Clad in Iron: Discussion Topic

[Madara: Mangekyou Master]

Oh, that's good! Is Shanghai still an international port/diplomat playground? Also, do you think that the retention of monarchy-based governments has influenced infrastructural development? Or is it basically our world + robots?

[25K Now!]

Of course. Its location makes it the perfect place for such things.And about infrastructure and the like ... uh ...Everyone is poorer? No idea really.I'll try to make something up later.

[Madara: Mangekyou Master]

Please let it be so! :") You know, architecture! And transportation! The wealthy fly. The commoners take the train or boat. :,D such a beautiful dystopia!

[25K Now!]

Uh, we have zeppelins? Much more useful for travel than aeroplanes. Also, Krayzikk, am I still a GM? I'm confused. Because I was like, kicked, and then you were like no man don't go because I'm not Chinese enough to run the Qing Empire. Then you went offline and never elaborated if I was a GM or not.And sorry for a minor problem in which there was no 'Age' field for the profiles. If you would all kindly add an age it'd be appreciated. But anyway, profiles.CHARACTER PROFILE

Name: 孫傳庭 (Sun Chuanting)Age: 31Gender: MaleFaction: Empire of the Qing

Appearance: Standing at a height of a metre eighty, Chuanting has an intimidating appearance. With a muscular build and an expression perpetually focused, it is not surprising that many of his men find him to be scary, especially when he is annoyed with them. Following the minor 'Shanxi Incident' decades prior, in which a successful rebellion occurred against the Qing, Chuanting possesses hair that flows down to his shoulders like many other Han Chinese, as to express their freedom to wear their hair without threat of execution. Considered somewhat handsome in a more gruff manner, there is a long scar running down the side of his face, obtained in an earlier battle.

 

As a soldier in the Qing military, Chuanting usually wears the army uniform, which consists of a traditional sleeveless jacket over the modern battle wear of 2034. Grey and dull, the battle wear provides a sharp contrast to the maroon of his jacket, which is slightly fancier than that of his men due to his position as a Major. On one of the jacket's lapels is the insignia of the platoon, and on the other is his rank insignia. When off duty however, which is usually never, he wears shirts with gaudy colours.

Biography: Born in Wuxi, Sun Chuanting spent much of his early life learning about the exploits of his ancestors such as his father, who had been a somewhat influential member of the rebellion in Shanxi that forced the Qing to institute reforms that gave the common people greater freedoms. Wishing to be as notable as his family, he instantly joined the military when he had come of age, first serving as a foot soldier. He was present at the Battle of Nepal, where he distinguished himself by taking command of a retreat, in which his platoon suffered no casualties whatsoever. As he rose through the ranks, Chuanting was given command over the company his platoon had been part of, and was one of the first soldiers to test the Qing's current generation of mechs. Currently the Major in command of Platoon 82, he has been assigned to the Indian-Chinese border in case of a British invasion.

 

Personality: A bit of a maverick, Chuanting prefers to lead via his impulses, and can be found fighting on the front lines with his men at times. Eternally determined and focused, he is an inspiration to his men, a trait he has began to foster in order to keep his soldiers confident. Being a rather social person, he enjoys establishing a connection to every one of his sub-ordinates, and is immensely protective of them. When not seriously fighting, he is capable of cracking the odd joke, although his compatriots agree that he is a terrible joker. However, he harbours anxiety within him, not believing that he can properly lead his men at times due to his young age and relative lack of experience compared to other officers.

Mech: YesOccupation: Major in the Chinese ArmyEquipment: Chuanting wields a ceremonial dao along with a semi-automatic pistol.Skills: Chuanting is a decent pilot, and has good aim and a slight mastery over swords.Weaknesses: As one of the younger Majors in the Chinese army, Chuanting doubts his actual ability to command his men properly, regularly second-guessing himself. MECH PROFILE

 

Model: Assault-typeAppearance: A small mech that stands at about 18 metres, Chuanting's mech is of the standard Kuaiying-class, one of the current generation of Qing war machines. Humanoid in appearance, the sleek machine's most prominent traits are its incredibly noticeable boosters on its back, arranged in a fashion that is incredibly wing-like, along with its single red 'eye', which is actually serves as a light as well as a secondary camera. Unlike the simple metallic grey of most of the class, Chuanting's mech possesses two golden lines streaking down the arms.Armaments: The Kuaiying-class of mechs have always been simple, and Chuanting's is no exception. Wielding a simple titanium dao and single coilgun built into its left-arm, it is obvious to see that it is more of a skirmisher type of machine.Capabilities: The Kuaiying-class is well-known for its speed, with its many boosters allowing it to reach speeds of up to 80km/h. Of course, this comes at the cost of lesser armour, making it easier to destroy compared to its bulkier compatriots. This class of mechs also possess four main cameras, with one on the head as a single 'eye', one in its chest and two on the sides of its body.. The 'eye' can also act as a light during night attacks, and while Chuanting's lacks this function, the more advanced Kuaiying units that the generals pilot can emit EMP rays from it. Weaknesses: With low armour, the mech takes damage more easily than other types of mechs, and has less weight behind its attacks.

[Krayzikk]

Approved

[25K Now!]

Oh yeah, Strack, Gravy.

 

Your characters won't be able to really interact.

 

Euro Alliance and Britain, ya know? Different allegiances?

[Krayzikk]

Yeeeeeeeah. Hubert beat me to it, but Strack, there isn't really any way that your character would have made it into an Alliance hangar.

[Van Hohenheim]

who said I wasn't a spy? well, i'm not. so i'm going edit it

Edited March 20, 2013 by Strackkorotus

[otter]

Oh yeah, Hub, Krayzikk and I had been talking for a bit after you left, we want you to still be staff. Because neither of us could run a Chinese Empire. xP

[Padishah Mehmet II]

CHARACTER PROFILE

 

Name: Shamil Nuradilov

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Faction: Neutral/anti-Russian

Appearance: Shamil has a tall, rather lean and thin, although anything but weak, figure. His hair is a messy, dishevelled mop atop his forehead, and there's a long, narrow scar edging across his left cheek. His right hand is covered with severe burns that he has successfully by now adapted to, and no longer, unlike before, bother him whenever, say, picking something up is necessary.

 

As an insurrectionary, Nuradilov usually has to wear clothing that would make him hard to be seen in a forest - usually a camouflage tracksuit with a dark mask covering most of his face to prevent his identity from reaching the leadership of the Russian Empire.

 

Biography: Shamil Nuradilov was born in Argun, Chechnya, or as it was referred to, Terek Oblast, Russian Empire, 29 years ago. This was a region of the Russian Empire that had pretty much nothing to do with being Russian - most of the population were locals, peoples of the North Caucasus, and were gradually growing increasingly tired of the imperial yoke. Throughout history, there were twelve risings of the Chechen people against their oppressor, every one of which, upon its failure, only strengthened the population's desire and will to resist said oppressor. Nuradilov would become the man who would start the thirteenth.

 

Finishing school with excellent marks, Shamil Nuradilov could've chosen any profession he wanted. He successfully enrolled in St. Petersburg State University, and his family urged him to move to the capital to study medicine, physics, or Islamic theology, any one of which was widely accepted as a suitable pursuit for such a bright child.

 

Nuradilov, instead, opted to study music theory. This was met with some relative tolerance from his family - after all, it was his life, he could've done with it what he wanted, and the world, after all, needed bards as much as mullahs, did it not? It was a few months into the first term that Nuradilov heard of the latest disturbing occurence back home in Chechnya. Back home, in his hometown of Argun, his younger brother had committed suicide by immolation in Argun's largest square, wrapped in a flag as white as snow, defaced with only these words:

 

"Death or Freedom."

 

Something snapped in Nuradilov. He immediately dropped everything, drove back south to Chechnya, where his family had entered a long period of mourning over the death of their youngest son. They say that Shamil grew slowly distant from everything around him, as he spent more and more time by his brother's grave, thinking in silence.

 

Three weeks later, he disappeared entirely. He did not return back to university, that much was known. His family never heard from him again... until two years later.

 

It was a quiet night in Djohar-Kala, or Grozny, capital of Chechnya. This being the troublesome region that it was, the entire city was under curfew. Military patrols consisting of one or two soldiers and a mecha passed back and forth through the city streets, and all seemed quiet. It was thus utterly unexpected to the inhabitants of the city when they heard gunfire coming from the town hall, and a streetlight pointing towards the top of the town hall, where the Imperial Russian flag had been lowered entirely and replaced with a green flag with a red and two white stripes. Over loudspeakers, the citizens of Grozny heard a rallying call: "Children of Chechnya! Our time has come! Arise and deliver Ichkeria! I am Shamil Nuradilov, and I speak to you the voice of Allah and all your ancestors!"

 

The raid on Grozny proved to be a legend very quick. Although Nuradilov's rebel group retreated from the city hall and the city itself soon after, the raid in its entirety proved a success, and to this day the Imperial army has no idea how - the pro-Imperial mayor of the city, sent down from Moscow, was slain, the military barracks was ransacked by the rebels and two mechas were stolen, and only one rebel was slain and none were captured. The name of Nuradilov became a legend throughout the North Caucasus, with many local peoples fighting for the end of the Russian Empire proclaiming him, among other things, Sheikh Mansur, Imam Shamil and Muhammad himself come again. Now he lives in the forests with six other insurrectionaries - the same ones who helped him perpetrate the raid on Grozny - living off the provisions they are given by the locals, and the food they gather or hunt whilst avoiding Russian authorities.

 

Personality: Shamil, while generally kind and caring, especially towards the weak and the incapable, is also very cold. He has a great disdain for those who believe authority stems from power, and for those who would use their strength to force their will upon the weak, and this disdain contrasts sharply with the compassionate part of his personality. He harbors a great respect for those who, on the other hand, are by nature not endowed with strength or with power, but stand up and fight for what they believe in nevertheless.

 

Despite the wrongs that the Russian Empire has committed towards his people, Shamil does not harbor any sort of hate for the Russian people as a whole, merely for the Russian state which he would see best ended, or at least removed from the Caucasus.

 

Mech: Yes

Occupation: Insurrectionary

Equipment: AK-47, two grenades, pistol

Skills: He can pilot his mech relatively well, is a talented singer and guitar player, and a pretty good shot.

Weaknesses: He's not too fast a runner.

 

MECH PROFILE

Nickname: "Freedom"

Model: Assault-type

Appearance: "Freedom" is a rather simple Uralskoye-class mech, stolen during the famous raid on Grozny, that looks rather like this particular Exo-Force set. Shamil has made extensive improvements and repairs to it, including but not limited to: a sleeker movement system, a metallic globe around the driver designed to protect him from direct damage, and recoloring it red and green.

Armaments: The mecha's armaments are pretty simple, with two coilguns installed in both hands.

Capabilities: "Freedom's" main tactical capability is its speed, which was designed to make up for Shamil's physical lack of agility. Its boosters, which have been highly improved since the raid on Grozny with other tools Shamil and his comrades have raided from other military detachments, let the mecha reach the speed of 100 km/h without much difficulty.

Weaknesses: The armour, despite Shamil's improvements, remains a weak spot. The metallic globe around the driver's seat only gives so much protection for the actual driver.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Eduard Bernstein

[otter]

Apppprooooooooooooooved squee

[Havelock Vetinari]

Right. I'm joining this.

 

I do have a few questions-what is the general tech level? Can we expect jet fighters?

[Krayzikk]

Alright Basilisk, here's the situation.

 

The year, overall, is 2034. Civilian tech is, in large part, comparable to the modern era, though certain areas have been advanced due to the adaptation of technology developed for war. Mechanical prosthetics are known to exist, and weapons technology is fairly advanced.

 

Jet fighters do exist, but they are complimented by a airships of varying sizes and types. Since the Hindenburg incident never occurred in game, more research was done into similar fields. The EA has the best air force, Britain the best navy, whilst the Qing have the best ground forces. Russia is more of a balance, a jack of all trades.

 

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask.

Edited March 20, 2013 by The Snark Knight

[Havelock Vetinari]

I hope you don't mean what I think you mean. If we have blimps or something floating around they aren't anything but a giant target.

[Krayzikk]

No, no. Not blimps. Just some air tech that isn't exactly present in our world. But no, I'm not insane enough to say we have blimps floating about.

[Havelock Vetinari]

That's a relief.

 

Ah well. From what you said, Russia is going to win this. I've played enough RTS's to know the balanced faction nearly always wins.

 

Course, I'm playing Russians, so my massive ego will give them a boost. I'll have the profiles up tonight.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Basilisk

[Van Hohenheim]

Britain the best navy

so I could, say, use an advanced boat?

[Havelock Vetinari]

Do I need to make a profile for a tank?

 

Just curious.

 

Because you all know what I think about mecha in warfare.

[Krayzikk]

Not for one character, no. There isn't a character around with the authority to use a single boat themselves, though Adders' guy might come close, what with being similar to James Bond, and all.

 

And any boats beyond what the current era have would have to be run by a staff member, even if they were for NPC usage.

 

EDIT: If you would, Basilisk, it would be helpful.

Edited March 20, 2013 by The Snark Knight

[Havelock Vetinari]

Right then.

 

I'm assuming we're well past modern tanks in the terms of design?

[Krayzikk]

Pretty much. There isn't a set parameter for tanks, so design what you will, and I'll take a look.

[Havelock Vetinari]

 

I'll be right back.

 

You have no idea what you've just done. No idea.

[25K Now!]

I keep on thinking of myself when ever I see Adders' posts.

[Van Hohenheim]

Not for one character, no. There isn't a character around with the authority to use a single boat themselves, though Adders' guy might come close, what with being similar to James Bond, and all.

by "boat" I mean, like a fishing boat, only obviously not used fishing often.

[Krayzikk]

That would depend on its capabilities, but it would need to be staff-approved.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

I keep on thinking of myself when ever I see Adders' posts.

...do I dare ask why?

[otter]

 

I'll be right back.

 

You have no idea what you've just done. No idea.

 

You forget, Basilisk, that I'm staff as well. And you know I'm going to be extra picky on you.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Ilyusha Blokfase

[Krayzikk]

Name: Jayne Powers

Age: 27


Gender: Male


Faction: European Alliance


Appearance:


Biography: Jayne was born in Germany, during the war with Britain. He lead a fairly normal childhood, despite the constant threat of war. From a young age, he was fascinated by the conflict that had been raging for years, particularly the newest weapons. As he neared adulthood, he payed particular attention to the state of the war, watching with keen interest.

At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the European Alliance’s military, taking the job of a common foot soldier. Though he had the requisite skill level to pilot a mech, the higher ups were leery of placing an inexperienced soldier in the cockpit. He quickly earned fame amongst his squadron for being one of the only soldiers to successfully take down one of the mecha, a fame that never expanded beyond that group. After a time, he earned the attention of his superiors, and he was transferred to the recently formed Anti-Armor Division. The AAD was notorious in the war, both for having the highest number of confirmed kills against enemy machines than any other non-mech division, and for having the lowest survival rate, bar none. Even after the war’s end, he has continued to serve, believing that the war had only paused, not ended.


Personality: Off the battlefield, Jayne is surprisingly cheerful, especially one who has described himself as “a professional soldier”. He’s reasonably friendly with most of the people in his unit, though he has never hidden his ambition to become a pilot. On the battlefield, that cheer is replaced by a sarcastic attitude, and a detachment that one of his previous comrades described as “disturbing”. He has few compunctions about pulling the trigger, if doing so is what is necessary.


Mech: No
Occupation: Soldier (Anti-Armor Division)


Equipment: As a member of the AAD, Jayne’s equipment is tailored to dealing with enemy armor. The first item of note is his armor. Slightly tougher than the average soldier’s, its most notable ability is to further reduce the visibility of the wearer on a mech’s display. It disguises the wearer’s heat signature, and is designed to be difficult for most other sensors to pick up by eliminating sound from its movements, and decreasing radar visibility. As such, already minute movements become even harder for pilots to react to.

But the most notable part of his arsenal is his rifle. Issued primarily to members of the AAD, it eschews standard weapon design in favor of a railgun. These weapons made their debut late in the war, the technology only made small enough for effective use in the past decade. It is a long rifle with a top-mounted scope, and a bottom-loaded magazine. Though not nearly as powerful as the larger counterparts used in other parts of the military, the rifle is capable of propelling larger projectiles at speeds and ranges unmatched by conventional weapons. Its full potential is rarely used, as the magnetic field created could theoretically warp the launching mechanism beyond use, but it is designed such that the power used for each shot can be adjusted in the field. It is capable of firing multiple types of ammunition, though armor piercing and explosive rounds are the most commonly used. The only downside to the weapon is the time it takes to reload: once a magazine has been ejected, it is far slower to swap magazines and bring the magnetic field up to firing level than it would be on a conventional rifle. To compensate for this, he carries a single pistol as a backup weapon/
Skills: Jayne is an expert shot, and surprisingly, a skilled pilot. His line of work has forced him to become quick on his feet, and make decisions faster than most.


Weaknesses: Despite all of his skills, Jayne remains a soldier on a battlefield filled with weapons straight out of an old science fiction novel. And even beyond that, he is a soldier with a dual weakness. Although meant to be effective against armored units, or perhaps because of it, he is vulnerable to both the average soldier and the very devices he is meant to hunt. His weapons are not suited to dealing with foot soldiers.

Personal PC of mine. Had it approved via PM/

[Havelock Vetinari]

You forget, Basilisk, that I'm staff as well. And you know I'm going to be extra picky on you.

 

Even modern tanks would do well against the impractical and expensive mecha. Even if the mecha were, by some miracle, combat effective. Numbers tell in the end.

 

'Sides, 2034. All the tech I add to tanks will be completely reasonable by that standard.

 

 

Yep. Reasonable.

[otter]

wait

 

by who

 

I approved that?

 

nowai

 

@Basilisk: I still don't trust you.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Ilyusha Blokfase

[Havelock Vetinari]

Good. You might survive the coming month then.

[otter]

You said that last month.

 

Also, remember

 

ain't nobody gonna win this RPG

 

it's moreso about who loses the least

[Havelock Vetinari]

Eh. So long as I drag you all down with me, I'm happy.

 

Warhammer 40k has taught me that.

[sunflower]

i plan on losing the most

 

So I can win at losing.

 

 

*smart plans will be smart*

[otter]

free Chechnya

[25K Now!]

 

I keep on thinking of myself when ever I see Adders' posts.

...do I dare ask why?

My former display names can explain, but for a simple answer, my name is actually Hubert.

 

Also, tanks.

 

I'm currently working on the assumption that the ones of this time are faster than the ones of our time, maybe bigger, have better guns and might have random spikes shoved on the front depending on how insane the inventors were.

 

No hover-tanks. Although tank boats are currently being researched.

[Krayzikk]

Hubert's basically the guy you should go to for the Qing. Otter has Brittania, and it's my job to keep an eye on the EA.

[25K Now!]

I also mess around with random other factions for great justice.

 

Because ya know, it's fun.

[otter]

Name: Ilja Brokvey

Age: 19Gender: MaleFaction: European AllianceAppearance: Slightly taller than average, at an even 6 feet tall, with messy, dirty-blonde coloured hair; blue eyes; lithe physique, with most musculature lying more in the realm of fine motor control than overall power.Biography: Ilja was born in the middle of the 'Great War,' with both his father and grandfather being fighters within it; soon enough, he had decided himself that he would continue the family tradition. His grandfather was later killed in the war, and his father was seriously injured, rendered paraplegic; and soon after joining, Ilja was ushered into his grandfather's old mech, due to their being a shortage of mech pilots at the time, and the EA thinking it would be easier to train somebody at the start to be a mech pilot, rather than pulling in previously-serving soldiers.Personality: Generally affable, though easily annoyed, and with a tendency towards vulgar speech; a staunch supporter of the Chechnian resistance.Mech: YesOccupation: Mech Operator, Musician, Political Activist

Equipment: Laptop, Classical Guitar, an AKS-74U Assault Carbine with four extra magazines, for a total of 150 rounds of ammunition, that he always takes with him into the field.Skills: Playing Guitar, Piloting Mechs, writing petitions for the EA to recognize the Chechen resistance, writing in general.Weaknesses: He's young, he's inexperienced, and he's rather quick to criticize the Tsars for their treatment of the Chechen peoples - leading to them not liking him very much.

 

 

Model: Behemoth-Type MechAppearance: Standing about fifteen feet high, Ilja's mech is a veritable tank on legs. Four legs, in fact, with a rotating upper body, with every last part of the mech covered in at least eight inches of steel armour - this mech is old, and it was made to take punishment and then return it tenfold. The right and left arms, where hands would be, have fully-powered weapon systems, the legs, when in leg form, appear to have hinged, movable armour protecting something upon them.Armaments: Ilja's mech has two main weapons.

 

The first is a dual barreled (over-under configuration) alternating fire machine gun, chambered for the .50 cal BMG cartridge. Each barrel is equivalent to an M2HB barrel, firing at 575 rpm. However, the alternating fire system leads to the firing of the bottom machine gun being offset from the first in such a way as to effectively double a single machine gun's firing rate, leading to the weapon system having an overall firing rate of 1,150 rounds per minute.

 

The second weapon is a rifled 120mm cannon, with a 15 foot long rifled barrel, with a maximum accurate range of three thousand, two hundred fifty yards, maximum lethal range of ~4,900 yards. It is fed by an internal ammo-loading system, allowing it to be fired once every 1.25 seconds, though fifteen shots within thirty seconds will require an additional cooldown time of at least 30 seconds prior to the next shot being fired.Capabilities: The mech's main enhanced capability is its leg-transforming feature. For any ground that is open enough, the mech can transform its four legs into four seperate tank tread assemblies, with the tread moving inside what was left of the leg and then back out again, protecting the inner workings of each tread; meanwhile, when in leg form, the treads are protected by hinged, drop down armour, that raises itself up upon transition to tread mode to add enhanced protection to the rotating trunk of the mech, aside from what metallic shields already hang there.Weaknesses: If one can land a couple well-placed shots, they can break away the armour protecting the mech's treads when it is in walking mode, or they can use powerful mines to blow them apart; the same can be said about the armour protecting the rotating trunk of the mech's torso, though this is even more protected; after that, it is slow in both walking mode and in tread mode, though in the latter it can attain a maximum speed of 80mph, this is still slow compared to most other mechs; they could easily outrun it in many situations.

[Krayzikk]

Sounds fine.