Dice Robotech: Army of the Southern Cross - OOC thread

[Purr]

Psychie Are there any Mega-damage ballistic handguns in your game?

I'm being given the option of either handguns or shotguns and I have never been impressed with the shotguns (the ion pistol has better damage, range, and weighs under 8 lbs).

If so, can such a weapon be tricked out with modern-day accessories like red dot scopes and suppressors? It may be useful to have a stealth weapon on one's hip.

 

[Psychie]

I did post three different MD projectile weapons in the Lore tab, under the personal weapons spoiler. Here they are again. I took the two shotguns from one of the Rifts books most shamelessly.

EDIT. I just noticed you asked about handguns. I'll have to come up with some MD rounds for a semi auto pistol.

Spoiler

M-55 Wolverine Assault Rifle
The Wolverine is a select fire assault rifle issued as the main infantry weapon to Marine platoons. The weapon fires either 5.56mm caseless ammunition or 5.56mm HEAP rounds. It also has an optional under-barrel 25mm grenade launcher.
Weight: 10lbs
Range: Rifle 2,000ft, Grenade Launcher 1,200 feet
S.D.C. Damage: 4d6 S.D.C. for a single rifle round, 1d4x10 S.D.C. for a three round burst
Mega-Damage: 2d4 M.D. for a single HEAP round or 4d4 M.D. for a three round burst of HEAP rounds
25mm Grenades do 4d6 M.D. to a 10 foot area
Payload: 96 round box magazine capable of 32 bursts of S.D.C. or HEAP rounds. The grenade launcher attachment carries 4 grenades. It takes 1 melee round to reload all four grenades.

BigBore Automatic Shotgun
The auto shotgun is a sturdy weapon that can be handled by most people with reasonable effectiveness. This gun uses a pair of alternating side by side barrels to maintain a high rate of fire and give it that intimidating double barrel shotgun look. Its low recoil is achieved with “floating” barrels that partially retract into the gun when fired to absorb some of the impact.
Weight: 12 lbs
Range: 300 feet
Mega Damage: 2d4 MD per single shell/bullet, 4d4 MD per double barreled blast. When using SDC rounds, the damage changes to 4d6 SDC per single shell for buckshot and 5d6 SDC for a solid slug per barrel. Double the damage when firing both barrels at once.
Rate of Fire: Each single or double barreled shot counts as one attack.
Payload: 18 round drum magazine.
Note: A normal PS of 18 or better is required to shoot the Automatic Shotgun. Those with a lower PS shoot with a -3 penalty to strike.

and with the heavy weapons,

BigBore “Room Sweeper” Belt-Fed Shotgun
This is a heavy support weapon meant to be used at point blank range for clearing out rooms, caves, trenches, and other close-quarters environments. The shotgun system has three rotating barrels and connects to an ammo belt that allows an unbelievable amount of firepower to be unleashed within a very small area.
Weight: 20 lbs, plus the ammo pack for an additional 42 lbs usually worn on the user’s back
Range: 200 feet
Mega Damage: 2d4 MD for a single shell, 4d6 MD for a short burst of three shells or 6d6 for a long burst of six shells. SDC damage is 4d6 SDC per single shell.
Rate of Fire: Each burst or single shot counts as one attack
Payload: Ammo pack carries 180 shells
Note: A PS of 24 or better is required to operate the Room Sweeper as a two handed weapon without the shooter suffering ill effects himself. Those with a lower PS shoot with a -4 penalty to strike, and are knocked down on their butts each time they fire the weapon. An Augmented PS of 26 or greater is required to fire it one handed.

 

[Psychie]

And yes, you can add scopes and laser designators to your weapons.

 

[Purr]

Yeah, all three of those are longarms.

And yes, you can add scopes and laser designators to your weapons.

Okay. What about sound suppressors for ballistic weapons?

I have a Real Life background in modern day firearms knowledge. If you are curious about how something or how it might affect Palladium game balance, just shoot.

See what I did there? =)

 

[Psychie]

For the assault rifle, yes. I'll have to consider them for the auto shotguns. Probably not for the belt fed one. The pistol HEAP rounds will do at most a 1d4 MD, considering that the Wolverine rounds do 2d4 for a single HEAP round.

 

[Purr]

Psychie Concerning Character background, I just threw this but it seems to fit. How's this?

Note: It's not short, but I hope it's entertaining at least. =)

Spoiler: Rough draft background

Felis ("Fel-EES" which rhymes with "geese").

The ASC found a downed Zentraedi destroyer missing its bridge, but the rest of the interior was mostly intact. Turns out this destroyer belonged to a minor lord (Lord... "Galthor") that had high favor for his ability to sniff out and destroy hard targets.

As reward for his successes in battle, Lord Galthor was given a special six-soldier team of bodyguards that doubled as hunter-killers to assist him on his forays, doing what he did best.

Except that - during the First Robotech War - the bridge he was standing on was blown out of the sky before he could land and make use of his team. "Terror Team Six" stayed in hibernation inside a destroyer that could do nothing but stay on and sustain them in suspended animation.

Upon discovery, the wandering alien crew of this destroyer surrendered to the Robotech Defense Force and forgot all about the starship. Then, many years later, they remembered the crashed ship and team and sent word to the Army of Southern Cross who recovered it and found it still active.

In true Zentraedi backwards-logic, Felis and the rest of her team were considered failures to be forgotten because they failed to defend their lord. The fact that they had never seen the light of day outside of their gene-tanks meant nothing. In truth, it was what they represented their crewmates hated most - uselessness.

With the help of some of the former crew, the ASC activated and rehabilitated Terror Team Six and separated them. Each went their own way and all except Felis quickly merged into and enjoyed human lifestyles. Some, quickly and happliy, even married humans.

Felis is the odd one of the mix. She believed in her training, her purpose, and everything the gene-tank told her. Unlike her teammates, Felis feels guilty and partly responsible for not being created fast enough to defend her lord against foes she never met during a battle she had no part in.

The ASC tried very hard to figure out what to do with her. At first, they thought she would make an excellent law enforcement agent specialized in counterterrorism, especially in roles involving mecha.

While her time in training went along smoothly with her resulting in extremely high technical and combat scores, the loner Felis made no friends and was always considered the outsider in the team. All the gorgeous Meltrandi seemed to know or was interested in was war. Nothing else. This made her hard to get along with.

It was during her first and final GMP/ESWAT mission against mecha-terrorists that Felis showed her truest colors. During this important seek-and-interrogate operation, her team was ordered to split into ones and twos to find the hidden team of enemy pilots before they entered their mecha. Felis was the first to come across them.

Single-handedly, she brought down and captured all six of the mecha pilots and proceeded to inform her team of her whereabouts while, in the interest of time, she interrogated them. It was when her team arrived that they realized Felis was not meant for a career in the GMP.

The moment the team entered the bloody room, they found five out of the six of the terrified mecha pilots team tied up and screaming for mercy. They began pouring out every detail the GMP needed and more.

Felis had, in front of the rest, tortured the leader of the enemy pilots in ways the GMP found "hard to describe" and "far beyond GMP protocol."

Felis's squad leader just about exploded in surprise and disgust while Felis appeared confused and saw no wrongdoing. Felis explained she was making good her oath to "destroy all enemies of humankind, including humans."

When her squad leader accused Felis of having the feelings of an emotionless droid, Felis countered that there was a double standard now in play - it was not in Zentraedi nature for Zentraedi to kill Zentraedi (Earth was the first and only instance she knew of where this had taken place). Humanity on the other hand, had been killing each other by the millions for thousands of years. So it was all right for humans to kill humans, but when an honorable alien sworn to defend Earth did it, now they were suspect?

This argument effectively ended Felis's GMP career. After a short time of being bounced agency to agency, it was Tactical Corp - Recon who finally took her in. Recon didn't know what to do about Felis's lack of ethics and lack desire to gain any sense of morality, but they knew how best how to use it toward Earth's and Felis's advantage. For generations, Recon had a long list of anarchistic oddballs and soldiers who would not fit anywhere else.

If you ask Recon, Felis isn't evil and she isn't good. She has no code except to keep her word and serve whom she will. For that, she is willing to do just about anything. She has no remorse about killing, feels no emotional pain except loneliness and confusion, and seems only to be happy when she is serving a just cause. She can be loyal to a fault and has zero qualms about doing things that even experienced soldiers would blanch at.

Introverted Felis is cool-headed under fire and can be relied on to perform very dangerous things without showing fear. No one in Recon recalls seeing her crying, laughing, or scared - just laser-focused on whatever it is she is doing. Recon is also proud that they are responsible for turning her on to Bruce Lee and his martial arts.

The screwballs good folks in Recon are hoping in the years to come that Felis, like the many outsiders and outcasts in Recon, learns about herself and finds a squadron that can help her grow as a person.

Just don't try to get her drunk, they warn. It's not pretty if she thinks you're trying to take advantage of her. =)

Meanwhile, her high-impact combat training regimen increases with her addition into a completely new team. Recon is hoping that this experience will help broaden her mind while yoing Felis uses her potent skills to do what she was born to do - serve others.

What do you think? Is she interesting?

 

[Psychie]

That's pretty brutal, but not in a bad way.

A minor tweak. Your Lord Galthor is going to have to be a woman, or else you wouldn't be able to serve on the same ship as him, since the Zentraedi were all gender separated.

So you started out in GMP, then went to Recon? Why were you selected to be a part of this mixed VHT squad? Is it because of the other Zentraedi in the team (Nova), or some other reason? How do you feel being tasked in the mission of hunting down Zentraedi Malcontents? How do you feel about other Zentraedi?

 

[Purr]

A minor tweak. Your Lord Galthor is going to have to be a woman, or else you wouldn't be able to serve on the same ship as him, since the Zentraedi were all gender separated.

Thanks for the correction! Having never watched the entire series, I'm still a little confused as to Khyron and Azonia on the same ship ogether. But yeah, I can change the name and make her lord a... lady? "Commander?" What fits vanilla Robotech best?

So you started out in GMP, then went to Recon?

That's how I'd like Felis to start that's all right. It would also explain her choices of MOSs.

Why were you selected to be a part of this mixed VHT squad? Is it because of the other Zentraedi in the team (Nova), or some other reason?

I don't know. I was going to leave that to you. Perhaps we are the only VHT squad with Meltrandi? Whatever works best for your story.

How do you feel being tasked in the mission of hunting down Zentraedi Malcontents?

Terror Team Six voluntarily chose to serve humanity (in large part because the RDF warmly accepted the crew from Felis's destroyer). If the malcontents wish to oppose Humanity, they have basically dug their own graves.

How do you feel about other Zentraedi?

To answer this question, I should point out that Felis has no feeling of self-worth beyond that of being a trivial war asset. Her idea of success is "how many kills did I get this week?" The gene tank told her that males Zentraedi grunts have a life expectancy of three years and she has no reason to believe hers will be any longer.

So, in one lens she sees her fellows as a great warrior race that has accomplished much. But on another scale, she sees all Zentraedi as war assets of one kind or another, created and dedicated to a life and death of war. Like humans, they are either allies or enemies. Right now, the only people she really cares about are those on Terror Team 6, and the destroyer she came from, and a couple people in Recon. That's it. And she cares for more about them than she does about herself. She really does see herself as just a tool with little value.

Humans are entirely different creatures. Nowhere is this more prevalent in her life right now than the teachings of Bruce Lee. Her fellows in Terror Team Six have completely embraced the human lifestyle and Felis doesn't quite know what to think about that. So she is hoping to learn how to live before her life ends in battle. Maybe, she thinks that there will be enough time to see things differently before some land mine, missile, or autocannon erases her from this fleeting world.

 

[Psychie]

Thanks for the correction! Having never watched the entire series, I'm still a little confused as to Khyron and Azonia on the same ship ogether. But yeah, I can change the name and make her lord a... lady? "Commander?" What fits vanilla Robotech best?

Khyron and Azonia were on the same ship after the defection of the fleet under the command of High Lord Bretai, and after the victory over Dolza, neither one were able to integrate into human society and started the Malcontent resistance up to the point where they rammed the SDF-1 with their own Command Ship, killing them both and destroying both ships.

Having your ship commander being a woman would work better for you having a female character. The only time that it happened that the genders were integrated was after the final battle against Dolza, and it sounds like your boss was killed in the battle.

I don't know. I was going to leave that to you. Perhaps we are the only VHT squad with Meltrandi? Whatever works best for your story.

With most of the loyal Zentraedi leaving with the UEEF fleet, there are few aliens left, but many of the ones that stayed behind did join in the military as their way to continue to serve and be useful, finding that the structure of the army helped to give them a sense of belonging and purpose. Your squad will be a bit of a rarity from having two Zentraedi in it, but it won't be totally unheard of.

With this in mind, are you still good with the idea of playing a Zentraedi? If so, I'm good with it. You have clearly put some thought into your concept, and it works for this setting I have in mind.

 

[Psychie]

With all of our postings here, I've forgotten to ask WlfSamurai if you have any comments or questions to bring up. Is there anything on your mind that you want clarified? I don't want you to be left out of this.

 

[Purr]

The only time that it happened that the genders were integrated was after the final battle against Dolza, and it sounds like your boss was killed in the battle.

Definitely. If the boss had survived, that would have changed Felis's fate in a major way.

With all of our postings here, I've forgotten to ask WlfSamurai if you have any comments or questions to bring up. Is there anything on your mind that you want clarified? I don't want you to be left out of this.

It's true! What's your take on all this, WlfSamurai? Or barring that, what'chu gots ta say? =)

 

[Psychie]

BTW, Dann, it looks like you have selected WP Energy Rifle twice; once in your general skills and once with your Secondary skills.

 

[Purr]

BTW, Dann, it looks like you have selected WP Energy Rifle twice; once in your general skills and once with your Secondary skills.

Thanks for pointing that out! That's something I hadn't yet edited out - she receives 3 Secondary Skills, not those 4. Her sheet is definitely not done yet.

I copied over this sheet from the one I created for Gabi (especially seeing that they were the same O.C.C.). =)

With this in mind, are you still good with the idea of playing a Zentraedi? If so, I'm good with it. You have clearly put some thought into your concept, and it works for this setting I have in mind.

Yes! Felis as a human Character would be... awkward and odd. Is there anything else I should know for playing a Meltrandi?

As for WlfSamurai's Character, I like her hair! =)

 

[Purr]

Psychie I think we need starting allowed gear, starting credits, and... I think that's it?

For the assault rifle, yes. I'll have to consider them for the auto shotguns. Probably not for the belt fed one. The pistol HEAP rounds will do at most a 1d4 MD, considering that the Wolverine rounds do 2d4 for a single HEAP round.

Also, regarding HEAP M.D. rounds for pistols, what pistols out there are you comfortable with using? Because if you're going Real Life with pistols, boy... I know of some good ones! =)

Also, are you allowing fully-automatic pistols (with less damage than the Wolverine, of course)?

Like maybe... Glocks? =)

Full-auto Glocks are fun! Wanna see why? =)

Spoiler: The one, the only, good ol' Hickok45!

Short video with lots of fun!
"Glock 18 Vs Bowling Pins"


And if I'm showing that one, I've got to show this almost shorter - but equally fun - video with his son, John!
"Full Auto Glock vs Barrel of Water!"

 

[Psychie]

I was going to go with the stats from the MP-84 in the Macross saga book, so yes, a full auto pistol is available. I'll just have to add it to the small arms list with a MDC round option for it. I'll do that in a bit.

 

[Purr]

Cool!

EDIT: The MP-84! Of course! With HEAP rounds, sight, and suppressor, she's a mean little beast! =)

Good thinking, Psychie!

 

[Psychie]

Thank you!

 

[Psychie]

Hey Dann. I found a pic that made think of your character.



The outfit is a bit off, but the blue skin and white hair looks good to me. What do you think?

 

[Psychie]

Here are some others,

 

[Purr]

The outfit is a bit off, but the blue skin and white hair looks good to me. What do you think?

I really dig the colors and the moods of each picture! If Felis had been raised by humans, maybe she would look like that, especially the first shot. And who knows? As young as she is, maybe you guys will get her into a dress (she's never worn one).

At least, here in Character Creation, I see Felis as being something more Meltrandi, more Masamune Shirow if you will, maybe with some Mechwarrior/Battletech thrown in there, with a nice splash of Cyberpunk 2020/2077 to spice it all up! While Larry Elmore's painting comes closest, I also found these while looking around:

Spoiler: Felis inspiration

(Image credit: Peakpx)


(Image credit: Artist Erica Manz if I read this correctly?)

And, of course, I've been inspired by Masamune Shirow ever since I discovered Appleseed back in the day! His characters, artwork, stories, and adventures have such life to them!

(Image credit: The incredible Masamune Shirow!)

WlfSamurai What's your take on all this, Bubba? What can you tell us about your Character, Alice Cross (I really like the name!)? Do you like Glocks? Let's get this game going! =)

 

[Psychie]

WlfSamurai How are you coming along on your sheet? Do you need any help on your character?

 

[Psychie]

Purr , If I don't hear from WlfSamurai soon, one way or another, I may end up giving you a field promotion to sergeant so we can get the game moving forward. Perhaps I should give Sherwood a nudge; he's always been interested in Robotech. What do you think?

 

[Purr]

Psychie I have three thoughts about this:

1. According to RP Nation, Wlfsamurai last logged on Monday. The last time he posted in this game was 29 Dec 2021. That's only a week and New Year's is one of the busiest and roughest times emotionally and professionally for many. I say give WlfSamurai more time; he'll reappear when able with his warm, good-natured self. =)

2. Unlike Ridge, Felis (whom I might rename to Risa) is a lousy leader. She takes orders too literally and has no code of ethics, only duty. She is a follower by nature and unless you like following natural born killers, she's best in the middle of the pack. If she were put in charge with the wrong group, things might either go uphill fast or downhill even faster. I am certain of one thing though - I'm having trouble nailing down her Palladium Alignment. She's definitely not Good or Evil so that makes her Selfish. In Dungeons and Dragons, she would be a very firm Lawful Neutral. Lawful Neutral leaders don't care about good or evil, just law. So... it highly depends on the personalities of those under her, above her, and the missions she is to undertake. Come to think of it now, she'd make one hell of a hitman... =)

3. I leave whether to ask Sherwood to you. This is your game and I feel doubly lucky to be in it. Firstly because you initially put this game out there for people you had not gamed with and secondly that you reversed that opinion to add someone like me. Let me add my "blanket statement" if you will on such matters. It goes like this: "Nearly every gamer out there, you and myself included, brings baggage to a game. Nearly every gamer also brings their gifts. Balance these gently and carefully in your head before you allow either."

3a. Then again, you have but two Players at the moment. I recommend searching yourself carefully to see what you really want and, armed with whatever your self-searching finds, go forth confidently knowing you've done your research.

EDIT: I get the feeling Felis/Risa would get along well with Motoko Kusanagi whom she would see as practical and efficient.

 

[Psychie]

Thanks for your input. I was not planning on counting Wlf out of this quite yet. I know that things in Real Life can be chaotic this time of year, and don't want to just jump to assuming that he was gone.

Regarding Sherwood , I'll go ahead and send him an invite. We'll see if he will accept. Knowing him, he will, and that's ok with me.

So Sherwood, what do you say? Interested in giving another Robotech game a try?

 

[Purr]

Thanks for your input. I was not planning on counting Wlf out of this quite yet.

I didn't think you were. You're more faithful than that. =)

So Sherwood, what do you say? Interested in giving another Robotech game a try?

=) I don't know... You know Sherwood and Robotech. Can't say I can tell you how interested he is in an old game like that.

Hah!

Sherwood, you'll probably have to create a leading Character unless you want to go on a highly-unusual ride with mine in charge (maybe we could go that route until she was demoted? That might be fun to experience). If you're not in the mood to play a leader, that leaves two more options I can think of. Either I change Characters or Psychie puts an NPC in charge. Or here's a third - WlfSamurai returns and his Alice leads? I think I'd like that. =)