In the year 2015, Humanity experienced one of the single most dreaded, yet highly anticipated, events of its existence; first contact with an extraterrestrial race. Unfortunately for all the UFO enthusiasts out there, it wasn’t the friendly “We come in peace” they’d always hoped for, instead more along the lines of “Take me to your leader.” Except there was no little grey alien holding a ray gun, at least not at first. What came to be known as the Invasion War opened with a series of pods landing in a German city. Curious civilians approached the first of the crashed objects just as it activated, causing widespread panic. Germany sent in a recon team by helicopter, which went down after coming under fire from unknown assailants. As a result, a squad from the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, which had been formed by the Council of Nations in the event that an alien invasion occurred, was dispatched.
Upon arrival at the scene aboard the Skyranger, what they found was nothing short of a massacre, with civilians trapped inside a strange green webbing, likely released by the pods, and the unit wiped out, with, as far as could be ascertained, no survivors. At least until the first message was received on the radio. “Hilfe” it had said, which Doctor Vahlen translated to mean “Help me.” Delta squad moved in, finding one member of the recon team torn apart like he’d been attacked by a wild animal and another dead from something exploding from inside his body, eviscerating him. Inside was the established standard operating procedure’s birth when it came to dealing with the Aliens, after a Sectoid Commander used its mind controlled meat puppet to kill a member of the squad, the other aliens were engaged and killed with extreme prejudice. The Extraterrestrials had just made it very clear that they weren’t interested in peace.
The Invasion War lasted for twenty years, with Humanity facing severe casualties early on in the war. The superior armor and weapons the Alien invaders proved more than most modern militaries could handle or penetrate with anything smaller than anti-vehicle weapons. XCOM proved to be the most proficient fighters, using ambush tactics and traps to outmaneuver the superiorly armed alien forces, though Sectoids and Floaters were far more susceptible to standard firearms than the Mutons or Heavy Floaters, who were more heavily armored. As the war raged on, however, XCOM was able to begin producing munitions, weapons and armor capable of going toe-to-toe with the Aliens, beginning with laser weaponry and armor they called Carapace armor.
This then led to the design and construction of the Skeleton armor, medium armor equipped with a grappling hook for easy transition to the high ground and safe descent to lower ground. That was about five years into the war, as the first few years were spent studying the substance known as Meld that the aliens had brought with them as well as gaining a better understanding of the Alien Alloys. With the better armor and weapons came the Gene Modded soldiers, who now had abilities based on those gained through studying the remains of various aliens, even some gained from what many soldiers dubbed a terror weapon, the Chrysalid.
With the playing field beginning to even out, the Aliens began deploying heavy mechanized units with Drone support, with the spear tip of their mechanized assault being the Sectopod, a two legged mechanized monstrosity with enough firepower to level a city block. The Mechtoid came in a close second, it’s Mini-Plasma cannons causing massive damage to armored units and infantry alike and the Cyberdisc tearing infantry apart with its twin cannons. XCOM and Humanity’s response? The Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit, or MEC, Trooper, soldiers who’d sacrificed their limbs in order to be able to integrate with Cybersuits that allowed them to go head-to-head with the Aliens’ mechanical forces. First taking to the field armed with a minigun and either a Kinetic Strike Module, which gave their already devastating blows even more power, or the flamethrower, making them the worst nightmare of both Alien infantry and the Chrysalids, who had an aversion to fire that was almost insectoid in nature. However, it was not long before those miniguns became railguns, which allowed the MEC troopers to punch MEC fist sized holes in Sectopods and Mechtoids and put the Cyberdisks on the other end of the “tearing apart” spectrum.
By this point, the Aliens were desperate, as what had started as a fairly successful, if slow, invasion had turned into an all out war, and they had begun to lose. By this point, XCOM and the greatest minds of humanity had begun finding ways to produce their own Alien Alloys, now referred to as Ostryx, as well as plasma weaponry, more advanced armor, and fusion powered ships, most notably among them the Firestorm fighter, a ship that could pack the firepower of an Alien Battleship and outmaneuver the giant. At the fifteen year mark, the alien’s war efforts began to flag, with offensives losing steam faster and faster as XCOM spread knowledge and scientific gains around. They had even, by the time the Aliens finally gave up and called for a full retreat from Earth, begun synthesizing the Meld.
The war for Earth ended in the year 2035. In the wake of the Invasion War, Humanity formed the United Earth Government, or UEG, with XCOM its primary military force. Not everyone joined of course, Germany secluded itself after discovering their leader was being manipulated by a mind-controlling Sectoid Commander and went on a witch hunt, purging aliens wherever they might have hidden. The US, despite being where XCOM was initially based, kicked the Initiative out and closed its borders as well, though no one knows why. Many think it was for reasons similar to Germany, but most aren’t that easily convinced.
The year is now 2065 and the UEG is at the pinnacle of its power, with Gene Modding and MEC fabrication and pilot interfacing having made leaps and bounds in progress, not to mention weaponry and armor. But we’d be fools to think the Aliens haven’t been preparing as well, especially since every now and then a UFO will slip the net and a few people will go missing.
It’s been thirty years since they invaded us. Now we’re ready to return the favor and for us there is no retreat.
Upon arrival at the scene aboard the Skyranger, what they found was nothing short of a massacre, with civilians trapped inside a strange green webbing, likely released by the pods, and the unit wiped out, with, as far as could be ascertained, no survivors. At least until the first message was received on the radio. “Hilfe” it had said, which Doctor Vahlen translated to mean “Help me.” Delta squad moved in, finding one member of the recon team torn apart like he’d been attacked by a wild animal and another dead from something exploding from inside his body, eviscerating him. Inside was the established standard operating procedure’s birth when it came to dealing with the Aliens, after a Sectoid Commander used its mind controlled meat puppet to kill a member of the squad, the other aliens were engaged and killed with extreme prejudice. The Extraterrestrials had just made it very clear that they weren’t interested in peace.
The Invasion War lasted for twenty years, with Humanity facing severe casualties early on in the war. The superior armor and weapons the Alien invaders proved more than most modern militaries could handle or penetrate with anything smaller than anti-vehicle weapons. XCOM proved to be the most proficient fighters, using ambush tactics and traps to outmaneuver the superiorly armed alien forces, though Sectoids and Floaters were far more susceptible to standard firearms than the Mutons or Heavy Floaters, who were more heavily armored. As the war raged on, however, XCOM was able to begin producing munitions, weapons and armor capable of going toe-to-toe with the Aliens, beginning with laser weaponry and armor they called Carapace armor.
This then led to the design and construction of the Skeleton armor, medium armor equipped with a grappling hook for easy transition to the high ground and safe descent to lower ground. That was about five years into the war, as the first few years were spent studying the substance known as Meld that the aliens had brought with them as well as gaining a better understanding of the Alien Alloys. With the better armor and weapons came the Gene Modded soldiers, who now had abilities based on those gained through studying the remains of various aliens, even some gained from what many soldiers dubbed a terror weapon, the Chrysalid.
With the playing field beginning to even out, the Aliens began deploying heavy mechanized units with Drone support, with the spear tip of their mechanized assault being the Sectopod, a two legged mechanized monstrosity with enough firepower to level a city block. The Mechtoid came in a close second, it’s Mini-Plasma cannons causing massive damage to armored units and infantry alike and the Cyberdisc tearing infantry apart with its twin cannons. XCOM and Humanity’s response? The Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit, or MEC, Trooper, soldiers who’d sacrificed their limbs in order to be able to integrate with Cybersuits that allowed them to go head-to-head with the Aliens’ mechanical forces. First taking to the field armed with a minigun and either a Kinetic Strike Module, which gave their already devastating blows even more power, or the flamethrower, making them the worst nightmare of both Alien infantry and the Chrysalids, who had an aversion to fire that was almost insectoid in nature. However, it was not long before those miniguns became railguns, which allowed the MEC troopers to punch MEC fist sized holes in Sectopods and Mechtoids and put the Cyberdisks on the other end of the “tearing apart” spectrum.
By this point, the Aliens were desperate, as what had started as a fairly successful, if slow, invasion had turned into an all out war, and they had begun to lose. By this point, XCOM and the greatest minds of humanity had begun finding ways to produce their own Alien Alloys, now referred to as Ostryx, as well as plasma weaponry, more advanced armor, and fusion powered ships, most notably among them the Firestorm fighter, a ship that could pack the firepower of an Alien Battleship and outmaneuver the giant. At the fifteen year mark, the alien’s war efforts began to flag, with offensives losing steam faster and faster as XCOM spread knowledge and scientific gains around. They had even, by the time the Aliens finally gave up and called for a full retreat from Earth, begun synthesizing the Meld.
The war for Earth ended in the year 2035. In the wake of the Invasion War, Humanity formed the United Earth Government, or UEG, with XCOM its primary military force. Not everyone joined of course, Germany secluded itself after discovering their leader was being manipulated by a mind-controlling Sectoid Commander and went on a witch hunt, purging aliens wherever they might have hidden. The US, despite being where XCOM was initially based, kicked the Initiative out and closed its borders as well, though no one knows why. Many think it was for reasons similar to Germany, but most aren’t that easily convinced.
The year is now 2065 and the UEG is at the pinnacle of its power, with Gene Modding and MEC fabrication and pilot interfacing having made leaps and bounds in progress, not to mention weaponry and armor. But we’d be fools to think the Aliens haven’t been preparing as well, especially since every now and then a UFO will slip the net and a few people will go missing.
It’s been thirty years since they invaded us. Now we’re ready to return the favor and for us there is no retreat.
Welcome to XCOM: Humanity’s Rise!
In this story, the Events of XCOM: Enemy Within played out differently than they do leading up to XCOM 2. Here, humanity turned the tide and won the war, though it didn’t come without its price. But the rewards were rich and now under the UEG, Humanity is at its strongest ever. The initial recovery of both the Meld and alien metals and weapon fragments, along with the early plasma weapons made it possible for humanity to catch up to the alien technology. XCOM forms the majority of the military’s Special Operations groups, with a handful of “regular” units as part of the standard military.
It is as one of these standard units that you’ll start, however, even standard XCOM units sport a variation of Gene Modded soldiers, and, if you so choose, a MEC trooper. So, to give you an idea of what you’re limited to, first and foremost, there are classes. I’m aware that these types of RPs are sometimes difficult, but it felt right to maintain a sense of balance. And so, your classes to choose from as you will are listed in the following section, but first, your CS template.
Classes
Marksman-Trained in the use of sidearms and Marksman Rifles, these are the soldiers responsible for engaging from a longer range and attempting to take out frontline commanders while supporting their squad.
Ranger-The close combat specialist, Rangers are armed with shotguns and either sawn off backups or wrist mounted autocannons of relatively low caliber. These guys are the first ones in and usually the last ones out.
Rifleman-Your more standard infantry unit, these guys carry assault rifles and a variety of secondary weapons, ranging from side arms to shotguns, sometimes even a brace of throwing knives. They also commonly bring a drone known as the GREMLIN to the field, which aids them in administering field medical treatment and combating enemies.
Grenadier-Armed with nothing more than a grenade launcher and shotgun, these guys bring the boom, loud and proud.
Gunslinger-Specializing in the wielding of dual pistols, these gunmen won’t hesitate to rush into the midst of the enemy, unleashing a barrage of death before they can figure out what’s happening. Inspired by Gun Kata from the movie Equilibrium, they’re incredibly difficult targets to hit.
Duelist-These soldiers are masters of the blade, carrying only a sword and a brace of throwing knives into battle, their reflexes allow them to dodge incoming fire and even reflect it while closing with their foes to cut them apart, up close and personal.
Sniper- Whereas the Marksman will get in closer to get in the final kill and offer precision to the squad’s often rapid fire assault, the Sniper offers long range overwatch, removing targets from extreme range. They carry anywhere from a more standard sized sniper rifle to anti-materiel inspired sniper rifles, as well as pistols should an enemy happen upon them without being seen en route.
Psi Operative: These operatives are soldiers who’ve gone through the process of awakening their latent psionic power and have trained extensively to use their mind as a weapon every bit as efficient and powerful as any firearm or blade.
Now while every soldier has their specific loadouts, there are standard issue gear that no soldier is without. First and foremost is the combat knife, because that sidearm is going to need a reload eventually, even if it is plasmatech. Body armor is another standard issue item, required in order to increase a soldier’s survivability in most combat situations. The inclusion of the Ostryx metal in the combat armor’s construction has made it ten times better than any of the kevlar armor that had been deployed during the start of the Invasion War. The final piece of standard issue gear is the plasmic grenade, a powerful handheld explosive that can either be thrown to take out cover or the enemies behind it or attached to a door with a delayed plasma explosive charge, useful for breaching rooms and UFOs.
Advanced Classes
Now for the meat of this RP. So I outlined some basic classes above, which are already a fair amount of diversity within the setting. However, there is advanced training you can receive within those base classes, which I am calling advanced classes.
Marksman Advanced Classes-
Elite Marksman: If Marksman are already the best in mid-range fire support, then the Elite Marksman takes it another step forwards, landing shots many would consider nearly impossible, even at close range. These soldiers could take the wings off a fly at 400 meters with little more than a coin throw.
Reaper: Force Recon operatives are used for scouting and pathfinding, equipped with stealth tech and often with Stealth related gene mods as well as specialized tracking rounds for keeping track of dangerous targets that could prove problematic for offensive operations.
Ranger Advanced Classes-
Ripper: Rippers are the closest to a duelist most Rangers get. While they are equipped with twin shotgun pistols, their primary weapon is a set of retractable ostryx claws on each hand. The pistols act as a covering fire until they can close with the enemy and rip them apart in melee, however, the forms for rippers are much different than duelists.
Gunner: Gunners are heavily armored, close range arbiters of death with a belt-fed, fully automatic shotgun and a shoulder mounted plasma cannon. Their off-hand, which varies based on their dominant hand, is equipped with an Ostryx claw so large it could pierce two mutons in a single blow. Their heavy armor is hydraulic, increasing striking and lifting power while allowing them to still move quickly, though not necessarily quietly.
Rifleman Advanced Classes-
Combat Medic: Combat medics trade their rifle for a high capacity, high caliber side arm with an advanced combat shield and advanced medical support technology and training, their GREMLINs equipped to be able to save a squadmate or team member from the brink of death and even back from death if they can reach them in time.
Advanced Infantry: These are the Riflemen who upgrade to a harder hitting rifle and who’s GREMLINs are equipped to aid in more effective direct combat via various attachments. For example, they’re often outfitted with gun emplacements or shock modules for disabling targets. They’re also often equipped with a specially designed combat shield that allows them to engage from behind mobile cover.
Grenadier Advanced Classes-
Mobile Artillery: Dedicating all their time to learning the most effective ways to deliver their explosive ordinance with the biggest booms, they’ve received clearance to carry an advanced grenade launcher that fires miniature artillery rounds of various effects. However, while their various grenades were a touch more compact, their newer artillery rounds aren’t, requiring the trade off of their full sized shotgun for a sawn-off version and less available ammo. In exchange, however, they can easily level a city block with three well placed shots of their launchers.
Breacher: These grenadiers got real good at trick shots and took great joy in blowing in the doors of those who would oppose them, that initial shock and awe effect forever emblazoned in their minds along with the joy of wiping out the enemy on the other side. So in exchange for fewer grenades and a more compact launcher, they’ve been given a fully automatic shotgun and specialized breaching charges. These charges will launch miniature flashbangs into a room that detonate a split second before the charge itself explodes and destroys the door, allowing for a powerful room clear.
Gunslinger Advanced Classes-
Jaëger: The Jaëgers are Gunslingers who specialize in close range crowd control and finishing off escaping targets. Their armor suites are often outfitted with prediction programs that allow them to quickly pinpoint the most effective places for their bag of tricks and track fleeing enemies.
Gunzerker: While the Jaëger retains a level of the elegance that the masters of Gun Kata from Equilibrium show, the Gunzerker throws it to the wind in favor of dual automatic weapons of decent caliber and absolute mayhem and destruction. Many field operatives have noted that if not for the automatic Friend-or-Foe recognition system standard in UEG armor and heads up displays, friendly casualties would nearly match the enemy.
Duelist Advanced Classes-
Shinobi: Inspired by the ninjas of old, the Shinobi tends to specialize in stealth, using a combination of advanced stealth technology and gene mods and misdirective technology to remove targets without giving up their positions. In many ways, both figuratively and literally, they strike from the shadows.
Knight: These melee juggernauts are equipped with the heaviest armor the UEG military can produce with Detonite Shields and typically a broad or long sword. The detonite shields are defensive implements that have specialized miniature explosives that can be detonated to knock back groups of attackers or upon connection as a blunt force blow that’s been known to blow men apart. Imagine what it could do to a Sectoid.
Sniper Advanced Classes-
Hunter: Solo operatives who are deployed into a location ahead of other units to hunt down important targets at low risk due to range of engagement. Often carrying different types of ammunition that allows for mission completion in many situations.
Striker: These snipers are highly elite and primarily deployed in XCOM's elite spec ops forces. They carry advanced and experimental weapons that fire dark matter beams instead of plasma with Gene Mods and minor cybernetic enhancement to make the odds of missing nearly zero in any situation, further complementing their already impressive skills. They're also trained extensively in pistol fighting for a fair chance of survival in close range engagements.
Psi Operative Advanced Classes-
Templar:Sacrificing their ranged weapon training, these are Psi Operatives who’ve chosen to train so extensively that they are able to wield psionic powers unlike other Psi Operatives. Wielding powerful gauntlets that allow them to focus their power into a pair of blades, Templars purge the aliens in psionic flame, metaphorically speaking. When engaging at range, they’ll use either a powerful Psionic Shock or their machine pistols.
Valkyrie: These Psi Operatives specialize in using their unique gifts to support their squad while raining hell on the enemy. Armed with a plasma cannon and a unique secondary of their choice, these Psi Operatives only goal is to make sure their squad makes it home alive.
MEC Armaments and Classes
Standard MEC: When XCOM founded the original MEC initiative during the Invasion War, the cost of interfacing was to replace your arms and legs with the necessary interfaces. Now, there are other, better, less permanent solutions for interfacing, though the original is still permitted. Standard equipment is a high power anti-matter rifle and either a kinetic strike module or napalm thrower. Further specialization after is both available and suggested.
MEC Specilist-Brawler: Often equipped with dual Kinetic Strike Augments, these MECs are still equipped with their anti-matter rifles, but are tougher than standard and Incinerator units. Oftentimes, when the threat of heavy anti-infantry is high, they will lead the charge with their unique Barrier Shield, which is a projected hardlight shield of high durability and then use their Kinetic Strikes to tear the emblacements apart.
MEC Specialist-Incinerator: Incinerator units are embodiments of flame. Armed with their arm mounted napalm thrower, a flame launcher and twin Incinerator-class blasters on their shoulders. Some of the most powerful anti-infantry in the UEG forces, they’re also highly effective against Chrysilids.
Custom MECS: Most custom MEC units are based on the two existing specialists, but they do take unique twists and no one is the same.
*While KSMs, or Kinetic Strike Modules, are externally placed on one arm of a Standard MEC, or a napalm thrower, the KSA, or Kinetic Strike Augment, is built into the hands of the Brawler unit, allowing them to gather the energy to deliver the blow or tear things apart.
Gene Mods
The Gene Mods just need to be reasonable. For example, after having dissected the Mutons, an alien enemy you’ll meet eventually, a gene mod became available that caused a soldier to release Combat Pheromones that boost their own and nearby allies' combat effectiveness after securing a kill. I’m going to be scrutinizing these perhaps the MOST heavily, and while I do encourage getting creative, don’t be afraid to use the existing list from Enemy Within if you want.
Mars Colonies
Mars Colony New Star, formerly Alpha: The first and largest colony built on the Martian Surface, much of the planet’s atmosphere and ground near it has been terraformed to the point the city is no longer domed as there is ample plant life around it producing oxygen at the required rate of exchange. It is also the first point in the defense network for Earth, armed with a large anti-capital ship cannon on the northern edge of the city along with the largest military presence on the planet.
Mars Colony New Baltimore: The second colony, the terrain and atmosphere around the city is still not fully terraformed and therefore the city is still largely domed and the roads covered by metal tunnels, though the city is far from unattractive. The bulk of the air defense force is stationed here along with many of the special forces teams though the majority of the military is still stationed in New Star.
The Enemy
Fifty years ago, thanks to the hard work and scientific advances of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, Humanity was able to send a dangerous army of Alien Invaders careening back into the inky blackness of space towards their homeworlds and fortresses in other parts of the galaxy. Since then, the Human Race has worked tirelessly to prepare for any possible counter attacks or renewed invasions and for launching an invasion of their own. Drone surveillance, however, has shown the Aliens haven’t been lax.
Their legions still consist of the space born creatures that XCOM and the militaries of the world faced off with during the Invasion War, but also new threats. A large portion of their military might now consist of members of the ADVENT Initiative, a secretive project that UEG Intelligence can find little information on without launching an actual attack on a fortress. They average at human heights and weights from scans of their bodies and are often equipped with scaled down plasma weaponry and advanced armor. Their discipline is not to be ignored as they are able to coordinate the take down of well fortified positions as tactically as any human squad.
There are also whispers amongst the Alien Legions of three generals, three Chosen if you will, of immense power and skill. Little has been found of them and no visuals have been confirmed during the drone scouting, but all the same, caution should be exercised during all engagements.
Other rumors suggest that the Chrysalids, a terror unit deployed during the early stages of the war to break the morale of soldiers and civilians both, are no longer under the control of the Alien leadership, known as the Ethereals by the people of Earth but as the Elders to the ADVENT Initiative and other aliens. The rumors suggest that a Queen is calling her children home to their Hive and that new horrors await both the Aliens and Humanity as they move to investigate these claims.
