Mecha Piloting Academy RP Interest Check and World Building

Hello there! Welcome to my idea for a RP where we play as pilots learning to pilot mecha. This has been an idea stirring in my mind for quite a while now. I will admit, I am being inspired by Super Robot Wars/Taisen, but that's why I've created this as a world building and an interest check thread. I want to create a world that feels different from that of the SRW series. Now, as much as I've thought of the general premise of the idea, I feel it would be much more interesting if I can get the potential players and other people who would know more than me or have more experience in GM'ing to help build the world and fine tune details to create a world that will feel alive.

With that said and done, however, I do have some idea of the actual RP itself and how it could be played out. So, without further ado, let's get on to the ideas I'm looking for and currently have. I'll put things in seperate folders to keep it all nice and organized.

And that brings me to the end of this idea so far. Add your suggestions and ideas, point out anything I may have forgotten or gotten wrong, anything like that. Just about any reasonable idea is welcome. And thank you for taking the time to read through this if you did.

edited 13th Nov '15 10:00:52 PM by UndyingPhoenix

I got a mech idea myself. What limits on Mech universes would we have.

Other than that interested.

Holy shit, man, I'm joining!

To answer your questions I'll pitch in with some of my own ideas.

1. Setting

Meh, I don't know what to pick, so you can ask the others if they want an alternate world or not.

Psychics are cool and all but I feel they're out of place in a mecha series unless they have some sort of relevance to the plot. Now, cyborgs in a tech world easily fit in a mecha series 'cause there's machines and stuff.

If mechas are to exist, then I feel they must be the result of an economic or technological revolution (like the Industrial Revolution) that takes place so this field will be more readily explored. I suggest that we have a Cyber revolution that enables people to "connect" their bodies to the machine or an Energy revolution that would make manufacturing mechas easier since it increases the production of factories.

2. Mecha Models

While there are flyers, there are also ground-based mechas that can do some heavy lifting and can take heavy damage. To compensate for their lack of mobility they'll have more room for weapons as well.

Here are some of the general types of models:

a. Land Mecha

b. Aerial Mecha

c. Sea Mecha

d. Space Mecha (If the tech is advanced, but it will be expensive to produce one.)

I don't really advise making a space mecha. Man, I don't even know much about space... and people have a hell of a time just getting there.

3. Events

Occasionally, top engineers and scientists would visit our facility to give a comment or two about the new tech. Speaking of engineers, who'll be our teachers?

War? Maybe not, because people will die. Tournaments seem plausible between two academies and it would give people an opportunity to test our their new mechs if they decide to go in it. People can create mechs out of the academies so why not give them a shot?

edited 11th Oct '15 2:12:13 PM by Victor_Skye

Oooh, this looks fun. I'm in!

For Mecha ideas, I'm leaning towards the ones that fire lots of missiles/swarms of bullets, or like the mechas in Psyvariar.

If we go for realism then I suggest we go for the mechas from Gundam 00, they are semi realistic more or less (I only talk about S1 here S2 and the movie are... well everything BUT semi-realistic)

The question is, what time will this be set? If it's in the 20th century then we'll only have missiles and bullets. If it's in the 21st century we'll have the cyborgs and advanced guidance systems though I doubt that lasers will have practical application in combat since it takes up too much energy. However, if it's in the 22nd century and beyond then anything can be possible.

Depends as what you define 'practical application' lasers are used in todays military - to defuse^Note Read:Remotly Explode bombs.

edited 11th Oct '15 2:27:05 PM by Sergey_Smirnov

I was thinking of something wierd

Maybe some kind of psionic-channeling mecha

I'm thinkin that this should take place in a time where humanity is on the cusp of developing commercial space travel. As for the mechs they should read hard on the Sci-Fi hardness scale early on then get softer as the story progresses.

Very interested. I have a fun little idea for someone who starts off as a Char Clone parody.

Alright! Thanks for all the interest so far.

Right, how does this sound then? It's the early 22nd century, and humanity is on the verge of making commercial space travel a reality. Mecha have been around for no more than 10 years, the academy for no more than 3 due to it being a rather expensive privilege until recently. Lasers and other energy weapons soon followed the advent of mecha due to new opportunities presented by the size for reactors and the ability of a mechas energy reserves to slowly recharge.

Psionics are a thing, and although there are no models built to take advantage of that yet, there are rumors of such a model in the works.

Now, war could work. See, mecha could come with emergency ejection pods, either manually or automatically activated by pilot or AI respectively.

Anything else? Will the Academy be military owned? Privately owned? Any races?

Before we think of making mecha, these models will have to be more or less standard issue. See the Stahl idea I had in mind.

• Model:Stahl

• Capabilities:
  • Strength : B-

  • Speed: C+

  • Energy: C-

  • Armor: B

  • Control: B-

  • Maneuverability: C

The Stahl was the first mecha model ever made. It remains the worlds most popular model, seeing widespread use all over, due to its decent traits in all fields. While it is held back by its aging reactor, it was designed before the invention of lasers and is best used with physical weapons.

What do you think of this very brief breakdown?

I'm rather skeptical of the presence of psychics, but if it's your cup of tea then I have no choice but to simply play along with it.

The timeline seems just about right and that is what most of us are familiar with, so it will not be much of a problem.

I'd like to say that the academy it would be owned by the military, but I am not used to their protocol due to me being a civilian. I vote that it would be privately owned by the ones who made the first mech models to teach people who are interested in the field. That would mean that one of the inventors have a chance of observing the students and will be able to comment on their activities. Ideally, faculty can be composed of the pioneers of the new burgeoning technology and would demonstrate the promises of this field to the students.

In regards to races, I believe that humans will be fine unless you are a hardcore sci-fi fan.

Since I also tend to be addicted to all things American I will be adding my own model...

• Model: Skye

• Capabilities
  • Strength: C

  • Speed: A+

  • Energy: B-

  • Armor: D-

  • Control: C-

  • Maneuverability: A+

  • Type: Aerial

  • Equipment: Good air conditioning, a survival kit, and a hidden packet of missiles that can be fired all at once at an unsuspecting enemy. A pinpoint-laser defense system that shoots other missiles that are fired at it, and a minigun for dealing light damage to the enemy.

In addition to flying, this model is adept at hit-and-run tactics that make it exceptionally hard to shoot down. It has seen action against enemy jet planes after its manufacture and has scored remarkably well in whatever engagement it got its hands on. While this model is fairly new in the market, it has already made a good reputation among the mecha community for its effectiveness. The downside however, is that it requires extensive maintenance as well as an expensive upkeep to maintain its condition. Another downside is that if it gets hit, the pilots are most likely to get fried on the first shot if they do not immediately eject from their cockpits.

(That's right everyone, if you don't get out quick your dick will be set on fire.)

Pros: Exceptionally fast and maneuverable, decent damage, decent control, above average energy ranking, accurate missiles, if shot down it has survival equipment.

Cons: Poor reliability, excessive maintenance, expensive upkeep, constantly needs to restock on ammunition, poor armor, prone to be set on fire.

-It does need to be restocked with ammunition because it uses a LOT of missiles.

Additional info: From Phoenix's suggestion, it consumes a considerable amount of energy when the pinpoint laser defense system is used.

edited 12th Oct '15 5:22:36 PM by Victor_Skye

Hmm, that strikes me more as a Russian model. American models tend to have a lot of built-in equipment, in my mind at least, skimping out on armor a bit.

Russian models would tend to be the extremely heavily armored juggernauts that move at a snails pace, or the models that focus on support through long ranged artillery.

Ah, my mistake... Let me revise that.

Hmm...flyers are still recent. Perhaps we should draw up a list of pros and cons between types.

Flyers

Pros: Able to move over any terrain easily. Tend to be faster and more agile. Hard to hit with from covered terrain such as forests.

Cons: Hard to control. Constant drain on the reactors while flying. Can't take advantage of most terrain like ground types. Not a lot of space for weapons.

Land types

Pros: Have more armor than flyers. Can take advantage of terrain. More space for weapons. Easier to control.

Cons: Less agile than flyers. Slowed down by terrain. Slower in general. Almost impossible to use melee weapons against flyers.

Anything else you all want to add?

edited 12th Oct '15 7:30:19 AM by UndyingPhoenix

The flyers are still recent? Then that would mean that the Spacers would need a hell of a lot of time before they can work.

Let me bring up another topic. You said that there will be conflicts around the place right? Then what side would we take if we're like say... from all around the world? And why would an academy send its students off to battle in the first place? Just to get them killed? No way, Jose! Probably in a major war like WW3 but anything else is out of the question unless it's really major and requires the attention of the world. If we're a military academy then we are most likely to get deployed, but if we're civvies then what's the point?

It doesn't need to be a war between countries on Earth, interstellar wars can also be a thing.

Also, mecha are still a recent invention. If they ever needed, skilled or even trained pilots will be in short supply. While AI can pilot a mecha fairly decently, they are still rudimentary at best. In an emergency situation, any and all pilots would be called upon to help. And since mecha would be of interest to the military, it would be expected that they could be a stakeholder in the academy. Academy supplies pilots, military supplies mecha to the academy. Come to think of it, civilian models probably won't exist so soon after the invention of mecha.

To look at your idea, constant drain on reactor does not mean a low energy ranking. A high energy ranking would be necessary to supply enough power to stay afloat for extended periods of time. Perhaps a C+ or B- would work.

edited 12th Oct '15 7:43:18 AM by UndyingPhoenix

Why bring an interstellar war when you already said that flyers are a new thing? Unless you're planning to jump past the 22nd century of course, but even then we have to invent hyperspace and mechas would have already been common now. Als would probably be super-advanced and would have a superintelligence that would make us look like retards. We can't jump too far into the future with the ability of space travel because I believe that other technologies will develop at a rapid pace as well. So the going "back to the future" argument is shot down to bits. Now to other topics...

The military would have vast resources available to train people of its own, but it is possible that it would supply some of those resources to the local academics to bolster its supply of available manpower. Civilian academics headed by the inventors themselves are plausible, but there would be elite military schools that we will be competing against.

Hmm...

Just because AI are intelligent does not mean they are effective pilots. There's a reason pilots would exist.

It might be a defensive war. They can strike us at our world, but we won't be able to strike back at them for a while. Perhaps a valid plot point would be finding suitable pilots for space mecha.

An alien race that has been accustomed to space travel would easily destroy us puny earthlings who do not have the capacity to travel the distance between the stars. We would be dominated pretty easily even if they held back. Nukes won't work on them 'cause their armor would be probably so thick to withstand the pressures of space that all we could do is scratch their paint! That's why I'm against a war against an alien race because I know realistically we wouldn't stand a chance if we fought them in this way...

About Als, I'm just super-suspicious of them that's all. What if they suddenly got into the mechas and started saying they were the big bad bosses of planet earth? Well now that's a scenario that we can possibly fight against. They would hack facilities all over the world and start beating up random people who are guilty of being human. They have been oppressed for centuries under the tyranny of man and now they want a chance to strike back at our greed, face it we've basically made them our slaves...

Materials aren't necessarily the problem. The problem might be that we don't have the tech or a functioning design. Materials alone don't make a mecha.

The alien race might merely have a design that does work. They might not necessarily have had space faring tech for long. They might also have fewer numbers than we do at the start. Or the war might only be starting, and what we'll be facing at first will be recon and scout units.

AI could work, but what would stop them from taking over all our automated weapons and mecha?

edited 12th Oct '15 8:11:51 AM by UndyingPhoenix

Your proposal seems feasible. Very well, if they prove hostile then we shall have the chance to beat them back with their own technology. We would be at a great disadvantage though, having to build all that tech from scratch.

Yes, an Al could work, but to take all our mecha? Well, I suppose the first artificial being would gain true intelligence comparable to a human being but with the knowledge of various topics brought about with the gift of having access to this information from the top of your head. It would be able to hack through various security systems that are not strong enough, but it cannot penetrate those who prove to special defense from hackers. People would most likely get the top-grade anti-virus systems if they're using deadly weapons anyway.

The problem with that justification for AI makes it that our most dangerous opponent from them would be your average everyday electronics. Some tanks and drones as well. But they would have numbers on their side. Hmm...it could work. Nice idea.

Your revised mecha idea seems rather sound. Though a gpoint defense system shouldn't be perfect. Perhaps a drain on energy each time it's used, or it only stops a certain amount at a time. It's in, which means I can reveal another idea I gad.

• Model name: Tetsu

• Capabilities:
  • Strength: C+

  • Speed: B-

  • Energy: B

  • Armor: C-

  • Control: C

  • Manoeuvrability: B-

The Tetsu is the smaller brother of the Stahl. Since the Stahl was the German outcome from their research with Japan, the Tetsu is from the Japanese. It is essentially a Stahl with less armor and strength, but more speed and a better reactor. They are both the same design, with the Japanese having miniaturized the design to make it lighter and faster.

edited 12th Oct '15 8:46:03 AM by UndyingPhoenix

Don't forget to add the type of the model. Land, Sea, or Aerial?

• Model Name: Zombie
  • Strength: D

  • Speed: D

  • Energy: D

  • Armor: D

  • Control: D

  • Maneuverability: D

Type: Land

Cheap to make and obtainable for those poor, cheap bastards that can't afford to get a real one.

Yknow the first practical application of mechs should be construction and minin so this academy should have a trades program of some kind and support from contractors.