For centuries, the planet known by its inhabitants as Cai had seen perpetual conflict. It seemed that none of the small states littering its surface could get the upper hand and dominate the others, though, so the wars were frequent but small and short-lived.
Until recently, that is.
General Erik Raschkrom was once among the small, powerless leaders who constantly fought for small bundles of territory. He, however, never lost. Never did he have to retreat; never did he have to surrender. Raschkrom conquered vast tracts of land, eliminating smaller states altogether, until he had built an empire hundreds of kilometers in width, spanning across the rivers and mountains that had once served as borders for the states that he conquered.
Raschkrom was ambitious and wanted nothing more than to move beyond his position of General, as most great men are, and so he easily wrested control of the empire from its ruler - who could do nothing to stop him - and declared it the Raschkrom Empire.
Now, people don't like to be conquered, and so the smaller states still in existence took a risk. They found a great military leader of their own - General Donovan Tower. General Tower knew that the trust that they had in him was great, for they had no reason to believe he wouldn't take control as Raschkrom had. At first he seemed able to handle his duties, bringing Raschkrom's armies to a standstill and convincing even more small nations to give him support in his defensive campaign. But Tower gave in.
He did so slowly, grudgingly, at first: initially all he did was dub his combined armies the Tower Coalition, but eventually he began acting like a ruler. After a few years, he began phasing out local control and the Tower Coalition became ever more centralized. Then Raschkrom attacked again, driving the Coalition forces back and killing Donovan Tower.
The Tower Coalition, however, still had great respect for their former leader. He had resisted the lust for power that Raschkrom had long since given in to.
They fought on, facing internal power struggles and a lack of significant military leadership. They fought on because they had to. They fought on because if they failed to do so, Raschkrom would be unstoppable, if he wasn't already.
And perhaps their savior has arrived in the form of a skilled young pilot named James Cain and his small group of confidants...
GENERAL INFORMATION:
James Cain is, in fact, a prominent figure in the Tower Coalition, and you are, in fact, all under his leadership. Not directly, of course. You will probably not meet him until late in the story, assuming you all make it that far.
You see, battling is a heavy part of this RPG, for obvious reasons. Obeying orders and being smart will earn you a slow but solid climb to prominence - trying to pull off crazy stunts puts you at risk of getting your zoid destroyed or (in extreme cases) your character killed, but it offers a chance to be incredibly awesome and earn my respect, if not the good will of your in-character superiors.
That said! Killing off your characters will be avoided as much as possible. I'm not trying to make anyone uncomfortable with battling. I just want you all to understand the risks involved.
High risk, high reward, hm?
APPLICATION PROCESS:
If you don't know much about zoids, this... may be difficult. But that's why such sites as Zoids Wiki exist - and you'll probably learn a significant amount from experience gained while playing, too, so don't be afraid to try.
The application form is as follows:
Name: [This should be relatively obvious - what is your character's name?] Gender: [Male or female. Again, pretty simple.] Age: [Preferably somewhere roughly between 18 and 50. Remember, they have to be fit for military duty, so don't get too extreme, although I am more than willing to accept characters outside of this age range, within reason.] Rank: [You will all begin at Sergeant. Not an officer, but not without power, either.] Zoid: [Yes, some people may own multiple zoids. No, you may not list more than one, and it may not be a Zoid X or Ultimate X. In fact, I would prefer it if you stuck with less powerful zoids on the whole. Also, if half a dozen Liger pilots apply, I will begin rejecting them, because enough is enough, eh?]
You may have noticed that the application is not very involved. Well, it really doesn't have to be. I know how powerful zoids are, and there's not much room for customization in player zoids, for balance purposes.
FINAL NOTES:
I do have a vague storyline in mind. You will be pushed towards it. If you want something to change - if you want to meet up with another player's character and they are willing as well, if you want to try a new zoid out, if you want to pull some insane but possibly awesome move - try it. Ask first if you're worried. But most of the time? I'll be open to your wants, needs, and illogical requests. I am at your disposal.
Have fun if you can. I don't want to ruin the story for you. I just want to make it interesting, and I want to keep you on your toes. So play the game with me - don't guess what I want you to do, do what you think will help advance the story in your favor.
Name: Mort Gender: Male Age: 27 Rank: Sergeant Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, and moderate stress to the Seiryuu Sabre mounts. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended.
[Lol, epic fail on my part] I wildly swing the arm, both for swinging him off and slicing with my blade.
Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, moderate stress to the right Seiryuu Sabre mount, and heavy stress to the left Seiryuu Sabre mount. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily ripped at, and there are some claw marks to the left shoulder. Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended.
The thing about clinging to the neck of a Bamburian is the close proximity to its shoulders and the Seiryuu Sabres protruding from them. As your Bamburian stands, the Command Wolf's front feet are lifted from the ground, and claw wildly at you. But you're ready, batting it backwards lazily with one claw.
Having been backhanded by gigantic claws, the Wolf is already feeling some pain, but not as much as when the left Seiryuu Sabre pierces deep into its body. However, neither core nor cockpit are damaged, and the ZCC is actually in the same general position as a spine, so all you really do is shove a jagged bit of steel into the thing. Not that it enjoys the experience, but it isn't taken out by a single stab.
Wrenching about, its jaws and feet scrabbling to get a hold on your neck again, the Wolf desperately fights against the Sabre impaling it.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a smattering of light burn marks to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
I start writing down things that would be good in a report.(ex.# of enemy and what type of zoid they use)
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a smattering of light burn marks to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
You manage to get a rough analysis of the enemy; about two hundred Command Wolves lead their army, supported by another two hundred Shield Ligers, and preceded by fifty Konig Wolves outfitted with back-mounted weaponry which is unidentifiable from the sky, which are presumably command zoids. There is a mass of unidentifiable zoids behind them, bringing to total number to more than one thousand.
This is obviously a fully mechanized division; most divisions only hold about two hundred zoids, at best.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a smattering of light burn marks to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
I keep an eye on the enemy and wait for something to happen or for it to be time for us to head home.
Name: Mort Gender: Male Age: 27 Rank: Sergeant Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, moderate stress to the right Seiryuu Sabre mount, and heavy stress to the left Seiryuu Sabre mount. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily ripped at, and there are some claw marks to the left shoulder. Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended.
I try to wedge around the blade as much as possible, hoping to thrust it in deeper.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a light sandblasting of light damage to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
For a few minutes Lieutenant Layton seems content to circle the enemy division, apparently gathering data or something of the like, with you and Sergeant Wauters trailing him loyally like guards, and the enemy division seems content to remain ignorant of your small squadron.
Then all hell breaks loose. Almost without warning, anti-aircraft shells explode all around you in a storm of flak, which for the most part misses you but reveals your position quite clearly by blowing apart the cloud cover. Wordlessly, Layton swoops above the clouds. He gives no commands because he imposed radio silence earlier, but the message is clear: "hide up here".
You see that your attackers are a trio of Red Horns sitting in the center of a crowd of Black Rhimos guards.
***
Name: Mort Gender: Male Age: 27 Rank: Sergeant
Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, moderate stress to the right Seiryuu Sabre mount, and heavy stress to the left Seiryuu Sabre mount. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily ripped at, and there are some claw marks to the left shoulder. Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended. For the moment there is a dead Command Wolf stuck to your left shoulder, pilot and all.
After a moment your blade strikes home, biting into the Wolf's zoid core and killing the zoid instantly. To get that deep, though? It's not coming out easily, and already one of the last Command Wolves are closing in on your position.
Name: Mort Gender: Male Age: 27 Rank: Sergeant Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, moderate stress to the right Seiryuu Sabre mount, and heavy stress to the left Seiryuu Sabre mount. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily ripped at, and there are some claw marks to the left shoulder. Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended. For the moment there is a dead Command Wolf stuck to your left shoulder, pilot and all.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a light sandblasting of light damage to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a light sandblasting of light damage to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
You retreat above the scattered cloud cover remaining, and more anti-air rounds rip through the air, scouring the armor of you and your teammates. Wauters shouts something that you can't make out, and Layton swears loudly at the breaking of radio silence.
You spot his Storm Sworder. It isn't looking so good, holes torn through its wings and general upper torso. His flight is unstable and he appears unable to pull sharp turns.
"Withdraw!" Layton orders, his zoid lazily pulling into a trembling turn. Wauters is nowhere to be seen, but his radio is showing up as fully operational and tuned in.
Zoid: Redler Weapons: Strike Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws), Variable Laser Blade (mounted in the base of the tail) Equipment: n/a Damage: Some mild stress and pockmarking to armor covering the front legs, and a light sandblasting of light damage to the general front of the zoid. Rear legs are moderately stressed.
I try to make a retreat. As I retreat I will keep an eye out for Wauters and help him escape.
Name: Mort Gender: Male Age: 27 Rank: Sergeant Zoid: Bamburian Weapons: Dual Anti-Air Laser Guns (mounted on the right shoulder), Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher (mounted on the back), Dual Seiryuu Sabres (mounted in the shoulders), Giant Claws (mounted in place of the standard claws) Equipment: Ear Radar (mounted in the ears), Dual Smoke Dischargers (mounted with the Eleven-Shot Bamboo Missile Launcher) Damage: Essentially light damage everywhere, moderate stress to the right Seiryuu Sabre mount, and heavy stress to the left Seiryuu Sabre mount. There are a few scattered gouges where your armor was rent apart wholesale. The left side of your neck, in particular, has been heavily ripped at, and there are some claw marks to the left shoulder. Six missiles expended. One smoke discharge expended. For the moment there is a dead Command Wolf stuck to your left shoulder, pilot and all.
I'll just try to wiggle it out, but if the other zoid gets within 20 m, I'll break the blade off and face my attacker.
