range explosive shells, this weapon system is slow to reload and best used with a second weapon system or a companion who can keep the enemy occupied during off-time.
"Your initial attachment should be extremely simple." While you can have this sort of attachment as a long (or possibly even short) term goal, it's too complicated for a starter attachment. given your trait, I am fine with a slightly more complex heavy weapon system than I might otherwise allow, but it needs to be a good deal simpler than this.

Damage:
[Any damage sustained should be noted here. Damage to specific attachments should instead be noted with those attachments]
Overall, this is a good sheet and I'll be happy to accept it once the errors noted above are cleaned up.

Name: Milly Cook
I would really prefer if you stuck to the naming conventions of the RP. I know they're given as a suggestion, but that's only to leave openings for people who have a good reason to break them, you should consider them the default. Since your sheet is otherwise empty, I can't be certain that you do not have such a reason, so I won't say you can't have this name. But if you don't have such a reason, please use a name that fits the provided naming convention.

I assume Discord is mandatory for this one. I like what I see, but am hesitant since I personally prefer to keep forum roleplays to the forums. But if nothing else, the game, fluff and rules are very well laid out and clear. PTW at the very least.
Yes, Discord is a requirement. If you're really interested then I highly encourage you at least drop by the Discord and give it a chance
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Naturegirl1999 on August 28, 2020, 10:15:27 am
Thank you for the feedback, I will change the name and think of characteristics
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Stirk on August 28, 2020, 11:44:21 am
Quote
Yo at level 1 you have 1 skill point

Mind if I fill? The character concept can work well with Inventor, Researcher, or Mechanic and it seems like we'll need a balanced team to function well. I'll put down Inventor for now

Quote
There should not be any weaponry inherent in your base mecha unless it's your trait. This also seems large enough that it would potentially get in the way of larger backpacks. I might be misinterpreting and this is meant to be your attachment from down below, but in that case you should leave it out of the mecha description and exclusively note it in the attachment. Attachments are not part of the mecha, they're made to detach too.

Well I wasn't expecting a mecha to ever wear a backpack, it was meant to be the attachment mentioned later that would take up the Back slot. I guess we'll have to convert to fanny packs for efficiency's sake. I might end up making some variation as a Trait, I wasn't 100% on the one I chose.

Quote
"Your initial attachment should be extremely simple." While you can have this sort of attachment as a long (or possibly even short) term goal, it's too complicated for a starter attachment. given your trait, I am fine with a slightly more complex heavy weapon system than I might otherwise allow, but it needs to be a good deal simpler than this.

I had meant for it to be a fairly straightforward weapon. I guess you're looking for something more like "Its a gun/sword"?

Name (Type): Purity Caseless-Rifle (Hand+Hand)
Description: A mecha-sized assault rifle with a boxy futuristic design. Rapidly fires small-caliber ammunition.

I'm a big fan of the shoulder of the shoulder turret aesthetic, would a nerfed version work as a Trait or should I just set getting a similar attachment as a goal?
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Strider03 on August 28, 2020, 12:41:40 pm
Yuta Takata
Stereotype delinquent goooo
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Maximum Spin on August 28, 2020, 03:59:29 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Naturegirl1999 on August 28, 2020, 04:06:23 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Please give feedback, I need to know whether anything needs to be changed. The name had been changed, and the fields have been filled out
Takosher, is my character valid now?
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: SOLDIER First on August 28, 2020, 04:27:56 pm
Spoiler: Tsukiko Mochizuki (click to show/hide)
Aaand done. Jesus Christ, that took forever.
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Takosher on August 28, 2020, 05:11:26 pm
Quote
Yo at level 1 you have 1 skill point

Mind if I fill? The character concept can work well with Inventor, Researcher, or Mechanic and it seems like we'll need a balanced team to function well. I'll put down Inventor for now

That's absolutely fine, just wanted to make sure you knew ^^

Quote
There should not be any weaponry inherent in your base mecha unless it's your trait. This also seems large enough that it would potentially get in the way of larger backpacks. I might be misinterpreting and this is meant to be your attachment from down below, but in that case you should leave it out of the mecha description and exclusively note it in the attachment. Attachments are not part of the mecha, they're made to detach too.

Well I wasn't expecting a mecha to ever wear a backpack, it was meant to be the attachment mentioned later that would take up the Back slot. I guess we'll have to convert to fanny packs for efficiency's sake. I might end up making some variation as a Trait, I wasn't 100% on the one I chose.

Ah, sorry "backpack" is just another term for back attachment. This sort of weapon wouldn't really work as a trait, since it occupies a spot that would normally be occupied by a back attachment. Also, I rather like your current trait, it very much fills the specialization goal

Quote
"Your initial attachment should be extremely simple." While you can have this sort of attachment as a long (or possibly even short) term goal, it's too complicated for a starter attachment. given your trait, I am fine with a slightly more complex heavy weapon system than I might otherwise allow, but it needs to be a good deal simpler than this.

I had meant for it to be a fairly straightforward weapon. I guess you're looking for something more like "Its a gun/sword"?

Yes, the intent was more akin to that. The below thing would be fine for any mecha, although as stated you could get away with a little more. Something like a single barrel turret mounted between the shoulders would be fine to start, given your heavy weapons trait.

Name (Type): Purity Caseless-Rifle (Hand+Hand)
Description: A mecha-sized assault rifle with a boxy futuristic design. Rapidly fires small-caliber ammunition.

I'm a big fan of the shoulder of the shoulder turret aesthetic, would a nerfed version work as a Trait or should I just set getting a similar attachment as a goal?

That's definitely much more of a "aim to get this down the line" thing. At the start you're more or less intended to suck and have things that don't quite work for your end goal
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Stirk on August 28, 2020, 08:31:56 pm
Quote
Yes, the intent was more akin to that. The below thing would be fine for any mecha, although as stated you could get away with a little more. Something like a single barrel turret mounted between the shoulders would be fine to start, given your heavy weapons trait.

I can roll with that for now. Sheet updated with suggestions. I've put a point into the Mechanic since it looks like the other characters have Inventor and Researcher covered.
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: IronyOwl on August 28, 2020, 09:35:10 pm
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Takosher on August 29, 2020, 12:41:43 pm
Takosher, is my character valid now?
I'd like you to expand the personality more. Also while your attachment is technically fine, do be aware that ramming is just as dangerous to you as it is whatever you're attacking. Also, please join the Discord, as it will be necessary for communication during the preparation phases.

Name: Hiro Meijō

Personality: Perpetually dreamy and maybe not entirely all there, Hiro enjoys staring off into the middle distance while things happen around him, occasionally making comments that would baffle a stoner, but often oddly incisive ones. Even though he may not know what exactly is going on at any given time, he has a knack for doing the right thing for the circumstances anyway. He likes doing things that don't require too much thought, like sleeping, staring into fires, and abstract algebra.

Appearance: A pale, scruffy-looking young man with grey eyes, a narrow upturned nose, and long fluffy hair, most of it black. Sometimes, he has feathers plaited into his hair, which he doesn't seem to notice; nobody has actually seen him putting them in or taking them out. Out of uniform, he dresses like he is going to a funeral of someone he really hates. He has the thin build of someone who sometimes forgets to eat and sometimes forgets what eating is, and is of basically normal height.

Level 1 (0 EXP)
    Psychic: 1

Mecha Name: Seraphiel

Mecha Appearance: Seraphiel is Hiro's guardian angel, and designed to look the part. In general, the design favours elongated, tapering oval shapes where others might be boxier. Its legs taper into conical feet reminiscent of a shakōki-dogū, and its colour scheme is turquoise and white with gold edging. Because Hiro is afraid of heights, a pleasant grassy meadow has been painted on the inside of the cockpit window at around (pilot) knee level.

You can go for a slightly curvier design, but the tapered feet aren't gonna fly. In general I feel like you missed the part where mecha are inherently clunky, you're never really going to get an elegant design out of one.

Trait: Angelic Flight: As part of its generally angelic design, Seraphiel has a small rocket pack integrated into the upper back, designed to resemble feathered wings, allowing it to jump "hella high" like Wonderella, which is basically like flight. Although Seraphiel was not originally designed to mount interchangeable back modules, mounting points have begrudgingly been installed onto the wings to allow attachments to be mounted between them, but Hiro thinks it looks stupid and ruins the aesthetic to do so.

All mecha are designed to have interchangeable back modules, and this trait wouldn't exactly be a viable starter back module either. You shouldn't be designing to have a complete motif right out the gate, otherwise you won't have anything to build towards.

Power Source: Power Core
Infrastructure: Steel
Armor: Intractium

Equipped Attachments:
Name (Type): Dumah (Hand)
Description: A giant anime sword which billows with flame from an internal fuel reservoir when swung. The flame is just for effect.

This would be better if the flame were functional and powered by the mecha's core, rather than internally. There's not really any reason to do arbitrary aesthetic nonsense and a flaming sword is sufficiently simple to use as a starter weapon.

Damage:
[Any damage sustained should be noted here. Damage to specific attachments should instead be noted with those attachments]
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Maximum Spin on August 29, 2020, 12:51:22 pm
You can go for a slightly curvier design, but the tapered feet aren't gonna fly. In general I feel like you missed the part where mecha are inherently clunky, you're never really going to get an elegant design out of one.
Absolutely nothing about what I was imagining was anything I'd call elegant. I'll contemplate the design more.
Quote
This would be better if the flame were functional and powered by the mecha's core, rather than internally. There's not really any reason to do arbitrary aesthetic nonsense and a flaming sword is sufficiently simple to use as a starter weapon.
I really didn't think I could get a proper flaming sword, but okay, I'm not going to turn one down.
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: dgr11897 on September 05, 2020, 08:20:51 pm
Spoiler: Shiki Shingen (click to show/hide)
List of stuff I'll be crafting. I've put the stuff that I have no idea how to craft with available materials in itallics.
1.Mining gear.
2.Refining gear for Corbil and other metals
3.Energy agitator weapon.
4.Upgrades for the Damascus shield, Tenatium probably.
5.Melee weapon upgrades
6.New weapon for Ren, preferably a longer ranged rifle.
6.More arrow types
7.Experimental crafting with loads of AP and basic materials. And general Experimental crafting.
8.Landing Gear for spin, or something else to bring his mech closer to flight.
9.Gun which is a major upgrade for Stirk.
Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: IronyOwl on September 17, 2020, 07:57:11 pm
Post to hold up to date character sheet.

Title: Re: [OOC] Saint Mecha X
Post by: Chevaleresse on September 18, 2020, 04:16:08 pm
Spoiler: 2smug4u (click to show/hide)