GEARs is a sci-fi roleplaying game with anthropomorphic (or furry) player characters piloting transformable combat mecha.
It is inspired by the 'real robot' genre of anime, specifically Macross but also Gundam, Patlabor, Eureka 7 and numerous other anime are inspirations, as are other works of science fiction. The game features a detailed and rich world and setting, where the nations of the planet of Arvara stand on the precipice of war as they clash over ideologies, revelations, and secrets rippling through their society. And underneath it all is the question of where their species came from, what happened to their creators, and what is behind all of the mysterious occurrences, violent incidents, and strange phenomena happening across the world of Arvara. Strange and shadowy forces are massing across the surface of the planet, utilising their own customised and unusual GEARs - the titular combat mecha - and staging violent and brutal attacks around the planet. Called to arms and assembled into new Special Operations Combat Teams and equipped with the latest Variable GEARs and equipment, the Black Knights are thrust into the heart of the action, tasked with discovering who and what is behind this, and putting a stop to this war before it threatens to engulf all of Arvara in its' flames.
Their journey will long, fraught with dangers, and each turn on the path will be full of discoveries and revelations. They will fight arduous, grueling, costly, and deadly battles against terrifying foes, and be hailed as heroes - and the things they discover will change Arvara, and perhaps even more.
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This is a reboot, retool, and remake of my original GEARs universe. In a lot of ways it is even closer to what I originally imagined the idea to be.
In it, the player characters take on the role of pilots in a new Special Forces GEAR unit named the Black Knights piloting the first units of transformable GEARs. The game will be about the characters fighting in this unit, part of the Defence Forces of the Union of Tallorian Free States - the UTFS - which are under the threat of war from the aggressive and dystopian Valdereich Empire, as well as the rise of a disruptive and dangerous terrorist organization, and a nebulous and mysterious unknown threat that seems to be rising across the world from the unknown and locked away Western continent of Arvara.
-Do not bring outside arguments or disagreements into the game. This is a place for fun, relaxation, and good times.
-Be nice to each other; treat one another with kindness. We are all friends, here to have a good time and enjoy ourselves.
-Play in the spirit of the game. Just because you may well have knowledge that means something doesn’t work in the ‘real world’, or could be easily dealt with by some piece of knowledge you have, that isn’t the spirit or feel of the game. Go with what’s written and explained, not with anything else.
-If it isn’t in the background or I don't know about it, it doesn’t exist.
-Your character can be as much of a jerk or asshole as you like, but don’t be surprised when they start getting treated like a jerk or an asshole in-character by everyone else - including the NPC’s.
-Player characters must be V-GEAR pilots in the 4th SOCT Squadron ‘Black Knights’. You may not play an enemy, or a character that isn’t a V-GEAR pilot. Their background must also be as part of the UTFS as a result.
-I understand everyone has other hobbies or obligations such as work, school, family, etc but if you are going to be away for any length of time, some notification would be appreciated.
-Minimum post rate is once per week, and I will be making GM updates once per week, regardless of who has posted or not.
-If you do not post for more than two weeks running without any communication on the OOC or to myself, I will consider you to have left the game - though, if you message me and explain, I’ll write you back in.
-THERE IS NO POSTING ORDER, just don’t spam the thread(s)
-It is not my job to chase you around for posts. If you are interested enough to want to play in the first place, you are interested enough to keep coming back to check the thread. If you’re ‘too lazy’ or ‘can’t be bothered’ to keep checking or coming back, I can’t be bothered to spend my time chasing you.
-This is a sci-fi game. There are no magical creatures, no magic powers, and no supernatural or paranormal powers of any kind.
-Please read the background documents before posting your character. They contain information on the Arvarans and the world they inhabit.
-The game is for an adult audience, so I have no problem with swearing if not used to excess, and the same with adult situations and the discussion or suggestions of sexuality, but there's no need (or desire) for explicit content. Likewise, dark themes and gory moments might also be encountered though again, not to excess.
As mentioned, the players are part of the Black Knights, one of five operational Special Operations Combat Teams, units of the UTFS Defence Command (DefCom) formed to use the new V-GEAR in combat. As the units and their mecha are relatively new, their tactics and equipment are still developing; this is not to say that they aren't operational already, but more that new things are being learned all the time. As such, there aren't specialised roles in the squadron to begin with, but these can emerge over time as we play, and the technology of the mecha we use develops, and so do our characters. Equally, while the mecha themselves are not individually customised or specialised (to begin with at least), there is no reason why your character cannot still have their own unique set of skills, knowledge, talents or even parts of their background that are of use to the squadron as a whole (being a medic, a hacker, knowledge of other cultures or nations, understanding life on the streets or crime, etc)
There are three models; the S- model will be piloted by my character, who will be acting as the commander of the unit. Other players may choose from the two-seat D- model, and may have an NPC co-pilot, or team up with another player, or the single-seat A- model. Full information on the VG-0 is provided in the link above.
Information on the hi-tech submarine used as a base and mothership for the SOCT units is also available.
Please delete all text in Italics when filling in the sheet. When your sheet is completed, please post it in the OOC for approval, and then post it in the characters tab.
Name:Name of Character
Callsign/Nickname:Your character may have one, or may start without one and earn it during the game. Note that if you call yourself something grandiose like ‘Deathbringer’ or some such waffle, you probably won’t get called it with any seriousness. Short, descriptive nicknames are far more authentic-sounding.
Age:Minimum 21 years old
Species:Any mammalian or Marsupial species are acceptable; no mythological creatures.
Appearance:Text descriptions or images are fine, as are combinations of both. Info about their clothing and style of dress is also good too.
Bio:A short description of their personality traits, hobbies, outlook on life, etc.
Service Record:A short description of their military service, and what lead them to ending up in the SOCT unit. Try not to make them too over-the-top
V-GEAR assignment:VG-0 model; A or D variant; S- variants are reserved for commanders.
V-GEAR Distinguishing features:Custom paint jobs, kill decals, etc. Can also include any customisations of a similar sort to your characters’ flight helmet.
Personal Theme:A song or piece of music you associate with your character.
All characters will receive a rank once I have approved them.
Once we have got started and things start happening, I will also include a recap of the story so far as part of this post.
This is a provisional draft. I just wanted to get something up here. I shall flesh it out more later on. I do need to read more of the background information you have linked. So I apologised if what I have written is very rudimentary.
Have to go to bed now. Let me know how this is.
Name: Linden Vihix
Callsign/Nickname: Lindsey, Lind, Lindy, Vix
Age: 26
Species: Chipmunk
Appearance: Light blue furred rodent of medium height and build. Roughly 5’5. Has a mohawk hairstyle and wears a pair of red aviator goggles which is perpetually sat on his forehead rather than being used for practical purposes. Commonly wears a black business shirt, a red tie and average trousers/jeans. Wears fingerless gloves.
Bio: Linden is nonchalant and jovial for the most part, but overestimates his abilities and find himself being passively aggressive or sarcastic if he finds himself pulling the shorter straw or on the losing side of the battle. He’ll be sure to get even or revenge if anyone bullies him or plays him for a fool. His heart is in the right place however and even though he has a habit saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, those that get to know him properly will know to take him with a pinch of salt.
Service Record: Being the runt of his family, Linden has often wanted to prove to his family that he doesn’t need brawns or height to get by. At the time, his family having non-military backgrounds would laugh at him for his pipe dreams. Dismissing him as too weak and uneducated. Having left home one day however after a divisive family feud, he finally turned his back on them to join the military, and contact was never made again for another 6 years. Linden decided to return home one day after multiple attempts to make contact with them failed. Upon arriving to his former home he was born and raised in, he was horrified to find it had been completely deserted with no sign or sound of any of family. Although he is still committed to the military and regards them as his true family, he is still determined to find out what exactly happened to his biological one and hopes that one day he will uncover the truth. Perhaps the sinister happenings and rising contentions of warfare today in Arvara have something to do with their disappearance.
V-GEAR assignment: VG-0 model
V-GEAR Distinguishing features: Appearance is largely multitudes of blue with red tinted windows. Colours much akin to Linden’s outlook.
Personal Theme: Pendulum Propane Nightmares (celldweller remix)
Appearance: Bio: Ryan is a quite and hard working individual. He takes being a soldier very seriously and prides himself on maintaining his best at all times. Two years married Ryan is a devoted husband to his wifeAmber. Every leave he gets he goes to see her and their daughter Isabella. In his free time Ryan has many hobbies including reading,writing letters home, weight lifting, watching news and a number of other things. When on duty Ryan shows his experience and training. He is often the one people come to for advice and to vent about military life.
Service Record: Enlisting on the day of his 18th birthday Ryan went right out of High school. Ryan was stationed with the 23rd Infantry division, after three years of active duty with the 23rd Ryan qualified for testing to be in this new unit. After a rigorous number of tests Ryan would be assigned to the Black Knights where he would spend the remainder of his deployment up until this point.
V-GEAR assignment: VG-0 model; A
V-GEAR Distinguishing features: Ryan's V gear has three prominent Dark blue paint jobs along its head mimicking the paint job he has on his helmet on the chest he has a kill tallies etched into the plate.
I have added the game rules to the OP, as I forgot to add them in the first place - but, to my credit, I did put the OOC up before I left for work in the morning, so I'm impressed it's as together as it was. I've also added the 18+ tag to the game, explanation for why is in the game rules section.
@VyperPunk Linden looks great so far, I like how he's shaping up. I think he'll be a good fit!
@Caliban22 Ryan is great too, I like that he's married and has a family, that's a different and interesting dynamic to explore. I also love the art too. He's definitely looking great too.
I'm putting up some info on the characters tab on important NPC's from the ships' crew, and also my own character too.
Yeah, I Ryan is good to go. Couple of minor formatting and spelling errors, but you can correct those putting him into the characters tab. I'll add him to the roster once he's in there too. He'll get a starting rank of Lieutenant as well.
My own character is up in the character tab as well.
Hope we get a few more people - slightly worried about how quiet things are D: I thought there might be a bit more interest.
Appearance: 5’6”, ears not included. His fur is deep brown and becomes off-white toward the extremities, minus his ears, which have black tips. His overall build is that of a thin, longlegged athlete, with a perpetual scowl on his face. He grooms himself to the best of his ability and wears baggy clothing to make himself look bigger, but makes no attempt to stand out otherwise.
Bio: Imir is the eldest son of Amir Kelsea—one of the most accomplished living pilots in Arvara’s air racing circuit—and lived in a world of personal aviation as a result. Flying dominated his younger years, and he took up the yoke at every opportunity, but growing up brought along the realization that he’d struggle to escape his father’s shadow, driving him to more frivolous, grounded pursuits.
He’s a firm believer of strength in numbers and equates a large social circle with success, and his enlistment did nothing to change his desire for the good graces of all around him.
Service Record: Imir became a GEAR pilot and, like the many he joined, immediately blended in. He was proven exceptional on paper and in simulations. He performed well in the field and brought his GEAR back in good shape, and his posting provided few, if any, opportunities to distinguish himself.
When it came to finding pilots for the new V-GEAR squads, Imir’s high test marks and civilian pilot’s license made him an attractive recruit, despite his otherwise plain history.
V-GEAR assignment: VG-0A
V-GEAR Distinguishing features: His GEAR itself has no distinguishing features, but he does wear a pale pink flight helmet.
Yeah, I did want to try and keep the squad small to begin with. Even with that written in, I was expecting a bit more interest. Still; we've got the minimum number to begin. I was hoping to hear from @VyperPunk to finish off her character, but she seems to have disappeared. @Caliban22 needs to move his character into the characters tab, but is fine to go, as are you.
I'll probably try and get a post up to get us at least off to a start mid-week sometime. I'm still mulling over exactly how to start us off exactly, but it should be fine. I imagine more people may come in once we start going too - it wouldn't be the first time.
I'll probably try and get a post up to get us at least off to a start mid-week sometime. I'm still mulling over exactly how to start us off exactly, but it should be fine. I imagine more people may come in once we start going too - it wouldn't be the first time.
Then lets see if I can get things squared away before then eh?
Given some recent developments (good developments) the chance of hitting that window might have been destroyed.
That's okay, I don't think I'll get the post up by the end of the week either. I'll try and do it over the weekend though. I'm going on holiday, but to somewhere with wi-fi, and I've (blissfully, joyously, wonderfully) got the week off work next week too.
