Battletech/Mechwarrior PbP: "Days of the Jackal" [closed]

[Shalimar]

The assumption that the person bringing us together is a mech pilot is easy. If the guy was an Aerospace fighter, he would build an aerospace unit, and hire the unit out for that. Mech pilots have little to no respect for a non mech pilot, thats the way it works, either the guy is a mech pilot, or aerospace(and that doesn't really make sense), or the guy is just a PBI(Poor Bloody Infantry). Mech pilots are just that elitist. The other reason is if the guy didn't have a mech, everyone we would all think the guy is dispossesed, and that is a major stigma, no one would hire on to be under a man who cannot even look after his own mech, if he can't afford a new one, then he quite simply cannot afford to keep a mech unit supplied with the basics, let alone expendables like ammo and dropship transport which is rather pricey.

There are some pretty ingrained truths in this era of Battle-tech, heck, throughout all of battle-tech, the fact that no mechwarrior respects a non-mech warrior is one of them, which is why a non-mechpilot is very very unlikely to be able to hire so many experienced pilots.

 

[Douane]

[...] respect [...] to hire so many experienced pilots.

Uh-Oh,

you won't like my opening.


Folkert

 

[Shalimar]

A girls got to work I guess, but still, he should pick himself up a mech, or he's gonna be a laughingstock

 

[Drakknyte32]

A3 (30 stats, 16 skills, 1 advantage)

Build 4
Reflexes 6
Intuition 6
Learning 6
Charisma 2

Athletic (8)
Physical (6)
Mental (6)
Social (10)

Gunnery/Mech 4 (2+)
Pilot/Mech/ 2 (4+)
Technician/Mech 1 (5+)
Small Arms 1 (5+)
Survival 1 (5+)

Extra Edge


Mech: Marauder Mad-3D "Hunter"

Ryan Dale grew up on a colony world. One day while out exploring he came across a Davion outpost. The outpost had long since been abondoned but there were still a few valuable things there. Most noticably a very beat up Marauder Mad-3D.

Ryan started to try and fix the mech and discovered something very useful. He was naturally good at fixing mechs. Despite his talent it still took several years to scrounge up all the necessary equipment and put it on the mech. In the end it was worth it however. He had a fully functional 75 ton walking death machine to call his own. Now if only he knew how to use it.

Ryan began to practice with his mech and discovered something even more useful. He was exceptionally good at piloting mechs. After a bit of fiddling with the controls he was using the mech like a second skin.

He named the mech "Hunter" and spent all his spare time training with it. There were no other mechs to fight on his home planet but he got some decent training hunting his planet's desert runners, a species of flightless birds (think Ostrich, only faster). The runners didn't fight back but they were small and fast so they made good target practice. Ryan also spent a lot of time playing mech simulations on the outposts equipment. He soon became a very good, if unexperienced, mech pilot.

Ryan is now a young adult and is ready to do something with his life. He spent his life's savings getting a ticket offworld with his mech and is looking for work as a mercenary.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The semi-final draft for my character. Good stats all around. Decent skills. A heavy mech with a focus on lomg-range beam weapons.

There are still few things to rearrange.

1: Skills. I decided to raise my gunnery at the sacrifice of computers and a bit of Tech. Does this seem like a bad Idea?

2: Equipment. Right now I'm thinking a revolver with 10 ammo and a ComPad. Are there any better ideas for what I should get as equipment? And what is a ComPad anyway? I'm assuming it's like a laptop.

3: LifePath rolls. Still waiting for them, and I'll use both my extra edges on them.

Edit: Since I do want him kind of shy I dropped Cha by 1 and put it in Bld.

Edit: I had too many skill points. Fixed this. Now I have too few skill points.

Edit: Decided I did want to be really good at shooting so I upped my gunnery another rank.

 

[doghead]

The assumption that the person bringing us together is a mech pilot is easy. If the guy was an Aerospace fighter, he would build an aerospace unit, and hire the unit out for that. Mech pilots have little to no respect for a non mech pilot, thats the way it works, either the guy is a mech pilot, or aerospace(and that doesn't really make sense), or the guy is just a PBI(Poor Bloody Infantry). Mech pilots are just that elitist. The other reason is if the guy didn't have a mech, everyone we would all think the guy is dispossesed, and that is a major stigma, no one would hire on to be under a man who cannot even look after his own mech, if he can't afford a new one, then he quite simply cannot afford to keep a mech unit supplied with the basics, let alone expendables like ammo and dropship transport which is rather pricey.

There are some pretty ingrained truths in this era of Battle-tech, heck, throughout all of battle-tech, the fact that no mechwarrior respects a non-mech warrior is one of them, which is why a non-mechpilot is very very unlikely to be able to hire so many experienced pilots.

Or a noble, or a corp, or more likely, the front man for one. Its a neat way of building your own force while keeping it at arms length. Or perhaps it just a simple business venture. Affording one would probably not be the issue - not wanting to put themselves at the sharp end would more likely be the reason.

I realise that I don't have all that much exposure to the Battletech world, but in a setting of that size, there are bound to be exceptions to any rule. And if a grunt with a mech can do it and make money, why wouldn't someone better connected and funded do it too?

 

[doghead]

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting to ask. Who puts together all the background in Battletech? It seems quite detailed. Is it the result of actual gameplay/convention activities/and online version. One of the sites I found lists worlds as 'unclaimed' or some such. On one world there was Mech Factory run by some guy using his own designs.

Or does someone just sit down and think it up.

 

[Douane]

The "Days of the Jackal" have begun!


Some explanations:

Solaris City: Capital of Solaris the Gameworld. It is divided into 6 main parts, the international part (home to the spaceport and the comstar station), Black Hills (Davion), Cathay (Liao), Kobe (Kurita), Montenegro (Marik) and Silesia (Steiner). Usual recommendation for visitors: "Stay in your own area!"

Mech Cooperative: The underdogs of the "Solaris Duelling Circuit", cooperatives are basically bands of independent mechwarriors. They don't possess nearly as much clout as the established stables, but they are "free men". (As opposed to the neo-feudalistic 'stables' who offer better conditions to their mechwarriors, but often keep them in iron-clad contracts. However, their respective power and influence usually ensures that cooperatives don't play big roles in the championship tournaments.)

 

[Shalimar]

Erm, I thought we were all on Galtea?

 

[Douane]

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting to ask. Who puts together all the background in Battletech? It seems quite detailed. Is it the result of actual gameplay/convention activities/and online version. One of the sites I found lists worlds as 'unclaimed' or some such. On one world there was Mech Factory run by some guy using his own designs.

Or does someone just sit down and think it up.

I guess this is all up to the BT line developer.

The setting used to be advanced via the novels, with extra support in the form of sourcebooks bringing in more details, different views, etc.

I think that recently the outcome of a big convention battle found its way directly into the canon material.

Unfortunately, some "secrets" (ie. storylines) seem to have died with the respective developers.


Folkert

 

[Douane]

Erm, I thought we were all on Galtea?

Guess, you haven't heard? A massive outbreak of the virulent Kentares fever occured on Galatea.


Seriously, I have debated using either Galatea or Solaris as a starting point. Unfortunately, Galatea doesn't offer much opportunites for anything but "go there, get recruited". In addition to this, Justin Xiang-Allard's recent exploits on Solaris made the gameworld into a hotspot of all kinds of activities, including the recruiting of mercenaries.