Real Robot Mecha + Sci-fi RP (Macross/Gundam + Mass Effect style?)

[Rhona W]

I'm a huge fan of mecha anime, and especially the Real Robot subgenre, as opposed to the Super Robot side.
I'm especially a massive fan of Macross, and have a very strong desire to run something that's got transforming mecha that turn into aerospace fighters in it, in a sci-fi setting.

I don't want to run something in a Fandom setting; I'd much rather write my original background and setting. I'd quite like to run something in a full on, deep space, multiple words, galaxy-spanning setting with multiple sapient races as well as humans.
I'm thinking something along the lines of Mass Effect in that regard; an interspecies alliance of powers living in peace with other hostile species and various long-standing mysteries of the galaxy, etc.

I had the idea that the player party would be in a similar sort of setup to Mass Effect as well; not necessary rank-and-file military, but a group with relative autonomy, on a medium-sized ship, investigating particular leads and information to follow up a plot, exploring and getting into trouble. A multi-species crew with various specialities, but with the action being mostly mecha-focused, with some moments of on-foot action as well, and plenty of downtime between action scenes for character development and interaction, and unravelling the clues and leads that are discovered.

At the moment, I'm just throwing out the vague ideas; I'll form a more coherent setting, narrative, and guidelines if there's enough interest.
Not looking for a huge group - just enough to form a decent-sized core group of people that are reliable and don't flake out.

Players would absolutely be able to play non-humans as well as human characters, and - to a degree - can create their own species, as long as they're not too out there, or too OP and ridiculous. Of course, that can all be discussed and laid out in an OOC.

Same with mecha; there'd be scope to create your own, as long as they fit the standards of the setting and aren't ridiculously OP.

All ideas at the moment, would be happy to answer more questions if there are any.

[Foster]

Similar idea, feel free to steal it:

tl;dr: WW1 mechs being orbital-dropped from airships and manned by catgirl/monster-girl infantry.

Pffft. "Hear me out here; what if we taught catgirls to commit warcrimes." And thus he was tasked with testing the most efficient method of catgirl warcriming with a disgusting budget and an endless supply of socially rejected catgirls. I see potential with this idea.

Airship drop wire exosuit diesel punk infantry raids on trenches would be crazy. Kind of like Iron Harvest with their diesel mechs. Alternatively, hear me out, rocket assisted launch pods for infantry. True bargain bin ODST at that point. Casualty rates are high, but the enemy's are higher.

[Letter Bee]

@Rhona W, I might - might - be interested.

[CitrusArms]

Can I direct you to Battletech for some inspiration?

Either way, hello.

Edit: Just saying it sounds like a mercenary group in the Inner Sphere of the Battletech Universe. Less fighting more exploring, perhaps.

[Rhona W]

Can I direct you to Battletech for some inspiration?

Either way, hello.

Edit: Just saying it sounds like a mercenary group in the Inner Sphere of the Battletech Universe. Less fighting more exploring, perhaps.

@CitrusArms

I'm well aware of Battletech, but I wanted to run my own original setting with non-human characters in it. And more anime style than Battletech's walking tanks. The transforming mecha was one of the big draws for me, and they're perilously rare in Battletech, to the point that the fanbase is quite divided over the fact they should even exist or not.
I appreciate the thought though.

Similar idea, feel free to steal it:

tl;dr: WW1 mechs being orbital-dropped from airships and manned by catgirl/monster-girl infantry.

<Snipped quote>

@Foster

Not really something I'm interested in, but thanks anyway

[CitrusArms]

More anime style? Sure sure. Still interested, for sure. I always wanted a cool and useful Land/Air Mech, but Battletech doesn't have those, either.

I haven't done a fox girl in a while..

[Rhona W]

More anime style? Sure sure. Still interested, for sure. I always wanted a cool and useful Land/Air Mech, but Battletech doesn't have those, either.

I haven't done a fox girl in a while..

@CitrusArms

Yeah, cool and useful transforming mecha was what I was going for, hence the Macross inspiration - it's my favourite anime franchise after all, and it combined my adoration of fighter aircraft with my one for mecha.
Fox girl would definitely be welcome. I was thinking of playing an anthro character myself.
At least that's you who's interested so far. In the very least we can do a 1x1 if no one else is aboard

[CitrusArms]

I may use a screenshot of a mech of mine in MechWarrior Online, if that's alright? I think I know which one, too. She's a pretty mech, I got a real nice pattern and coloring on her.

But, yeah, we can do a 1x1 if nobody else bites. :3

[CitrusArms]

Here she is~

[Rhona W]

Here she is~

@CitrusArms

I love the colour scheme! I don't recognise the 'mech, but that's not surprising.
I was thinking of the YF-29 Durandal for myself

[CitrusArms]

Thank you! I'm a fan of indigo and Violet. That's a Mist Lynx, a clan mech, MLX-ED variant. I also run the Arctic Cheetah, another clan mech, ACH-Prime.

That's a.. robotech? No, Macross, like you said earlier. Mmm... I seem to remember some kind of design scandal resulting in unseen mechs in battletech. I never got too into robotech or macros, myself.

I remember I played a robotech game on the PS2, once. It had the same three shapes you could transform into.

[Letter Bee]

@Rhona W, Ahem, I am aboard...

Of course, I am going to need to scrounge up the time, but there are ways...

[Smike]

I’m interested! Depends on what my time looks like by the time I sit to make a sheet tho

[Eviledd1984]

@Rhona W

I would be intersted in joining, although it depends on my mood and if work doesn't drain all my creative juices.

[Rhona W]

@Rhona W, Ahem, I am aboard...

@Letter Bee

Well, when you said you might be interested I wasn't sure if you were or not, but that's great!

@Smike, @Eviledd1984 - I'd love to have both of you aboard.

Thank you! I'm a fan of indigo and Violet. That's a Mist Lynx, a clan mech, MLX-ED variant. I also run the Arctic Cheetah, another clan mech, ACH-Prime.

That's a.. robotech? No, Macross, like you said earlier. Mmm... I seem to remember some kind of design scandal resulting in unseen mechs in battletech. I never got too into robotech or macros, myself.

I remember I played a robotech game on the PS2, once. It had the same three shapes you could transform into.

@CitrusArms

Macross and Robotech are somewhat related; the original Macross anime from 1984(ish) was adapted as the first part of Robotech.
The same company that did so held rather jealously onto the rights and the name for a long time outside of Japan, and that in part is what ended up making the Unseen 'mechs unseen to begin with. The ones that weren't from Macross were licenced from other anime at the time, and FASA didn't have the rights to use them everywhere due to the way it was handled.
I actually got into mecha anime due to Battletech - I watched the old animated show when it was released. That lead me to the novels, and a general interest in mecha. There was an anime magazine in the UK at the time that had a mecha special, and from there I found out about more and more anime and mecha anime in particular, and how it related to Battletech

In other news; I'll start working on some ideas for an OOC and try and get it up in the next couple of days

[Eviledd1984]

@Rhona W

I know you mentioned our characters could be aliens, i had an idea for an alien race i wanna play. Can i DM you the details?

[CitrusArms]

The Saturday morning cartoon? Engage Enhanced Imagining?! The 3D has not aged well. It's great.

I'm pretty into Battletech, but there's a lot of lore to go through, and I came in kinda late. I played the mektek mod of MechWarrior Mercenaries 4 a bit, some ten years ago or somethin' like that. Mech Merc 5 is pretty cool, too. My first exposure to Battletech was from MechAssault 2, on the first Xbox. What a game that was. I couldn't play online, though, 'cause we didn't have live until after the game was dead.

Chromehounds was also a jam, though.

[Rhona W]

@Rhona W

I know you mentioned our characters could be aliens, i had an idea for an alien race i wanna play. Can i DM you the details?

@Eviledd1984

Yes, definitely eager to have non-humans as well as human characters feature. Will go into more detail with this on the OOC. But feel free to DM me the details in the meantime.

The Saturday morning cartoon? Engage Enhanced Imagining?! The 3D has not aged well. It's great.

I'm pretty into Battletech, but there's a lot of lore to go through, and I came in kinda late. I played the mektek mod of MechWarrior Mercenaries 4 a bit, some ten years ago or somethin' like that. Mech Merc 5 is pretty cool, too. My first exposure to Battletech was from MechAssault 2, on the first Xbox. What a game that was. I couldn't play online, though, 'cause we didn't have live until after the game was dead.

Chromehounds was also a jam, though.

@CitrusArms

There is a lot of lore, and it's continuous since the original release as well, so it can feel a bit overwhelming to try and take all of it in or get up to date on all of it.
By comparison to your experience, I haven't really played any of the video games - I've always been more of a console 'gamer', and I use the term in quote marks, since I'm pretty casual. Most of the BattleTech/MechWarrior games were always on PC until recently, and I never had a gaming PC. But the lore is still the same across both, and it was that that interested me more than the game itself.

I prefer my anime mecha to the Western/Battletech depictions; I like the more fluid, agile movement and kinetic action. But that's not to say that I don't like Battletech as well, and there's certainly room - for me at least - to appreciate both.

[Kensai]

Oh, I am in like Flint.

Psychic elf girl in a mecha with an ESPer lens that amplifies her powers to mecha scale. Just a minute while I pick out a Mamoru Nagano design....

[Rhona W]

Oh, I am in like Flint.

Psychic elf girl in a mecha with an ESPer lens that amplifies her powers to mecha scale. Just a minute while I pick out a Mamoru Nagano design....

@Kensai

That sounds like something that might fit in well!

I should have the OOC up tonight or tomorrow, hopefully!