Rolling Thunder: A Sci-Fi Tank Crew Stuck in a Fantasy World

[Hostile]

I've had this idea stuck in my head for a very long time. This story takes place in the distant future of 2842, where man has colonised hundreds upon thousands of planets all around our corner of the Milky Way. But of course, not everyone was happy with a single entity controlling everything, that entity being the United Earth Government and its military wing, the United Earth Government Naval Command. War broke out just years after its formation, threatening the livelihood of citizens everywhere. But with a powerful military, these rebels have been more or less brought under control. However, they still continue to operate, this period now known as the Colonial Uprising. An insurgency the UEGNC has struggled to keep under control for the past ninety-four years.

Three players take control of the crew of the RT413 Dragoon Main Battle Tank known as the Rolling Thunder on one of the biggest engagements between the UEGNC and the insurgent group known as the Frontier Liberation Army on the arid world of Reunion. Midway through the battle, the Thunder is caught in a sudden and unexpected superstorm of lightning and thunder, and is loses contact with it command base. That is, however, until it is deposited on a stone path in the middle of a valley. The crew, lost and disoriented, decide to travel along a beaten path, not knowing that what they'll find will be the last thing they expected.

Meanwhile, on the continent of Acadoria on the world of Ceas where magic reigns supreme, the inhabitants of the town of Riverwood get the shock of their lives when a huge metal beast rolls into their town.

Rolling Thunder

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This RP is a technical reboot of The Bow and the Gun: Project RIFTGATE, with the same setting but different story altogether, and will mostly focus on character interaction and culture shock. It will perhaps contain some romance, but the main plot will be the crew of the Rolling Thunder trying to find a way home.

Three players, including me, will take control of the Rolling Thunder. This is on a first come first served basis. The other players will take control of the inhabitants of Ceas, which means your average high fantasy characters with magic and elves and dragons and whatnot.

OOC here.

[Dannyrulx]

Entirely depends on the CS; I'm not in the most creative mood today.

Also, sounds a bit like GATE. Hopefully we get a chance to kill a dragon with rocket launchers and C4.

[Dulcet]

I would love to be the gunner behind letting futuristic hellfire loose.

What positions are open in the tank? Are they the same as the modern positions?

[Hostile]

Entirely depends on the CS; I'm not in the most creative mood today.

Also, sounds a bit like GATE. Hopefully we get a chance to kill a dragon with rocket launchers and C4.

@Dannyrulx

Sort of. It's actually partially inspired by the GATE fanfic Here We Go Again, an alternate universe fix-fic which is told through the eyes of an American tank gunner. It's a good read, and highly detailed and accurate, given how the author is a former US Marine and Afghanistan veteran.

[Hostile]

I would love to be the gunner behind letting futuristic hellfire loose.

What positions are open in the tank? Are they the same as the modern positions?

@Dulcet

There are three positions: commander (me, giving out instructions and forwarding the plot), gunner, and driver. Because it's a tank eight-hundred years in the future, think of a modern tank like an Abrams of Leopard 2 and multiply it by a thousand and one, because that's how powerful it is.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Hostile Out of curiosity, would that mean you'd only accept 2 players in to RP? What would the other players who were interested be? Also, have you humored the idea of a super tank being the Rolling Thunder like a Baneblade or some other super heavy, multi turret tank?

[knighthawk]

Interested. Too bad the minutemen never took off, but here is another chance to RP.

[Thecrash20]

@Hostile Out of curiosity, would that mean you'd only accept 2 players in to RP? What would the other players who were interested be? Also, have you humored the idea of a super tank being the Rolling Thunder like a Baneblade or some other super heavy, multi turret tank?

@ClocktowerEchos

IT IS THE BEEEEEINNNBLEEEEHHDDDEEEE!

But really, this is exactly what I thought. IF you have more than two players can another group get a tank/be another tank commander? I like the idea of a crew, but would you consider also having it where we each have our own tank and the players form a whole Tank squad? It will still be about our tank commanders, but give us all a little more "responsibility" and decision making then just being the gunner or pilot.

[Stern Algorithm]

Throwing my interest in here as possibly the only one wishing to play as a fantasy villager.

[FallenTrinity]

Interested

[DepressedSoviet]

@HostileI'd be interested, but I'm concered that if only 3 people are actually playing members of the military, that anyone else who joins the RP wouldn't get as much "spotlight" so to speak. That the RP would be too focused on those 3 characters and anyone else who joined wouldn't get an appropriate time or amount of story focused on their characters, not to mention playing random civilians in a primarily military-themed RP is rather boring. Had you listed this as a "small group" RP under the tags opposed to it currently being listed as a "large group" this could be excusable. But saying you want a "large group", then telling everyone you only want 3 people to be the 'important' roles is kinda upsetting to people.

Also the Abrams(and by extension most all modern tanks) have a crew of four people, the loader, gunner, pilot, and commander/radio operator. I'd imagine that a tank 800 years in the future would easily be advanced enough to both accommodate and require around 8-10 people.

[Dannyrulx]

@HostileI'd be interested, but I'm concered that if only 3 people are actually playing members of the military, that anyone else who joins the RP wouldn't get as much "spotlight" so to speak. That the RP would be too focused on those 3 characters and anyone else who joined wouldn't get an appropriate time or amount of story focused on their characters, not to mention playing random civilians in a primarily military-themed RP is rather boring. Had you listed this as a "small group" RP under the tags opposed to it currently being listed as a "large group" this could be excusable. But saying you want a "large group", then telling everyone you only want 3 people to be the 'important' roles is kinda upsetting to people.

Also the Abrams(and by extension most all modern tanks) have a crew of four people, the loader, gunner, pilot, and commander/radio operator. I'd imagine that a tank 800 years in the future would easily be advanced enough to both accommodate and require around 8-10 people.

@DepressedSoviet

In fact, most battle tanks require a crew of 4:
Primary gunner- 'loader' (battle cannon)
Secondary gunner- 'gunner' (mounted guns)
Driver
Captain.

Assuming that this gun has one turret and mounted guns, it needs more, and if this is a foreign planetary force, then I'm gonna assume every tank is going to need a dedicated mechanical engineer with training beyond the normal stuff that each crewman would have, plus potentially a translator should the locals speak a different language and they're expecting SOME talking.

[Hostile]

@Hostile Out of curiosity, would that mean you'd only accept 2 players in to RP? What would the other players who were interested be? Also, have you humored the idea of a super tank being the Rolling Thunder like a Baneblade or some other super heavy, multi turret tank?

@ClocktowerEchos

I mean that we have three people manning the tank, while the other players take control of the fantasy world natives.

I've already posted a picture of the tank in question. It's just a standard railgun tank. I want it to be powerful, but not too powerful as it's just a regular main battle tank. Baneblades don't really fit the setting.

<Snipped quote by ClocktowerEchos>

IT IS THE BEEEEEINNNBLEEEEHHDDDEEEE!

But really, this is exactly what I thought. IF you have more than two players can another group get a tank/be another tank commander? I like the idea of a crew, but would you consider also having it where we each have our own tank and the players form a whole Tank squad? It will still be about our tank commanders, but give us all a little more "responsibility" and decision making then just being the gunner or pilot.

@Thecrash20

Yes, perhaps I'll add in another tank. I haven't decided yet.

@HostileI'd be interested, but I'm concered that if only 3 people are actually playing members of the military, that anyone else who joins the RP wouldn't get as much "spotlight" so to speak. That the RP would be too focused on those 3 characters and anyone else who joined wouldn't get an appropriate time or amount of story focused on their characters, not to mention playing random civilians in a primarily military-themed RP is rather boring. Had you listed this as a "small group" RP under the tags opposed to it currently being listed as a "large group" this could be excusable. But saying you want a "large group", then telling everyone you only want 3 people to be the 'important' roles is kinda upsetting to people.

Also the Abrams(and by extension most all modern tanks) have a crew of four people, the loader, gunner, pilot, and commander/radio operator. I'd imagine that a tank 800 years in the future would easily be advanced enough to both accommodate and require around 8-10 people.

@DepressedSoviet

The three so-called 'main characters' will have somewhat more spotlight than the other characters, I admit. However, the fantasy characters can be anything they like, so let's say a knight or an intelligent dragon. It's up to you, and the fantasy characters can be important people or magical creatures if you wish.

<Snipped quote by DepressedSoviet>

In fact, most battle tanks require a crew of 4:
Primary gunner- 'loader' (battle cannon)
Secondary gunner- 'gunner' (mounted guns)
Driver
Captain.

Assuming that this gun has one turret and mounted guns, it needs more, and if this is a foreign planetary force, then I'm gonna assume every tank is going to need a dedicated mechanical engineer with training beyond the normal stuff that each crewman would have, plus potentially a translator should the locals speak a different language and they're expecting SOME talking.

@Dannyrulx

I'm well aware of that. But since this a mid-29th-century tank, things are a bit more advanced. Autoloaders have long since eliminated the need for a loader, and the tank crew has mandatory mechanical training. Tanks of that day and age are extensively reliable, and breakdowns are a rarity. I'll probably post more information later.

Also, for the sake of convenience, the locals speak English.

[ClocktowerEchos]

Ehh... the idea of anyone not in the tank forced playing second fiddle isn't all too appealing.
Also the fact that the Fantasy people all some how speak English is a bit immersion breaking going to admit.

[Dannyrulx]

Yeah... That seems a little odd and immersion breaking. Echoing Clockwork, that might cinch it.

[Thecrash20]

Yeah I don't like the whole giving light to some players and not the rest, especially if their forced to be in the side lines. Then again its your rp.

So I'm interested if you put up some more tanks/let us get our own. Tanks do fight in team/platoons just like foot troops.

[knighthawk]

"Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito."

Yes, the tank is a rail gun monstrosity who can harm dragons with a shot. There will be a thousand places where the tank will either be moot or hindrances will keep it grounded. Primative teddybears were able to take out mounted platforms in star wars. A dragon in flight would be too mobile as an areal target to effectively shoot. A stray bolt of ligtning can short out systems, that is a 1 in a million chance of occuring, what happens when you face a storm mage and it is a 50/50 chance of getting hit by lightning?

Universal translators that analyze phonetic input to 'guess' a speech pattern, or a wizard who casts a translation spell on the crew. Goldfish you stick in your ear that consume the brainwave energy of those around it.

The crew may have a step-up, but they are still going to be epic lost and hungry after 3 days. Without locals to help them, they will die before they get home.

[El Noche]

Interested. Not bothered by the premise of there being only 3 tank crewmen.

[Hostile]

@ClocktowerEchos@Dannyrulx

Like I said, sake of convenience.

@Thecrash20

I'm being lenient here. I'll perhaps make it a platoon instead. So four tanks instead of one.

@knighthawk

This is a tank eight-hundred years in the future. It's every single modern main battle tank in the world combined and multiplied by ten. Let's keep the fantasy natives speak English for convenience.

@El Noche

I'm probably gonna make it a platoon of four.

[Dannyrulx]

Sake of convince =/= Good storytelling. I'm out.