Gospog's Mecha Crusade Story Hour!

[Gospog]

Hello, everyone. Our first session of Mecha Crusade isn't until next week (Wednesday), but I thought I'd start this thread by sharing the background info that I mailed to my players.

I didn't care for the back-story in Polyhedron, so I just threw together my own. Basically, it's just a rip off of various Force Five cartoons from the 1980's. (hence the title Force Six)

Special thanks goes to Dr. Nuncheon for invaluable feedback and suggestions. Speaking of feedback, I always appreciate yours.

OK, here we go:

____________________________________________________

Force Six: Strike Force!

Earth is under attack from the Dark Horror Core! The DHC is winning because of thier superior teleportation technology. They are able to teleport troops and giant robots to the edge of Earth's atmosphere, attacking before we can mount a proper defence. No one knows where these troops are teleported from.

Desperate, the governments of the world (well, most of them) have pooled thier resources to create the Strike Force Project! The first and most important result of the the Strike Force Project was the development of the Omega Scanner. When the DHC teleports into an area, the target point for the teleport begins to collect a certain kind of radiation from the surrounding area. Terran scientists call this radiation Omega radiation. The Omega Scanner is a network of scanning devices that cover the globe. These devices can detect a buildup of Omega radiation, giving the forces of Earth a vital 10-20 minute warning of impending alien attack!

The first few incarnations of Strike Force sent conventional troops and aircraft to these "Omega hot spots". This was marginally effective, but no match for the Dark Horror Cores' Saucer Robots! Strike Force Five was the first Strike Force to employ the Bio-Booster armor.

Bio-Booster armor is about 30 feet tall armor and augments the wearers' every move. A direct connection to the pilots' nervous system allows lightning quick reactions to danger. Strike Force Five wore the first Bio-Booster prototypes. They did extremely well against DHC attacks, but thier service ended in dissaster. It was discovered, far too late, that use of the Bio-Booster armor places a tremendous strain on the body of the wearer. Muscles, joints, tendons, even the wearers' bones are pushed to the breaking point and beyond. In a particularly viscious fight against a trio of giant saucer robots, Strike Force Five literally tore itself apart. They only survivor was Tim Hawkins, who pushed his body so hard, the resultant bio-feedback fried his mind, making him quite mad.

Strike Force Six has been built on newer technology, and takes into account the terrible lessons learned by Strike Force Five. Every member of Strike Force Six is a cyborg. The majority of his or her body has been replaced by incredibly strong bionic parts. This allows the wearer to endure the strain of wearing Bio-Booster armor with greater success. Also, the armor worn by Strike Force Six produces less neural feedback than the previous model.

Of course, all of this is just theory right now. It's about to be tested. By you. Welcome to Strike Force Six. Oh, and by the way, that alarm you hear is the Omega Sensor alarm.

Suit up.

 

[Gospog]

The Mecha

For this game, I knew I needed giant robots, but didn't want to spend a fortune. Luckily, I found some cool 6" tall Mecha at a discount store for $2 each. I bought four. You can see one in this picture:

http://gospog.tripod.com/mecha.JPG

But now I had a problem: I couldn't expect every player to use an identical Mecha. This would also raise serious problems on the game board. So I set about converting the original Mecha into three variants. The first variant, the Reaper, can be seen at the URL below:

http://gospog.tripod.com/reaper1.jpg

NOTE: I am still using Tripod for my pics. You need to copy and paste the URL into your browser address window to see the pics. If anyone wants to host these pics and re-post them, I would be immensely grateful (Tsunami, you out there, ol' buddy?)

Feedback always appreciated.

 

[Davelozzi]

Those were the same mecha? Nice work.

 

[Caliber]

Your miniature skills, both for this campaign and the last one, amaze me to no end.

How are the mecha rules, in your opinion?

 

[Gospog]

Dave,

Thanks. Wait until you see the other ones! Noone will get thier mecha confused with anyone elses', I promise!

Caliber,

Thanks for the praise! This was the most fun I've had on a project in a long time.
As for the rules, I will be able to give you a better idea after Wednesday. But so far, they seem pretty straight-forward. The mecha is treated like a BIG suit of armor. It adds to your Str and Defense, and is given a hardness rating. The game is based totally on D20 Modern, so I am using Shadow Chasers for starting classes, and winging it. We'll see how it goes!

 

[MDSnowman]

Mecha Fun & Game

Wow this looks amazing. I've watched enough Mecha Anime to realize how much fun it can be (I'm especially fond of Gai's obsession with Mecha Anime in Nadesico.. always a nice touch). I hope to hear more about this campaign, and maybe start my own Mecha campaign sometime.
-Andrew Snow

 

[Gospog]

Radio Waves

Thanks, MD! Good luck to you in your own efforts.

And just FYI, as the game begins tomorrow, I thought it might be a good idea to post the title of the adventure. It's called:

Radio Waves

Updates (real ones) very soon. Stay tuned!

 

[MDSnowman]

Mecha

Here have a friendly Bump

 

[Gospog]

Well, the game was last night, and it was a great success! The full write-up is on the way, but here's a list of the players and characters. Where possible, I've referred to them by their EnWorld screen name.

fluffaderm as Biznitch
Dave_Lozzi as Manuel
Pirate Cat as Jake Gulliver
Josh as Johnny Axelrod
Matt as Cecil Cooper

Johnny Axelrod: Johnny’s heart is as dark as his glasses. He’s from the mean streets of LA and never lets anyone forget it. Johnny was volunteered for Force Six by his parole officer. In the field, Johnny pilots Spartan, the only mecha on the team with a shield. He also carries a Typhoon laser cannon as a matter of course.

Cecil Cooper: Cecil Cooper has a serious twinkie habit, but he never lets that keep him from wherever the action is. In combat, he tends to be level-headed and a real team player. In the field, Cecil pilots Praetor, a mecha built for flight and fancy maneuvers.

Manuel: Manuel signed up with Force Six to better his lot in life. His job before joining Force Six was less than glamorous, but now he pilots Desert Storm, a mecha bristling with giant weapons. He’s not as fast as some other mecha, but he hits DHC robots like a ton of bricks.

Jake Gulliver: Jake was serving a life sentence in a federal penitentiary. Two things got his sentence commuted: 1, He is an expert at piloting a mecha into close combat. 2, He is totally expendable. Jake pilots Reaper, and prefers to get up close and personal with the enemy before showing them the business end of his energy scythe.

Biznitch: This young woman woke up in the hospital, with no memory of who she is or where she’s from. The only clue was her shirt, which said “Biznitch”. A brief discussion with Johnny Axelrod cemented this appellation, at least for now. Biznitch pilots Wrecker, the only ground-based mecha. Wrecker is able to repair damage to itself with nano-machines, but Biznitch is mainly interested in dealing out damage with her Comet gatling laser and the neovulcanium fists of her mecha.

 

[Gospog]

Chapter One

The time: The year 2050
The Place: Omega HQ, a top-secret bunker under Washington DC

Force Six strides proudly down the pristine white halls of Omega HQ. A rag-tag bunch, there is a quiet confidence to some of them. Others in the group merely exude an aura of menace and violence about to erupt. They all wear jumpsuits with the Force Six patch, and each one carries standard issue weapons: a pistol and a commando carbine.

Force Six is going to a briefing with Dr. Hi-Tech, the head of R&D for the Force Six project. They are in no particular hurry, as they have about ten minutes until the meeting. Coming the other way down the hall is a woman (pretty, late 30’s) and a small boy walking quickly the other way. The woman is quietly crying.

Johnny Axelrod notices that the woman just dropped her car keys as she turned a corner from a side corridor. He deftly snatches the keys up from the floor and puts them in his pocket. Jake turns an appraising eye to the woman and the boy. He immediately notices that while the woman is wearing her badge granting her clearance, the little boy is not. His commando carbine instantly comes up, it's muzzle pointing directly at the little boy.

JAKE: Unauthorized personnel! Assume the position!

As the security-conscious group rings around the crying woman, a young man in a white lab coat runs up with his hands raised in a placating gesture. Force Six knows this man, Pete Imai, as a lab assistant at Omega HQ.

PETE: Jake! Jake! It's ok, he's cleared for this area.

JAKE: This little kid? He's cleared? I don't buy it. Seems like a real mystery to me.

PETE: Jake, if you don't put that gun down, the only mystery is going to be where we're all going to stand in line for our unemployment checks. This is the family of a...very important man.

Reluctantly, Jake lowers his carbine.

PETE: I'm really glad no live ammunition is allowed inside HQ. I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Hawkins.

Cecil surreptitiously elbows Johnny in the ribs.

CECIL: Hey, man, give the lady her car keys.

Johnny stands in front of the woman, her keys hanging from his outstretched finger. Before she can grab them he asks her something very rude (censored), eliciting a horrified shriek from the woman, and laughter from her son. Hysterical, she grabs the car keys and runs down the white hallway, young boy in tow.

PETE: You guys have spirit, that's important. But I think your attitude might need a little adjustment. Have any of you ever considered the true meaning sacrifice? For your country...for the world?

Biznitch hold up her bionic hand. Manuel gestures to his cybernetic eye.

PETE: Impressive. But I'd like you to meet someone who can really put this into perspective for you.

Force Six has a few minutes before thier briefing, so they follow Pete down the corridor that the crying woman emerged from. Pete leads them to a maximum security door. He presses his eye up to the retinal scanner. Giant steel pistons slide back, and a green light flashes above the door. The door slides open.

The room they enter is part apartment, part ICU. Everwhere complicated medical machinery clicks and hums. All of the machinery is hooked up to one man. Tim Hawkins is a mess. He is in a wheelchair. One leg and one arm do not bend quite right. There is a vocalizer device pressed up against his throat. He seems alert and nods to Force Six as they enter.

PETE: Mr. Hawkins, this is Force Six, the new team…to fight the Dark Horror Core.

Tim Hawkins eyes grow wide at that, he sputters a little.

PETE: Force Six, may I present a true hero, Dr. Timothy Hawkins.

CECIL: It's an honor to meet you, sir.

JAKE: I admire your work killing aliens.

Tim Hawkins grabs onto Biznitchs' sleeve.

TIM HAWKINS: I did it for her…for Maria. I did it all for her. Keep her safe.

Hawkins then turns to Cecil, locking eyes with the startled young man.

TIM HAWKINS: I...hear...Omega...waves...in...my...head.

PETE: Okaaay. You guys had better be geting to your meeting. I'll walk you down.

Nervous goodbyes are muttered to a sleeping Tim Hawkins.

CUT SCENE: The Briefing. Most of Force Six are seated in chairs around a large white table. Jake and Manuel are standing, looking ill at ease. At the head of the oblong table is Dr. Hi-Tech. The Professor is a short, wide man in his late 40’s. He has bushy hair and a mustache to match. He wears a white lab coat which has been cleaner, and a comically large tie.

“Well, for your first mission, we’ve given you a cake walk. Should not really be a problem at all. The Omega Sensor in the Santa Cruz mountains has stopped working. At least, it’s stopped sending HQ Omega telemetry. We need to know why. Normally, we’d send a repair crew first thing, but we can’t rule out the
possibility of foul play. The men that crew that station are not responding to our efforts to contact them. Very unusual.”

“You’ll be given weapons and climbing gear. The path to the station is treacherous at points, but the weather around the mountains is particularly foul right now.

Torrential rains are making it quite dangerous to fly near there, so that rules out Mecha and conventional aircraft, like helicopters. You’ll be going up on foot.”

“There is one piece of good news: We’ve perfected the Mecha Transit Process. Or at least, I think I have. If you have need of your Mecha while on this mission, simply press the fetish hanging from your neck. This should transport your mech safely to you. <Biznitch immediately presses her fetish.> They will not work inside of Omega HQ, I'm afraid. You will still have to climb insidethe mecha, of course. Touching the fetish again will return the Mecha to hangar bay 51. I would , however, get out of the Mecha first. The transport effect can be…uncomfortable for a living creature. Well, I think it can be. I haven’t exactly tested it on a living creature <mumble, mumble>.”

JAKE: What does satellite surveillance tell us about the situation at the Omega center?

Dr. Hi-Tech: Unfortuneately, the foul weather has precluded much inteligence gathering. We can tell you that the center is still there, and that's about it. As I said, you'll be given all the climbing and survival gear you'll be needing, as well as a few handguns and rifles. I'm afraid we can't spare more than that. Pack your gear, you'll be leaving immediately. Good luck.