[OOC] Small Soldiers: A Battletech Roleplaying game (Game Closed)

Some men fight for king and country, some for honour and glory. Others fight for Life, liberty and family! Don't worry, We'll fight for all that too, and more. Just make sure the payment clears first....

[Ollumhammersong]

"Hey kid, Had enough of fighting for king and country? Sick of being told what to do and who to kill, and hanging your butt out on the line every day just so some career-climbing general can reap the benefits of your hard work? Do you think you can measure up in the big leagues, and carve your name into the history books for all time? Well, bud, now's the time to put up or shut up, because not everyone is cut out for the rough and tumble life of today's mercenary! War's a dangerous business for the professional soldier, survival ain't as simple as coming out of the firefight alive!"

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys & girls. Welcome to the Greenshields. A mercenary, frontline infantry battalion created during the end of the 3rd succession war and rose to prominence during the 4th war, proving itself in actions against the once crippled Cappelan confederation. During the period between the 4th war and Operation Revival the rising company found plenty of work in the periphery and made a small fortune fighting against the clans for the Federated Commonwealth after the initial clan invasion. After some solid expansion and a hiring blitz the battalion has now it's found steady work, at least for the time being with the DCMS fighting along it's new and unwelcome border with clan Novacat.

That is where you come in. Whatever backgrounds you came from, whatever your reasons for joining the Greenshields, they are your own. The important thing is, you've left your old lives behind and took up the mercenary banner. It's a life of high risk and higher rewards, but if you keep your wits about you, your head on a swivel and shove a lucky horseshoe up your ass, you might just survive long enough to collect that monthly pay-cheque.

OOC: Please post or PM your sheet here for approval before putting it in the characters tab.

If you want to join there are still openings available. i'm looking for about one squad's worth of people, maybe two full squads if this really kicks off.

And of course if you have any questions please fire away.

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname:(optional) It's stereotypical but many full time soldiers in the Battletech universe end up with some kind of nickname.
Sex:
Age: no teenagers, please make a character whose at least 21
Original Faction/Homeworld:
Squad Specialty: This is basic, I don't want too much overlap here but two people can definately do the same thing. Of course, you don't need a specialty. There is something to be said for being an infantrymen, plain, simple and flexible.

Description: A few sentences describing the physical characteristics of the character; picture optional, drawn is fine but no anime.

Background: A paragraph or two about the character's history. Not a novella.

Personality: Just a few sentences on the character's personality.

Equipment: For the most part everyone has similar equipment. Combat armour, Auto rifle, sidearm, a few grenades, other basic essentials, etc. But support weapons and equipment are also available. From Shoulder mounted SRM launchers to grenade launchers, to a field medic's kit, to equipment that may be granted to complete specific mission requirements (like explosive satchels)

Specialty Skills/qualifications: Any oddball talents or abilities the character has unrelated to their specialty. This can include things like jump pack training (note this does not mean you will start with a jump pack), or a license to operate a certain class of vehicle.

FAQ

Q: Will I be able to pilot a mech?
A: No, This game is going to be focusing on the non mech related elements of war. You will be playing as grunt infantry trying to survive in a futurisitic battlefield. Mechs will still exist, but more as big stompy titans in the background that occasionally make your lives and jobs a living hell. The battalion does not own any mechs and is limited to infantry and light/medium vehicles.

Q: Can I start with battle armour or a Clan elemental
A: Short answer, no. I want to focus to be on the 'bottom rung'. Battle armour is neat and the battalion does own a few suits. But those will be granted to the squad as a whole for special assignments and the like. I don't want players stomping around in them permanently.

Q: Can I be a vehicle driver or Helicopter pilot
A: You can have training to operate such things. But I want to group to stick together and be a team. That's hard to do if everyone is off in different directions or one person can't go inside a building because they are busy flying a chopper around.

Q: What happens when we have to fight a mech?
A: Well that wont happen very often and when it does it will be a very hairy fight, as it should be. Any such confrontations will also be limited to light mechs that you have a (very slim) chance of killing if you play your cards right. Really, your main options are to either get creative or run like hell. Sometimes you just have to retreat, you can't win every fight.

Greenshield standard Infantry kit

For those curious. I've compiled a quick list of standard infantry kit, as issued by the Battalion. As well as common support weapons fielded by the Greenshields.

Greenshield Armour kit- Virtually identical to the 'Standard Cappellan Infantry kit'. This lightweight, plaststeel armour mesh provides effective protection against small arms fire and shrapnel while minimally constricting mobility, and remaining cost effective. While also incorporating inbuilt short range communicators within the helmet.

Primary Arms- Imperator 2894A1 SMG. Thanks to contacts made during the 4th succession war the Battalion continues to purchase these weapons and necessary munitions for a considerable bargain.

Sidearm- Serrek 7875D Auto-Pistol is standard issue, But individual soldiers have considerable leeway to purchase their own favoured sidearms.

Common squad support weapons include, LAW rocket launcher- a disposable single shot rocket tube that is lighter to carry than a standard 2-shot reloadable SRM.

"light' SRM launcher- Still weighing in at 10Kg with each missile weighing another 8Kg. This is still a difficult weapon to transport, often operated close to, or out of an APC transport for ease of resupply. If taken into the field, the weight of each reload often requires the entire squad to pitch in and carry 1-2 missiles apiece to ease the strain on the primary operator. That all being said, the infantry SRM launcher is without a doubt one of the most powerful man portable payloads on the modern battlefield, which may just make lugging it around worth the discomfort.

Man-Portable & 'Light' Machine guns- Even in the 31st century these venerable weapons are still a common sight on the battlefield. Variations exist that can be carried & fired by a single operator or by a team of two. In either case they are still a weapon that consumes large quantities of ammunition and endurance in the field requires an operator with fine trigger discipline.

MGL- Or the Multiple grenade launcher, is another venerable piece of military hardware that is one of the most common sights for infantry support in the field. Compact, durable and highly flexible thanks to a variety of munitions options made available.

In addition a soldier's basic kit can include a small detachable backpack, modular bedroll, survival blanket, electric lantern, utensils, collapsible cup, 10m of nylon cord, ground cloth, two (2) Armadyne AM-226 emergency Medical Field Kits, three (3) M849 frag grenades, One combat knife.

sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

This is a link to the official BattleTech wiki. It really is a fantastic source, highly accurate and has nearly every scrap of data on this setting you could hope for.

[TrippyNightmare]

Sup gamer gm lord, will have my cs in sometime before the end of sunday.

1: doing daily drill until Friday for this cool parade i am told i have to do
2: setting up ooc for my own kino rp

Regards
Prospective rp gamer

[Ollumhammersong]

@DeadDrop Sounds good. We got some time

[Ollumhammersong]

I actually had a fun time coming up with standard issue kit that characters would be issued, in case anyone was going to be asking about that. Because we are playing mercenaries and not members of a national military there is a little leeway with certain areas of the kit to personalize, like the sidearm.

Of course if you really want to add something personal to your kit you can always ask or post in in your sheet for review. The worst I can say is no

[Ollumhammersong]

@FrostedCaramel@ArmorPlated@Shovel

Were you three still interested in this idea at all?

[Shovel]

@Ollumhammersong Still here. Working on it.

[Ollumhammersong]

Cool, I'm just looking for a definitive headcount of whose is interested and who isn't. So if anyone plans to post a sheet, but are still working on it or waiting for some free time to do so, please let me know

[FrostedCaramel]

Here, bit too busy to write a sheet right now but have been thinking on ideas in the meantime.

[Ollumhammersong]

Giving this a small bump, We are still looking for players. A full squad is seven people and right now we have three interested parties. So still some room.

[TrippyNightmare]

Still here, maybe we will have to be a fireteam lol :3.

[Ollumhammersong]

Still here, maybe we will have to be a fireteam lol :3.

@DeadDrop

haha, ya maybe. I was always intending to just play the other members of the squad as NPCs/extra hands and bodies for the PCs. So I can always fall back on that.

I knew when I made the interest check that this was going to be a tougher sell than a traditional BattleTech rp. But playing as mech pilots has been done to death and I want to try something different.

[TrippyNightmare]

simply betrayed

[Ollumhammersong]

@DeadDrop Looks pretty good so far.

[TrippyNightmare]

@DeadDrop Looks pretty good so far.

@Ollumhammersong

Am i approved?

[Ollumhammersong]

Yes, go ahead and post what you have in the character's tab

[WXer]

So, as I mentioned in the interest check thread, I don't really have much knowledge in the Battletech universe but hopefully this character works out. I spent sometime reading the fan wiki to fill in some blanks too.

Fusekit

Name: Darlington Yat-Sen
Nickname: Fusekit
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Original Faction/Homeworld: Housekarle
Squad Specialty: Grenadier

Description: With his tanned skin covered in scars and tattoos, Fusekit's body paints a history of struggles and near-deaths. Standing at five feet and six inches with unkempt black hair at the top, the Capellan Confederation native shouldn't necessarily stand out in the middle of the battlefield. However, as an explosives expert, he is usually decked out with a variety of grenades and the accompanying MGL that serve to clear most obstacles they might encounter out on the field.

Background: Fusekit refuses to divulge many facets of his past life, with the fact that he was part of a Capellan Home Guard regiment as Minelayer Infantry the only part he openly discusses. Though, he has said that none of his wounds are self-inflicted, claiming that to be the best sign of a diligent demolition man.

Personality: Contrary to his expertise, Fusekit is quiet and reserved. Rarely one to start a conversation, he would rather keep to himself and watch holovids or read books to distract himself from the deadly horrors they face on a regular basis.

Equipment: The standard grenadier kit the Greenshields provide, as well as the munitions he deems appropriate for the mission they're going on. While he isn't one to argue if the equipment he requests for aren't supplied, he'll be damned if he has to use his own personal stash.

Specialty Skills/qualifications: Mine laying, bomb defusal, chemistry with an emphasis on makeshift explosives.

[Ollumhammersong]

@WXer It looks pretty good. I'm wondering what you mean by 'munitions he deems appropriate'. Are you talking about any special assignment equipment? or....

[WXer]

What I had specifically in mind was the variety of grenades listed in this wiki page. Other than that, maybe some other explosives like remote detonated or motion sensor mines.

[Ollumhammersong]

I see, so were you wanting to take a grenade launcher? or just a bandolier of grenades?

[TrippyNightmare]

@Ollumhammersong my sheet is now aesthetically epic.