Welcome! This is my first crack at a group game, so please add in your two cents so that we can all have a good chance to have some fun.<br/><br/>M.E.C.H.S - Mobile Enhanced Colony Habitation Service (aka: It's a Mech Life - Mechanations – Colony Mechs – Of Meat and Mech)<br/><br/>INSPIRATIONS: Tech levels are Battlestar Galactica 2003. Mechs are basically Patlabor with a little Robotech. Alien behavior, how they attack and many of the sociological ideas are Starship Troopers. Cyber is earlier editions of Shadowrun. Colonizing aliens from 'Independence Day'.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> HISTORY/ CONCEPTS</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>After a war with an reptilian alien race, Humanity has been decimated. In the initial attack on Earth, nearly 30% of the world's population was wiped out. Over the next 40 years another nearly 40% was wiped out with only an increase of 10%. This has left approximately 25% of the original Human numbers left. With Earth so heavily damaged, there is a desperate need for new places to live and the population to increase. <br/><br/>There are still strong populations of Humans, but few places to live. (Like Starship Troopers) The alien's habit was to go after locations and not individuals and earth herself has been rendered nearly uninhabitable. They were after mineral wealth and water, so the rest of it was no loss to the enemy. Their favorite weapon was massive ballista from above orbit, letting the planet's gravity super-accelerate the objects. Sometimes they would also use asteroids, if they could wrangle them into position.<br/><br/>A lot of tech has been stolen from the aliens, including limited artificial gravity, terraforming and short-hop FTL. From the war, the Humans invented cold fusion, cyberware, artificial wombs and the Mecha that has so changed their lives.<br/><br/>The Human governing body (whatever that is) has cobbled together the best tech left and is using it to colonize some of the worlds the retreating aliens left behind. They were partial to water-heavy, resource rich worlds. Much of those precious resources are gone now, but there is enough left behind to begin terraforming. The teams will need to clear solid ground and have the starships bring in ice asteroids to really get things going.<br/><br/>There are currently three worlds on the docket, but this is only the second, just a few months behind the first. So neither really knows what to expect. The setting is very wild west, even with a policing presence.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> ALIENS</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) The Kresh<br/>) Reptilian in origin<br/>) Short-range telepathic hive mind. This ability has been channeled into all sorts of dangerous practices. The 'range' of the telepathy increases exponentially with the quantity of minds involved. They have also created some biological technology that increases range and power.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> SOCIOLOGICAL</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) Humanity has become a very emotionally disjointed society. Decades of a brutal war the likes of which they have never seen and the unfathomable losses did that.<br/>) With the Human population concentrated on survival, we learned incubation tech and there are few natural births anymore. In fact, it's become taboo and it takes away a healthy worker from the war and now recovery effort. Even nuclear families are nearly a thing of the past except in fringe groups.<br/>) It's standard practice for children to be raised communally by professionals. This came out of the many orphans in the war. <br/>) Prostitution is accepted and common in the Mech camps. It's a legitimate job class (needs name). Morale officer?<br/>) The natural born are considered odd. It's the start of yet another caste system.<br/>) The Mechs are stratified to the point of nearly being a caste society. <br/>) The miners hate the terraformers, because the latter get better toys, having a more complicated task.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> ENTERTAINMENT</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) Bloodsports have made a comeback. Gladiatorial combat, Urban Brawl, etc.<br/>) The participants are primarily criminals. 'White collar' crimes most often just work their sentences off in crappy jobs no one else wants. Often dangerous ones. Hard crimes go straight into the arenas.<br/>) There are few resources and even less space to keep criminals locked up in. That's how the Blood Sports came back into fashion.<br/>) A certain amount of old-world sports still exist, but in small numbers. Again, few resources and space. But the masses need entertainment.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> CITIZENSHIP</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) Is not automatic. During the war, front liners could get it pretty quick, a year or two. Paper pushers take 5-7 years.<br/>) One of the requirements is a genetic tax, where the applicant must submit eggs or sperm for the artificial wombs. This in an important step to keep the gene pool diverse. </div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> MEDICAL/SCIENCE</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) With artificial incubation, many of humanity's genetic weaknesses are being weeded out.<br/>) There is always a full medical staff and psychiatrist onboard the F-Plats. They work closely with the scientists and technicians.<br/>) If a pilot spends too much time jacked in, s/he starts to 'forget the meat', eventually killing them. They also suffer from a form of separation anxiety when not jacked in.<br/>) Pilots get wacky about their Mechs, as they really are an extension of her/his body. They are also possessive of their favorite techs. <br/>) Pilots have an intricate jack in their skull about 4 inches above the spinal column where they quite literally plug their gray matter into the Mechs.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> MECHS</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) There are various levels of Mechs. At their most basic are construction machines (ala Alien), controlled by hand levers and foot pedals. At their pinnacle, they are the very rare 'brain and brawn' units (ala McCaffery). The terraforming machines are strictly cybered, the miners are a mix.<br/>) The most successful of particularly the larger Mechs, are the ones that duplicate the human body closely in how they move. <br/>) Usually armored, but they still try to stick to the rough dimensions of the human body.<br/>) Pilot is in a self contained cylindrical pod that plugs into the Mech. It goes in the chest cavity, in the same place the heart and upper ribs would be.<br/>) Batteries are supplemented by solar panels and and energy conservation system akin how tendons store energy.<br/>) Heavy joints --hips, shoulders, torso etc-- are hydraulic and finer joints --wrists, ankles, hands, feet-- are electric servos.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> VISA CHASSIS</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/>) Stands for Variable Infantry Suit, Armored. (Basically, an Appleseed Landmate.)<br/>) Armored suits used by support personnel. <br/>) Range between 11 to 14 feet tall. Pilot's legs contained within the VISA's thighs and their arms are in an encased pair of servo arms. The larger mech arms mimic the movements precisely.<br/>) It's a rare VISA that is not capable of some means of flight.<br/>) This style of Mech is the predecessor to the large ones that are more common now.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> F-PLATS</div><div class="spoiler_body">) Stands for Fusion Platform. They are also the living and working spaces.<br/>) Generally stand 300-400 feet tall.<br/>) Hexapedal locomotion on 6 articulated legs very similar to a crab's. Only one leg moves at a time. This creates a very stable platform. It also creates an extremely slow platform.<br/>) Legs are equipped with limited anti-gravity, effectively lessening the F-Plat's enormous weight, making it safer.<br/>) The body is modeled after ocean oil rigs, encased in an air-tight, armored shell.<br/>) Much of the bulk of an F-Plat is the cold fusion generator, the heart of every team. This provides everyone with power and the Mechs can be recharged very quickly.<br/>) An F-Plat's designation is partially how many Mechs it can handle. Somewhere between 10 to 20. Anything larger gets to be too unwieldy, much to the miners' annoyance.<br/>) The individual Mech bays contain superstructure and skin that contains the entire Mech. The floor drops on cables to the ground and the Mech steps onto the platform to be hoisted into the bay where the floor seals airtight. The bays can be pressurized to atmosphere for repairs and maintenance. If not needed, an umbilical attaches to the chest for the pilot to load and unload.<br/>) There is a large load/repair bay. It's located beneath the massive crane for ease of use.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> THE PLANET RECLAMATION TEAMS</div><div class="spoiler_body">) Not military, but intimately intertwined. The Mechs are built by, the pilots are paid by, and much of the support personnel comes from the military; current or ex.<br/>) Miners and exploratory teams are first, to check for immediate dangers. Over time, the Miners do a rough cleanup and collect any mineral wealth left behind. Generally large groups for cost efficiency.<br/>) Terraformers come in next, often overlapping with the Miners, which is never good. They finesse the landscape and install the terraforming machines groundside while their orbiting compatriots do the same in orbit. Generally 8-10 Mechs and their support personnel. </div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> TERRAFORMING</div><div class="spoiler_body">) An old-school, laborious process that takes years to come to full fruition. The alien generators assist in holding down atmosphere and water vapor. In time, the generators start backing off until the atmosphere is sustaining itself. Then the entire system can be picked up and moved on to another planet. (5-10 years?)<br/>) The hardest task is getting ice to a liquid and then some of it to a gas to help warm the atmosphere.<br/>) An offshoot of artificial gravity.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> PLANET 2 (Which I suppose needs a name)</div><div class="spoiler_body">) Thin atmosphere, 1.46 times gravity, 1.25 times the size of Earth. Ancient volcanic, loose shale, jagged mountains, negligible and inaccessible water. The natural surface is even more torn up from alien mining.<br/>) Native life has always been thin, and it has been pushed back to the deepest and most inaccessible canyons.<br/>) Small, extremely dense core with a less active mantle than Earth. The crust is thicker which results in less active volcanism. </div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> GAME RULES (should we need it!)</div><div class="spoiler_body">) Percentile system<br/>) Ratings: 0- Abysmal. 1- Poor. 2- Average. 3- Good. 4- Exceptional. 5- Superb.<br/>) Difficulty: Average is 60%<br/>) Degree of success: 1- Marginal. 2- Moderate. 3- Complete. 4- Exceptional. 5- Phenomenal. <br/>) Rule of one?</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> GLOSSARY</div><div class="spoiler_body">BBT/ bargain basement tech: the lowest grade of cyber<br/>Brainship: The rare 'brain and brawn' spaceships. Controlled by a human brain that lost her/his body catastrophically. Always has a whole human companion. Very close units. <br/>Chrome: derogatory for 'fancy' cyber<br/>Chrome narcs/chrome pigs- the police<br/>Crab legs: The hexaped locomotion of the F-Plats. ("I'm craving crab legs! Let's head home, team.")<br/>DETAIL:  (Don't Even Think About It Loser) The neural interface with the mechs. Can be a cap or an implant.<br/>Evil bone: ? Maybe something about the program that assists the human-machine interface?<br/>F-Plat: The hexaped central Mech that is the powerplant and living spaces for a team. Short from Fusion Plant. An on-sea oil rig with legs, encased in a shell. (other nicks?)<br/>Grump: a pilot who has tipped over the edge into starting to forget the meat.<br/>Heavy Techs: Do the macro work on the Mechs<br/>Icepick: The sensor probe that jacks into a Mech pilot's head.<br/>Iceteroids: self explanatory<br/>Knuckledragger: derogatory term for miners. Usually from the terraformers.<br/>Lab Coats: Do fine work on the Mechs.<br/>Meat: the human body<br/>MECHS: Iron jacks- Steel gods- Carbon king/queen- Iron giant<br/>Shiny: a mocking term for someone who is fancy and snooty. Also a Mech that has been fancied up overly much.<br/>Steel vet: a vet who came by his implants in the war<br/>Tefs: Terraformers.<br/>Wet tech: requires cyberware to be interfaced with<br/>Wet wires: cyberware<br/>Wode: a berserker drug that pilots are particularly susceptible to. ("Wode" might just be a generic street level drug--pure versions are colored, and have specific effects? Blue is berserker, green is like absynthe, yellow is akin to fucking Scarecrow toxin)</div></div><br/><div align="center">MECH TEAM </div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> F-PLAT  W2-TU1  (World 2- Terraforming Unit 1)</div><div class="spoiler_body">Capable of containing 12 mechs. Currently 9 active, 2 backup and 1 heavy copter. <br/><br/>STAFF<br/>XO:<br/>2IC:<br/>3IC:<br/>Command staff: <br/>Medical:<br/>Technicians:<br/>Mechanics:<br/>Housekeeping: (cook-clean-etc.)<br/>Morale Officers: (one of each binary sex.)</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Scouts (3) All with aerial capacity. Lighter armor, fast and agile. The eyes and ears of the team.</div><div class="spoiler_body">VISAs and pilots in environmental suits also assist the Heavies with fine coordination during terraforming setup.<br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Reciever_zpse22a8c96.jpg)</div>Receiver: Heavy helicopter. Crab legs replace wheels and are capable of moderate locomotion.<br/>Crew: 3 (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer) or 1 rigger.<br/>Length: 55'<br/>Rotor and leg diameter: 40'<br/>Height: 11'<br/>Empty weight: 6.5 tons<br/>Loaded weight: 7 tons<br/>Cargo capacity: 5 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 4 to 6 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: Uniformly sized pods that can be airdropped. Crab legs capable of locomotions and landings in surprisingly tight quarters. <br/>Moderately armed. Medium-heavy armor. Heavy bodied.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Slotback_zps8fe5e226.jpg)</div>Slotback: Medium helicopter. [Apache?]<br/>Crew: 3 (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer) or 1 rigger.<br/>Length: 40'<br/>Rotor diameter: 30'<br/>Height: 10'<br/>Empty weight: 4 tons<br/>Loaded weight: 4.5 tons<br/>Cargo capacity: 1 ton<br/>Battery capacity: 5 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: <br/>Very heavily armed. Extremely fast and surprisingly agile. Medium-light armor. Slim bodied.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Tightend_zps79028170.jpg)</div>Tight end: (landmate) VISA chassis. (Variable Infantry Suit, Armored) Second-hand military issue. <br/>Height: 11'<br/>Empty weight: 2 tons<br/>Loaded weight: 2.25 tons<br/>Cargo capacity: .5 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 3 to 5 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: Solid rocket boosters in thigh(2) and calf(2) and backpack(1).<br/>Variable armament. Light armor. Fold-away rotor propulsion. </div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Bangers (5) Medium armor, well-armed. 40 feet tall (all 'Labors')</div><div class="spoiler_body">Primarily unit defense. 2 are military, to guard the investment of the machines.<br/>Standard equipment: Armed with a minimum of a hand canon. (Looks like a pistol)<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Quarterback_zps5262241b.jpg)</div>Quarterback: TEAM LEADER [Staff Sergeant]. (Helldiver) Military rep.<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 6 tons<br/>Standard loaded weight:  7 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  1 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: Armed with machine gun and combat knife. Rocket pack on back with 40 smart missiles with vertical launch capacity.<br/>Emergency solid rocket thrusters in lower legs can make two short burst leaps of about 50 feet. <br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Halfback_zps23404740.jpg)</div>Halfback: Same configuration as Quarterback. [Sergeant]<br/>Military rep<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 6 tons<br/>Standard loaded weight:  7 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  1 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment:<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Fullback_zps0953a939.jpg)</div>Fullback: (gray Ingram)<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 6 tons<br/>Standard loaded weight:  7 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  1 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment:<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Nickelback_zps8d602d34.jpg)</div>Nickelback: (orange Ingram)<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 6 tons<br/>Standard loaded weight:  7 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  1 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment:<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Safety_zps49375087.jpg)</div>Safety: (Brocken) Only 30' tall, with fold away rotor unit. Light armor, lightly armed. Closer in configuration to the Scouts.<br/>HT: 30'<br/>Base WT: 4.5 tons<br/>Max WT: 5 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 8 to 10 hours. 4 in rotor mode<br/>Specialty equipment:</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Heavies/Linebackers (4) Huge and slow</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Guard_zps405f9ded.jpg)</div>Guard: (squarish green Labor)<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 9 tons<br/>Loaded weight:  10 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  4 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: Digging equipment. Laser tracker. Flame thrower with liquid propellant tanks on back. Armed with little more than a massive canon that swings up from the back to fire over a shoulder. Or missile racks.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Tackle_zpsb4b2a727.jpg)</div>Tackle: (SWAT Ingram) Heavy armor.<br/>Height: 40'<br/>Empty weight: 6 tons<br/>Loaded weight:  8 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  3 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 6 to 8 hours<br/>Specialty equipment:<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/NoseTackle_zpsb924005a.jpg)</div>Nose tackle/center: (blue with shoulder canon)<br/>Height: 60'<br/>Empty weight: 12 tons<br/>Loaded weight:  16 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  6 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 10 to 14 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: 60 foot portable bridge, folded in half on back. Both wrists fitted with a foldaway digging bucket to salvage the hands from wear and tear.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu35/greytrail/Elliquiy%20avatars/Mechs/Cornerback_zps671354a6.jpg)</div>Cornerback: (b/w)<br/>Height: 50'<br/>Empty weight: 10 tons<br/>Loaded weight:  13 tons<br/>Cargo capacity:  4 tons<br/>Battery capacity: 8 to 11 hours<br/>Specialty equipment: Shoulder missile racks. 4' plasma canon.</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Standard Mech equipment</div><div class="spoiler_body">Canisters of expanding foam that becomes hard as concrete. In time, it dissolves away.<br/>Fire suppression foam.</div></div>Initial Interest Thread: http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=173271.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=173271.0)<br/>Onboard F-Plat W2-TU1: http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=174871.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=174871.0)<br/>Field Duty:<br/><br/>Baalborn87-<strong>Guard</strong>