Taking away mech customization unless the character is a leader of a faction is a pretty bad move IMO, especially considering roleplays rarely last long enough for any kind of reasonable progression to happen. Not to mention the genre allows for plenty of people with customized machines without necessarily being leaders of a faction.

Zero Hex said
Taking away mech customization unless the character is a leader of a faction is a pretty bad move IMO, especially considering roleplays rarely last long enough for any kind of reasonable progression to happen. Not to mention the genre allows for plenty of people with customized machines without necessarily being leaders of a faction.

Considering you can bio as a starting faction leader, this is a non-issue. I just don't want people's less important characters running around in super custom machines.

I'm really not sure why you opted to post this, unless you are also expressing interest in joining - in which, rather then commentary, post a question.

Can I not be in a faction, like as an independent agent?

zeke_ said
Can I not be in a faction, like as an independent agent?

Yes, this is allowed. But factions are a part of the AE/UN and are just groups of Kensai under specific leadership.

If you want faction leader equivalent of customization, I expect a very strong rationalization for it in your bio, but it would be permissible.

Zero Hex said
Taking away mech customization unless the character is a leader of a faction is a pretty bad move IMO, especially considering roleplays rarely last long enough for any kind of reasonable progression to happen. Not to mention the genre allows for plenty of people with customized machines without necessarily being leaders of a faction.

You're also misunderstanding.

Look at some of the existing bios. You're allowed to have mechs that are customized versions of existing mechs, you just don't get to have an entire chassis from scratch for your character. And given that there are already 5 frames that range the spectrum from super light to super heavy, you can make an "Ace Custom" of any of those, modify the frame a bit, change the loadout, and bam, you've got what you want.

zeke_ said
Can I not be in a faction, like as an independent agent?

If you want to be independent, there are the Ravens. No official organization. As long as you have a Kensai that you provided for yourself and wasn't given to you by a Lord, you're a completely free agent who goes wherever you choose.

Wait, so I can't be a pirate with a bitchin' giant pimp-submarine who answers to no man?

This is very much influenced by anime of which mecha is a considerably sized genre.
Panache and style is a pretty big thing considering the toy and model kit selling aspects that make the money for them.

So could we have distinctive custom machines so long as they aren't hax?

Can we be the pirate gang known as The Steely Dans on the yellow air-subship named Excelsior, that peacefully floats in the watey core of the great void. With customized mechs that have clear thematics in terms of looks and abiltiies?

I meant, not affiliated with AE/UN, or any of thier associates

Parser said
Wait, so I can't be a pirate with a bitchin' giant pimp-submarine who answers to no man?

Already done sir, but feel free to do it again. I've made a Raven Lord (pirate) in a bitchin' giant pimp-submarine (Kensai dressed up as a mecha peacock) who answers to no man.

zeke_ said
I meant, not affiliated with AE/UN, or any of thier associates

The Ravens are not associated with AE or UN. The Ravens are the collective term for a group of people who do whatever the shit they want based in what is basically mecha Tortuga. As long as you don't make a vassal Raven (one who works for a strong Raven with a power base), a Raven is a free agent.

Ravens are a crap name though.

Should be a better name for all the independents.
That is more indicative of them being scattered and independent.

When's the last time you saw an unkindness of ravens?

They're also not terribly scattered, what with having the mecha Tortuga on Shard 31.

And, sure, you can make a pirate who calls himself something else because he thinks Raven is a stupid name. But you don't get to change the setting. They've been named ravens because they started as scavengers. They could have been named worse, like Vultures.

The 42nd Gecko said
And given that there are already 5 frames that range the spectrum from super light to super heavy, you can make an "Ace Custom" of any of those, modify the frame a bit, change the loadout, and bam, you've got what you want.

There are only three frames and they're all light armor, I'm afraid.

Just use some creativity?

Parser said
There are only three frames and they're all light armor, I'm afraid.

I posted two more common frames, which were accepted. They just haven't been added yet to the list. Heavy armor for your consideration.

That's right folks, you can post frames which everyone has access too, and then make your own custom variants off those frames!

As follows, these are freely available UN (or stolen Raven variant) frames!

Kensai Name: KWK-01 Jaeger

Kensai Weapons:
-KWK Heavy Autocannon or KWK Medium Cannon with EDB Bayonet attachment.
-KWK Heavy Shield
-KWK Chaos Interceptor

The Jaeger's right arm is a gun from the elbow forward, and it is a much more bulky, reinforced, and limited in motion arm than most Kensai arms. As such, it is capable of carrying a heavy payload.

The Heavy Autocannon is generally considered more useful, being a Kensai sized LMG with similar uses in battle, capable of dealing heavy damage to targets without cover or suppressing fire on targets in cover. It shares an LMG's heating problems, but due to the Jaeger's lackluster melee, it surpasses the Medium Cannon with EDB Bayonet attachment due to the general uselessness of the Bayonet on an arm with such limited motion. The Medium Cannon fires a powerful single shot, and has better reload time than similar weapons on a Shisso, but the EDB Bayonet is generally ignored, and as such, it doesn't take as good advantages of the Jaeger's strengths.

The Left Arm is similarly bulky, reinforced and limited in motion, but is full length and carries a heavy shield capable of repelling most Kensai fire, for a short while. The armor is highly ablative and comes apart under sustained fire, but is capable of withstanding a lot of punishment before it does.

The Chaos Intercepter is generally regarded as the only successful innovation of the KWK when they created the Jaeger, as they recognized the slow mech's vulnerability to Chaos Bombs and gave it an intercepter missile with a roughly 70% success rate. While the Arlanians rarely field Chaos Bombs, the KWK Chaos Interceptor and its later upgrades is generally the one good thing that came out of the Jaeger design. It is mounted in the left shoulder.

Kensai Armor: The Jaeger is a beast when it comes to armor. The Jaeger was designed with the somewhat stupid idea of exhausting Wächter pilots use of the Könighan by designing a mech that would take multiple shots to disable, even with such a powerful weapon. The idea was then that the Shisso could hide behind an advance of Jaegers that soaked up the enemy Könighan fire, then mop up the exhausted Wächter pilots, no longer able to use their strongest weapon.

True to that ideal, the Jaeger is the most resilient Generation One mass production design, capable of withstanding a solitary Könighan shot to any given part of its shield or frontal armor without sustaining critical damage. However, a second shot to the same location can destroy the Jaeger, and the rear armor and propulsion systems, while lacking the extreme vulnerability of other Generation One and Two mass production Kensai, is vulnerable to heavy weapons such as the Könighan. However, barring concentrated fire to a singular location, the Jaeger is fabulously resilient to ranged fire. Its armor and shield are vulnerable to EDBs, having being designed before countermeasures were developed for such technology.

Kensai Engines: Generation One was not the time for such an heavily armored Kensai, as the large but basic single CRS is barely capable of keeping the Jaeger afloat and can't do it for long. While the Jaeger can reach a not embarrassing top speed, its acceleration, agility, and endurance are all severely deficient. The Jaeger's endurance means it can only be used for short hops between relatively close shards, or must be towed by external engines for part of the flight. Its aerial maneuverability renders it incapable of maintaining cohesion with combined forces, and it can easily be flanked.

Kensai Appearance: At 43 feet in height, the Jaeger is tall, but even more than that, it has a bulky, wide build designed to shield Kensai behind it. It is designed to catch fire, not dodge it. This interferes with its aerodynamics. The legs are reinforced unlike many designs, as the Jaeger is actually vaguely competent at ground operations compared to its aerial failures. The head is modular, so that each faction can have their customized variant. It has a deep blue and white paint scheme, while otherwise sharing the shoulder marks of other UN designs.

Kensai History: The Jaeger design was a rushed model to try and prevent RinCo from having a corner on the market and offer an alternative. Designed to assault ground positions and defend them, this was designed early during the war when some UN officials still believed that the war would be quick once the might of the UN was mobilized and that the Arlanians would quickly be forced to attempt to endure seige warfare, defending their cities from entrenched positions. The Jaeger was fairly competent for this role, and during its first few engagements was actually effective at soaking up fire, leading charges, and scattering Arlanian positions, as the Arlanians were used to fighting lightly armored Shissos. However, the Jaegers immense tactical and strategic limitations were quickly recognized and taking advantage of, and as the battle became one of air superiority, the Jaeger design was delivered crushing defeats. It is now generally relegated to guard details on the ground or very rarely, assaults on entrenched ground emplacements.

Kensai Other: A Generation One model by KWK (as they repeatedly hammered home with their naming scheme)

---

Kensai Name: KWK-04 Jaeger MK II

Kensai Weapons:
-KWK Modular Weapons Loadout
-2 Wristblade EDB
-2 KWK Chaos Interceptor MK III

By the time the Jaeger MK II came out, KWK had plenty of time to come to grips with the fact that they weren't on RinCo's par in most fields. If you can't beat em, join em and copy em with incremental improvements. The KWK Modular Weapons Loadout is a fancy way of saying that the Jaeger MK II has hands and a shoulder mounted carrying case designed to accept main handheld weapons from generally any Kensai Producer. The Shoulder Mounted carrying case can also be used to carry a variety of missile or interceptor systems. Sure, KWK would love to also sell you a EDB Bayonet-less slimmed down version of their Medium Cannon or perhaps their interceptor systems, but they recognize they aren't top dog. Of important note, though, is that using a weapon like the Scharfschütze's Rifle that requires a dedicated CRS will lower the Jaeger MK II's performance and endurance.

The Jaeger MK II mounts two EDB wristblades, whose poor performance show that KWK still has trouble keeping their loadouts in the range of their engines to supply. With limited cuts, and cutting out entirely if the secondary CRS is taken out, these are more of defensive than offensive weapons.

The Jaeger MK II mounts a KWK Chaos Interceptor MK III in each shoulder. A lighter, smaller, and generally more effective design than the original, the MK III has a 80% interception chance and can be set to defend Chaos Bombs headed towards allied targets, albeit, with a reduced chance of successful intercept. Additionally, they can be set to intercept other types of missiles and rockets. All in all, Interceptor Systems remains KWK's best card.

Kensai Armor: The Jaeger MK II maintains the design principle that it shouldn't be able to be defeated in a single Könighand shot. The Jaeger MK II is heavily armored, but not as much as the MK I, and a Könighand is quite capable of dealing heavy damage in a single shot. However, the almost spherical armor around the chest prevents the primary CRS and cockpit from being taken out in one shot, regardless of the angle of attack. The Jaeger MK II, while not a tank of the Kensai battlefield like the original Jaeger, is still resilient enough that it takes a concerted or sustained effort to defeat.

Kensai Engines: The Jaeger MK II copies the Scharfschütze's dual CRS system, but without RinCo's finesse. Even with the larger, more expensive crystals, the Jaeger MK II's performance is slightly worse than a Shisso. However, it's only slightly worse than a Shisso, as opposed to the lame duck original Jaeger's complete lack of use in the air. It can keep up with Shissos in formation, and cycles the Primary and Secondary CRSs to maintain for long periods of activity, though not indefinite.

Kensai Appearance: At 40 feet in height, the Jaeger MK II is slightly shorter than the original design, but more importantly, it is very much less bulky and somewhat less armored. It's fairly aerodynamic, with the spherical-like designs around the cockpit and Primary CRS as well as the Modular Weapons Loadout being the primary sources of drag. The head is modular, so that each faction can have their customized variant. The Paint Scheme comes with a custom job as the MK II's primary job demands, while otherwise sharing the shoulder marks of other UN designs.

Kensai History: The Jaeger MK II design came out relatively late in Generation Two, and is enjoying tentative success as a command Kensai for small squads of Shisso. A Jaeger MK II adds considerable punch and durability to a squadron of somewhat outdated Shisso, as well as having a very low pilot death rate, useful for veteran pilots. Additionally, such experienced pilots seemed to enjoy the versatility of its main loadout, with the primary complaint being the underpowered EDB Wristblades, which are often removed and replaced with a single traditional EDB.

Kensai Other: A Generation Two model by KWK.

That seems needlessly complicated.

Feels like I'm mucking around with Mekton Zeta +'s busted and clunky 80's game design mech making rulset.

Minus the hilarity you can do with said ruleset if you know what you're doing.

Then make a backstory that makes sense for you to have your own completely custom frame... He never put a complete "no, you can't have it". He only said you need to have a good reason. Write up your genius billionaire playboy philanthropist mech pilot. The thread owner has one for goodness sake.

Maybe its the wrong moment but is anyone planning to be part of the AE?
I don't really want to be alone but i guess I gotta if no one will join it. Also, do kensai switch weapons from blade to firearm? Or do they have one in one hand and the other in the other hand?

Xzayler said
Maybe its the wrong moment but is anyone planning to be part of the AE?I don't really want to be alone but i guess I gotta if no one will join it. Also, do kensai switch weapons from blade to firearm? Or do they have one in one hand and the other in the other hand?

Don't worry, if you join a place and need a character to roleplay with, me and Innue will jump right in*. As for your second question, that depends entirely on how you decide to load out your mech. Some mechs use wristblades and are carrying a gun in the same hand as their blade is mounted on. Some use swords and alternate between gun and blade. Some mount their guns on the shoulders and use swords all the time. Gear yourself up whichever way you want.

*Both of us tend to make characters that can show up in any location. Viveca, for example, can show in the AE and provide someone to talk to, despite preying upon the AE sometimes, because his identity is not known.

Essentially what Gecko said.

I'm pretty flexible if people have a rational basis for things. I also have characters spanning a wide range. I do control the Queen so I can easily interact there.