Mecha Heroes - Sign-Up and Concept Discussion Thread

[Willy Vereb]

Mecha Heroes


Mecha Heroes is a new roleplaying game idea, focusing on giant robots.
Join a team of quirky mecha operators to save the world!

Mecha Heroes draws lot of ideas from the setting of Super Robot Wars, so expect robots of various kind appearing in a flexible and malleable world where anything can happen.
The game is segmented into "Missions" where the plays usually need to fight but there are often other objectives.
It's to streamline the game and not meant to limit the roleplaying experience.
To ensure this, between each mission there's a "free interaction phase" when characters can talk and mingle in a less tense setting.


There are many more elements but for now let's focus on what's important.


First, I promised the character/mech creation guide.
Here's

(start with an image of your character's appearance, not obligatory but it generally helps to enhance your post)

Name: (your character's name)
Gender: (Male or Female)
Race: (you can ignore this if your character is human)
Age: (Your character's age in years)
Height: (Your character's height. You can express it in either feet/inch or centimeters format. I don't mind either.)
Weight: (Your character's weight. Either in kilograms or lbs)
Rank/Title: (Your character's status in the military or other special titles he/she might be known as)
Special: (anything else worth noting, be very brief and categorical)

(You can add a few more other information you want but generally these are the minimum.)

Appearance:
(You can describe how your character looks. Ignore this if the picture on the top was more than enough)

Bio:
(Write a short introduction about your character. Who is he/she? Where did he/she come from? How did he/she became a mech pilot? What he/she can do? How skilled he/she is? What are his/her motivations? Etcetera,etcetera...)

Personality: (Describe your character's personality. What he or she's like?)

(Following that we can get to the next part, creating a profile for your mech.)



(image for your giant robot goes here, not obligatory but helpful)


Name: (how's your mecha called? With model/serial numbers and everything)
Type: (What is it categorized as? Ie: Mobile Suit, Orbital Frame, etc. Is it a Real or Super Robo?)
Dimensions: (How big is your machine? If it's a humanoid robot then you only have to mention its height in meters)
Weight: (How heavy is your machine? Preferably expressed in metric tons)
(If you want you can include other stats like armor material, powerplant, propulsion systems and such. Whatever you find important enough to list here.)

Stats: (The 7 parameters showing the power of your machine.They range from 1 to 100 but the differences aren't linear. For further details, see below)

• Strength: (Your machine's strength. How hard its punches and kicks? How much weight it lifts?)
• Armor: (How tough is your machine? Mechs with high armor can easily withstand even the most powerful attacks.)
• Firepower: (How much destruction you can deal? Applies to guns, missiles, energy cannons and any other ranged means to attack)
• Performance: (How fast is your machine? High-performance mechs are so fast the enemy has problems to target them)
• Mobility: (Determines how easy your machine performs turns and generally how agile it is)
• Energy Output: (How much power can your machine generate? Generally it shows that for how long can your machine last in combat.)
• Sensors: (Radar and other sensing/detecting stuff. Allows the detection of stealth/cloaked units. Also if your machine has auto-targeting systems your sensors determine their effectiveness.)

Description:
(Describe your machine, including its appearance, development and special features)

Weapons:
(What kind of weapons your machine possesses? If it has hidden weapons that you either want to keep secret or your character has yet to become aware of them, then they're an exception. We'll treat those kind of weapons as "upgrades" in the future.)

Abilities:
(What sort of special abilities your mecha has? It can be anything from a temporally speed boost to a whole transformation sequence that changes your machine completely. This includes exotic skills or abilities that your character has while piloting his/her mecha.)

Signature Moves:
(Mostly the property of Super Robots. What kind of character defining attack you have? It can be a flashy finishing move or a combination of various attacks. If your mecha has energy attacks that aren't connected to any weapons, they belong either here or to the "Abilities" section.)



...
Feeling confused a bit?
Don't know where to start?
Well, then I show you an example:

Spoiler for Test Profile:

Name: Average Joe
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 37
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
Rank/Title: Private
Special: He's average

Appearance:
Average Joe is the ultimate example of average. He has average height, average looks and hair below the average ("Not Bald!"- Average Joe).

Bio:
Average Joe grew up in an average ultra-militaristic family. He had a dog with above average intelligence, Tony. The dog became a Mobile Suit pilot years before Joe could even graduate, starting a heated rivalry between the two. Average Joe was dreaming of becoming the average Mobile Suit pilot ("I wanna be a Mook!" - yelled he). But his average level of intellect proved to be "too high" to meet the military standards. Saddened but all-so-determined, Average Joe took up a hellish training to kill his brain cells. Through the years he watched hundreds of Soaps, went to talk shows and for 10 minutes he even became a minor celebrity in a Reality TV program. By the age of 35 the results were stupefying and the military welcomed Average Joe with open arms. He survived 6 battles and expectantly waits for the time he'll be promoted to Private First Class.

Personality:
Average Joe unsurprisingly has no personality. His devolved mind is honed to methodically follow any order. He has no private life and is cyrogenetically frozen between missions. Joe is unreasonably brave and prepared to sacrifice himself for the stupidest reasons. He also bears mysterious rivalry with ESF's new ace Tony, a genetically engineered Newtype Canine created to pilot the advanced GUNDOG suit.




Name: MS-06F Zaku II, (nicknamed: "Garbage")
Type: Mobile Suit (Real Robo)
Dimensions: 17.5 meters
Weight: 737 tons
Armor: Super Steel Alloy
Powerplant: Minovsky-type Ultra-Compact Fusion Reactor (rated 1951 kW)
Propulsion: Rocket Thrusters&Verniers


Stats:

• Strength: 10
• Armor: 10
• Firepower: 10
• Performance: 10
• Mobility: 10
• Energy Output: 10
• Sensors: 10

Description:
The Zaku II is an imposing nearly 18 meters tall robot. Its armor is several times more durable than M1A2 Abrams'. Its primary weapon shoots 120mm APFSDS shells on full auto and has the huge Zaku Bazooka for extra firepower. The Zaku II is outfitted with rockets and apogee motors, allowing it to freely maneuver in space. On Earth the same rockets can be used to perform multi-kilometer jumps through the air. Lastly the control system is a perfect meld between manual and computer-assisted movements, allowing the Zaku II to act and move almost like a human of its size would.
The Zaku II is a truly fearsome machine...or at least used to be many decades ago.
Nowadays, the Zaku II is little more than a joke, assigned to the lowest of mooks.
This fact makes Average Joe very proud of himself.

Weapons:

• MMP-78 120mm Machinegun: Primary weapon of the Zaku II. It's a large machinegun fed by a 100-round drum magazine, shooting 120mm APFSDS shells.
• H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka: Powerful, large but slow-reloading weapon. Each missile must be manually inserted before firing. Has enough firepower to blow another Zaku II into pieces.
• Heat Hawk Type 5: Tomahawk-like axe used in melee. When active the axe's blade is covered in orange plasma, increasing its cutting power. This is the Zaku II's most powerful weapon. Which doesn't say much.

Abilities:

• Critical Failure: Due to its age and poor maintenance, the Zaku II has a high chance of suffering inexplicable reactor failure in combat, resulting in a small-scale nuclear explosion, enough to damage space colonies.

Signature Moves:

• Trans-DUMB!: The Zaku II undergoes radical transformation that makes it appear glowing red. Following that the Zaku's reactor output and performance triples as Average Joe tries to ram straight into the enemy. On impact the Zaku II suffers a critical reactor failure resulting in a huge explosion that wipes Average Joe and hopefully even his enemy.

[Willy Vereb]

Ok, to further elaborate.

Mecha stats only exist for your convenience.
It's an easy way to tell what can each other's machine do.
On request there would be also stats for the enemies you're fighting against. Sometimes even without it.

Another thing, like I said, these stats aren't linear.
If anything they follow a weird exponential scale.

So a mech with the firepower of 20 isn't just 4 times stronger than a mecha with the firepower of 5.
Try maybe a hundred.

Of course this being an RP instead of some strict battle simulator, the limits aren't clearly drawn.
Even if you're mecha "only" has 20 for firepower it could damage another with the armor of 30.
Albeit only through considerable effort and by using your stronger if not the strongest attacks.
Similarly even if the enemy is faster and more mobile it doesn't mean you have no chance of hitting it.
You'd only be at a disadvantage. Sometimes terribly so.
But nothing you would be unable to solve with a surge of creativity.

So yeah, it's more or less just an ordinal scale.
It basically just tells who's better in what category.

Also for people who plan to create a profile now:
Keep the stats low

Unless your machine is very specialized, don't raise any of the stats above 20 or maybe 30. Overall point distribution should be between 100 to 200.
Super Robots are a slight subversion to this rule but I advise them to also remain lowish, still.

Like I said through the RP you're going to have a lot of chance to "upgrade" your mech.
And that can only be done if there's a reasonable room for improvement.

Spoiler for "Real Life" examples for stats:

M1A2 Abrams
Stats:

• Strength: 3 (for towing)
• Structure: 5
• Firepower: 5
• Performance: 1
• Mobility: 5
• Energy Output: 1
• Sensors: 3

F-15 Eagle
Stats:

• Strength: 1
• Structure: 1
• Firepower: 2 (10 w/ bombs)
• Performance: 7
• Mobility: 2
• Energy Output: 1
• Sensors: 7

AH-64 Apache
Stats:

• Strength: 2
• Structure: 2
• Firepower: 5
• Performance: 2
• Mobility: 5
• Energy Output: 1
• Sensors: 5

[KAIZA]

Average Joe and Garbage are best characters.
I'll be working in a profile. Hopefully I'll have it done soon.

[Xamusel]

I have to agree with KAIZA. They are best units.

...at least for jokes.

Now, I also am going to work on a profile, though consider this more Real Robot than KAIZA's (we spoke on Skype about this).

[Willy Vereb]

Another thing we'd need to discuss is the setting. That's why this is called "Sign-up and Concept Discussion Thread".

The classic SRW set-up is that there's a world-wide government which is under attack by some alien threat.
Shall we go with this?

Another thing to consider is the average tech level. But I suppose we can judge that more accurately once the RP profiles are ready.
There are many other details we can go over.
Basically I don't wish to hold monopoly in this story. So I give you a chance to formulate it from the beginning.
Otherwise I can come up with the setting and basic plot quickly and sadly that's what I had to do in the previous such game.

[Xamusel]

True.

Also, out of curiosity, do things like Striker Packs count as upgrades? KAIZA and I were talking about it, and we didn't know, unfortunately.

As for the setting, I would think that we could go with the Zentradie from the first Macross franchise as the enemies from outside our solar system, though that could mean someone would need to play as Hikaru Ichijyo (aka Rick Hunter in the dub called Robotech).

For the government, why not go with the Earth Federation and Neo Zeon, who are currently fighting each other for the third war in a row? It would make some sense to have Gundams involved at that point.

Anyway, just my two cents, nothing really concrete.

[Willy Vereb]

True.

Also, out of curiosity, do things like Striker Packs count as upgrades? KAIZA and I were talking about it, and we didn't know, unfortunately.

If it's an integral part of how your mecha fights, it isn't.
Just like I can't ban other mechs from transforming, I won't prevent you from switching between various packs for combat.
But I will consider this when reviewing your mecha.
If overall it's too powerful, I might suggest you to tone it down a bit.
I doubt that would happen, though.

On the other hand if these "Strike Packs" are introduced only in later mission then it definitely counts as an "upgrade". Just like how a mecha suddenly unlocking a secret weapon does. I call these "hidden upgrades".
Albeit depending on circumstances I might deduce imaginary points for the "upgrade cost" of this.
As for how upgrading stuff works I'll detail later.

As for the setting, I would think that we could go with the Zentradie from the first Macross franchise as the enemies from outside our solar system, though that could mean someone would need to play as Hikaru Ichijyo (aka Rick Hunter in the dub called Robotech).

For the government, why not go with the Earth Federation and Neo Zeon, who are currently fighting each other for the third war in a row? It would make some sense to have Gundams involved at that point.

Anyway, just my two cents, nothing really concrete.

This is an entirely original RP, so even if we're fighting against the Zentraedi we don't need to feature canon characters.
Hell, you don't even need to use Valkyries!

Similar to the Gundam-like setting.
Even if the enemy are similar to the Zeon and Earth Federation, we don't need to make them exactly that.

Besides, both of these settings would spell extremely bad news for Earth.
In Macross the Zentraedi killed off pretty much anyone save for the crew of Macross.
In Gundam, in the first week of the One Year War the nukes and colony drops killed half of the population and spelled all other sorts of doom.

Oh well, not like the previous game's setting was any brighter, here it goes:

Post-Crisis Calendar Year 20:

It's been more than a decade since Humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life. Contrary to the expectations though, the aliens weren't peaceful. They were invaders called EM with the intention to conquer the entire world. Facing this new threat, all nations of Humanity made a hasty alliance and formed what would be later known as the Earth Sphere Union. But even the combined forces of the Earth were insufficient against the EM's superior technology. The aliens were using giant robots with nearly impenetrable armor and firepower previously unheard of. Despite Humanity's best effort they've lost more than 50% of their military power in only a few years.

That was until the appearance of the mysterious Professor M, a genius scientist and weapons designer. Believing that one can only fight poison with poison he developed a new kind of weapon, Mobile Suits. Imitating the style of the enemy these were giant humanoid machines allowing humans to fight the EM on almost even terms. Mobile Suits changed the war and helped Humanity to drive the EM out from the surface. The loses of the aliens were increasing.

But the EM's persistence knew no limits. With supplies that were seemed to be inexhaustible the EM continued the assault, slowly developing new and better means to threaten human lives. The Earth's orbit became a constant battlefield with the ESU forces engaged in a hopeless war of attrition. Paradoxically enough, those who lived on the surface experienced a false sense of peace, almost believing that the horrible EM wars were long over. With the immediate threat of human extinction seemingly gone, words criticizing the ESU's actions began to surface. Struck by internal strife and the external threat of the EM, the Earth Sphere Union was on the verge of collapse. The catastrophe was drawing near. Only a miracle could save humanity from destruction. A miracle accomplished by great people.

Humanity needed heroes!

I want to something at least marginally lighter now.
If I have to use a comparison, the previous game was like War of the Worlds.
And I want the new one to be closer to Mars Attacks.
And again, I'd prefer to have a setting made not exclusively by me.

But yeah, a Gundamesque setting can also work.

[KAIZA]

Well, I finally finished my profile. Anything I might need to fix? There probably is...

Spoiler for Maya Reisslitter & Algravier:

Name: Maya Reisslitter
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 20
Height: 171 cm
Weight: 61 kg
Rank/Title: Lieutenant - Eden Guardian
Special: Former Scavenger (2nd Class)

Appearance:
Silver, shoulder-length hair, with two long bangs framing her face and violet eyes. Wears a light violet tank-top, exposing her midriff, dark green cargo pants, and black boots with brown soles. She also wears black, fingerless gloves with large gray bracelets. While piloting Algravier, she usually wears a violet, form-fitting Pilot Suit.

Bio:
Maya and her sister Elise were orphaned at a young age when their settlement was attacked by Sweepers. Moving in with their relatives in the city of Eden, Maya grew up to become an Scavenger like her mother while her sister became a ZETA pilot for the UWF (United World Federation) Military. However, her sister lost her life during a rescue mission, leading to her resenting both the Sweepers and the Military. Years later, during one scavenging mission, she found the Algravier unit in a ruined laboratory, and due to a surprise Sweeper attack, she literally fell into the cockpit and linked with the giant robot. After a rough beginning, she reluctantly joined the Eden Guardians, a mecha squadron protecting the city, to become a better pilot, and to defend Eden from the Sweepers.

Personality:
Maya has a strong, down to earth personality., if a little stoic at times She always strives to improve herself, and never lets anything weigh her down. While serious most of the time, she does have a sense of humor, and enjoys occasionally teasing others. However, she seems to have a bit of trouble with authority (not helped by her dislike of the military), and prefers doing things her way. While sometimes this does lead her into trouble, she always does it with the best intentions and her determination and quick thinking allows her to always find a solution.



Name: Algravier - The Crimson Beast
Type: Unidentified Mecha (Super Robot)
Dimensions: 21 meters
Weight: 195 tons
Armor: Ceramic Titanium Alloy
Power Source: Zeoloid Engine
Propulsion System: Rocket Thrusters
Color Scheme: Crimson, Brown and Yellow

Stats:
Strength: 35
Armor: 25
Firepower: 20
Performance: 10
Mobility: 20
Energy Output: 25
Sensors: 15

Total: 150

Description:
A powerful, beast-like mecha discovered by Maya Reisslitter in the ruins of an old laboratory. The unit was initially found in a state of disrepair, but after it was awakened and eventually deactivated, the UWF Military took it and repaired it, upgrading it and outfitting it with newer weapon systems. Algravier is much more beastly and animalistic in appearance compared to the modern ZETA units, even focusing mainly on brute force during combat. It was given the nickname “The Crimson Beast” and “Demon Beast-Warrior” by onlookers and the military, respectively.

Weapons:
Reinforced Fists: Due to specializing in physical combat, Algravier's fists have been reinforced with durable alloys, which makes them deadly weapons and are its primary means of attack.
Blast Cannons: Algravier was outfitted with several small energy cannons, located on its torso. These cannons are capable of rapid-fire, sending a volley of energy blasts towards the opponent.
Retractable Iron Blades: Twin ceramic titanium blades, easily capable of slicing through almost any surface or material. Usually used in conjunction with Algravier's melee abilities.

Abilities:
Linker Core: Thanks to the Linker Core implanted on Maya, not only is she able to control Algravier, but it also connects their minds together. As such, Maya's emotions can have effects on Algravier's performance, including temporary boosts in strength, speed, and accuracy.
Zeoloid Wings: Used in conjunction with its rocket thrusters, Algravier is capable of producing “wings of light” using the energy stored in its engine, allowing it to fly.

Signature Moves:
Crimson Strike: Routing energy to its fist, Algravier punches the opponent with all its strength, usually penetrating through its armor and sometimes even through shields.
Crimson Booster Strike: Similar to the Crimson Strike, but Algravier uses its thrusters to increase its acceleration, increasing the force of the attack.
Blast Fire: Algravier uses its cannons to fire a continuous volley of energy blasts towards the enemy, at such tremendous speed that it is eventually torn apart.
Searing Blade: Energy is routed into one of Algravier's retractable blades, super-heating it, until it is capable of slicing the enemy in half in one swift strike.
Oriax Wave: Algravier's most powerful attack. Opening it's mouth, it begins charging and amassing energy (both from its own body and from the surroundings), before releasing it all in a powerful laser blast, capable of annihilating anything in its path, even piercing through enemy shields as if they were nothing.

As for the setting...I might have some ideas. I'll try to work something out tomorrow.

[Willy Vereb]

Actually there's nothing really wrong with your submission.
If I have to compare to the previous game, yours would be slightly above the average. Which is pretty good for the first try.

My only nitpick is with the mecha's weight.
As somebody who studied engineering I know the mass parameters most mecha series give us are complete BS.
19.5 tons would be barely enough for the mecha's head, not to mention the rest of its body.
Even if your mech is powered by some sorts of pseudo-magical means, the titanium armor alone would weight more than a hundred tons.
I suggest adding another decimal to the weight stat, so it would be 195 tons.
It would be still ridiculously light but at least it makes some sense.

[Xamusel]

Thanks for giving both of us answers to our questions. That was really appreciated.

As far as the Striker Packs, that was something of an example, not exactly what I was going to use (though close enough to what I would use). I'm creating a unit I decided to call the Duality Gundam, which is essentially a mix between the Strike Gundam and Aegis Gundam, so... yeah. That would be a good reason why I'm considering the use of "Packs".

[Cherry Lover]

Even 195 tons seems way too light to me. A 10m by 10m by 10m cube of water would weigh about 1000 tons, and I doubt that an armoured mech would be less dense than water, since most metals are much more dense (hence why they sink) and there is little point in having a mech that is mostly empty space. Also, if it were lighter than that, then it would be able to float....

[KAIZA]

Really applying physics to a giant robot which by all senses should collapse under its own weight in real life?
Anyhow, I used Mazinger's weight as a reference, but OK, I can up the weight.

[Cherry Lover]

Well, yeah, but there's soft-sci-fi physics and then there's just plain wrong. Unless you want your mechs floating on water and made of some unobtainium then they should be denser....

[Willy Vereb]

Even 195 tons seems way too light to me. A 10m by 10m by 10m cube of water would weigh about 1000 tons, and I doubt that an armoured mech would be less dense than water, since most metals are much more dense (hence why they sink) and there is little point in having a mech that is mostly empty space. Also, if it were lighter than that, then it would be able to float....

Actually, even if the mecha would be solid metal, its volume would never approach 1000 m^3.
The volume of the human body is around 0.07m^3.
Gundams and such are circa 10 times taller than a human.
If you use square-cube law then you have to multiply this by 1000.
So that'd be around 70 cubic meters.
A common type of steel has the density of around 7880 kg/m^3.
So if we build a 18 meter tall statue molded of solid steel, it's still "just" 551.6 metric tons.
Potentially larger since mechas tend to be blockier. And then it also has weapons to use.
And well, realistically they should also use materials more dense than steel. Especially for armor.
Still, not many mecha at that scale would realistically weight 1000 tons.
300-700 metric tons is a more accurate guess. Depending on a few things.
Of course if things a little different if the mecha exceeds 20 meters in height.
And there are larger ones still.

Also it worths noting that fighter planes are nearly as large as your average Mobile Suit. Yet they only weight 15-35 tons.
I fairly certain that most authors take these as basis for the ridiculously low mass ratings.
Which would be half-justified if the mecha's design indeed shows more similarities with that of a fighter. (Which they generally aren't)
The Union Flag from Gundam 00 is a good example for a "fighterized" mech.
Still, the various mechanisms that make the mecha move its joints adds up a considerable weight. So you'd be lucky to slim it down to 80-100 metric tons.

Really applying physics to a giant robot which by all senses should collapse under its own weight in real life?
Anyhow, I used Mazinger's weight as a reference, but OK, I can up the weight.

I see.
Yeah, I knew that mass figure seemed familiar.
Based on the mecha's cross-section we occasionally see in the series, even if the entire body of Mazinger Z is made of aluminium (Super Alloy Z is actually a derivate of aluminium), it'd be still around 200 metric tons or above.
Not 20.

And yeah, I realize this is a bit pedantic to ask.
But try to bear with it.
This will be the only time when I nitpick on such minor technicalities.

[Cherry Lover]

Well, you do have a point about the relative weight of a fighter and, honestly, it probably is the case that a mech that can fly in the Earth's atmosphere would probably need to be closer to the weight of a fighter jet than what you're expecting. So, whilst 19.5 tons is a bit light even then, I suspect on second thought that 195 tons is, if anything, too heavy. I think a 195 ton machine would have real difficulties in flying, particularly since it almost entirely lacks aerodynamics.

There's a certain amount of a trade-off here. Either we can assume that the mech is a realistic weight and then ask how the hell it can fly, or we can assume it is made of unrealistically light materials. Either way the physics is very dubious.