If all goes well, this will be a neat, relatively brief forum game. I intend to actually finish one for once. While I don't intend to this to be a meat grinder, don't get too miffed if your character dies. It might happen, and like I said, the game shouldn't last
too long if I can manage it anyway. End OOC statement.
Welcome to the Earth Defense CorpsCitizens of Earth: It has been twenty three years since we claimed our extraterrestrial foothold. The planet Verne II is our new path to expansion: It has new life, rich resources, it is the best means by which we can reach other planets theorized to be habitable. It was once that all who went needed only pioneering spirit. But surely you have heard the word of alien attacks. The threat is new, and men are required to fight it. We cannot wait for our foes to gain an edge- we must fight back immediately. Don't hesitate, join now. All recruits will be set into squads and given three months of specialized training. Then you will embark on the twelve month journey to the Verne system in cryogenic stasis.
...so ends the brief radio broadcast. Silvester Maximilian Bernard was seen as something of an eccentric when he brought weapons and soldiers to Verne II with the original wave of colonists. There was life there, but everything discernible suggested there was no intelligent life, certainly not space-faring creatures capable of waging war. So it seemed for the first dozen years, while 'Trigger-happy Max' stockpiled weapons and made people uneasy. Later when the colonies were unexpectedly attacked, he was the only person capable of leading a counterattack. A year away from any formal military assistance, he quickly became a figure of great influence. He controlled military policy- such as recruiting. By his eccentricity, a complete yahoo like you can get free military training, weapons, and a trip to space.
The recruiting office is full of everybody adventurous- or displaced. No questions about your background are asked, you are simply given a pamphlet to fill out- not an official, legal looking one, but a colorful marketeering one with pictures. The pamphlet contains briefing information as well as forms to fill out. While a paid marketing designer has evidently compiled the forms, a little bit of Silvester's craziness is still evident.
Equipment related to food and shelter is given out free, as well as a short-range radio headset. However, you are free to choose which equipment you want to use for combat. You are given a budget of 3000 credits. You also can only carry one Heavy item. Light armor is free if you do not upgrade to heavy armor.
Flamethrower- Heavy! 2000c. This weapon requires you to get relatively close, but does large amounts of damage. It can also cause enemies to panic when hit. A secondary setting allows it leave a burning oil slick of sorts. Has a pair of gas tanks you wear on your back.
Machinegun- Heavy! 2000c. This weapon can also cover an area. It has a good range and can pierce heavy armor, but isn't very accurate. Better against vehicles than the flamethrower. Has a bipod- it is more accurate when set up, but you can't move around this way.
Rocket Launcher- Heavy! 2100c. Comes with a bloody lot of rockets. May be hard to hit fast moving infantry, but a serious threat to infantry in cover. Or vehicles. Or so-called bomb proof bunkers.
Assault Rifle- 1000c. Accurate enough to hit, quick enough to fire more bullets if you miss.
Sniper Rifle- 1000c. Very accurate, but not actually a lot better than the assault rifle if you try to use it while moving. Has a bipod. Can pierce some cover and vehicles; it has a power comparable to the large machine gun.
Shotgun- 1000c. A simple weapon, but very effective. Can be accurate at long range, but its effect on armored targets diminishes quickly.
Pistol- 500c. Boring and generic. Semi-automatic. Can be dual-wielded.
Knife- 100c. Large sheath knife. Has a smooth blade on one side, a serrated blade on the other.
Buster Sword- Heavy! 1000c. A sword as big as you are! It has removable parts so that it can be used as a reasonable sized sword or a knife/saw. But you know you want the big one so you can chop aliens in half.
Grenade- 200c. each. Not quite as powerful as the rocket launcher. It's explosive, but the killing power comes almost entirely from shrapnel. If you're in heavy armor, you can drop it close to you.
Banjo- 100c. Fight them with love.
Flashlight- 100c. It's pretty bright.
Flares- 50c. each. Choose a color!
Bomb- 500c. The most explosives you're allowed to carry. The remote detonator has a long range, use as much of it as possible.
Radio Extender- 500c. Heavy! If it's in range of your headset, it will re-broadcast your signals over a considerable portion of the planet. It's almost certain to be in range of another, which will put you in contact with command anywhere except the poles of the planet.
Heavy Armor- 600c. Covers your entire body and is thicker than regular armor.
Gas Mask/Rebreather- 300c. Great for chemical attacks.
Field Laptop- 500c. A fully functional computer! Can access other computers via radio.
Mulebot- 800c. Robot on treads. Carries a heavy item and any number of light items.
Jeep- 1900c. Your very own jeep! A light vehicle that seats a driver, three passengers and a turret gunner. The turret gunner can mount a heavy weapon for accuracy as if they were sitting down still. Since it's yours, you can spray paint rude names on it if you want.
Spray can- 50c. Paint that can be sprayed on a solid surface, for an even color or writing. Choose a color!
First Aid Kit- 100c. each. Stops the bleeding. Doesn't make wounds disappear, though.
Shack- 1200c. Heavy! Parts and tools to build your very own shack out of poles and sheet metal. 30x20 feet.
Forensic Crime Analysis Kit- 1000c. Much like on TV, but not quite.
Pogo Stick- 100c.
Shovel- 100c. Dig a trench!
Bayonet- 300c. A blade that goes on the end of your gun.
You have three months of training. Each skill will use one month, so pick three. Skills may be taken multiple times.
Physical Fatigue- Survive more wounds.
Heavy Weapons- Use the Machine Gun, Flamethrower, or Rocket Launcher better overall.
Combat Marksmanship- Be deadlier while running around with an assault rifle, pistol or shotgun.
Standing Marksmanship- Use the Assault Rifle, Pistol or Sniper more effectively to shoot targets at long range while standing still.
Melee combat- Hurt someone by hitting them. Useful with a bladed weapon, your gun, or your fists.
Maintenance and Repair- Service your own weapons if you aren't near a base.
Driving- Drive a jeep or motorcycle, as well as other land vehicles you might gain access to.
Explosives- Set/disarm bombs, and hit more effectively with grenades and rockets.
Running- Charge your enemies down or escape from them.
Radio Operation- Decrypt/Encrypt signals, and maintain the radio extender. Doesn't affect your normal headsets.
First Aid- Skills to prevent people from bleeding out, and stitch their wounds at higher levels. You can also better assess wounds. For serious surgery you will need a doctor with more than three months of training though.
Cards- Poker, Blackjack, Egyptian Rat-Slap, Bridge, Mau, BS, you name it, you've played it. You spent, like, a month slacking off and playing cards.
Computer Operations- Get data off of computers, especially when you're not supposed to. Also helps operate the Mulebot.
Geology- The main skill you'll need for wilderness survival on mars. You can extract water from the right kind of sand, and even find where you can dig a trench easily.
Voodoo- Personally, you think trying to place a magical curse on your enemies is a good idea.
The aliens are intelligent, but we know little about them and have been completely unable to communicate with them. During much of the early part of the war they were even seldom seen. We know that most of them are not originally from Verne II. As extremely little is known about them and their weapons, information gained is valuable.
One race stands like a human, but has three eyes on stalks in place of a head. These carry electromagnetic guns that are surprisingly accurate, and sometimes stun devices. Theorized to be the more intelligent of the lot.
Another race stands like gorillas, and is about as large. They like to fight in melee. They usually aren't a huge threat to soldiers, but some have started wearing armor and are very deadly. They often carry weapons, but are prone to discarding them and simply fighting with their fists and teeth.
There's a shorter standing race that isn't very fast, and wears masks. They tend to favor thrown weapons, or flamethrowers. They use a very wide array of liquid chemicals and gases to fight.
There are some six-legged animals that resemble dogs or big cats. They're dangerous alone, but sometimes they have bombs attached to them.
Only recently, we have had sightings of a race that we believes acts as slaves, and builds their infrastructure, which are short and stocky.
As you can see, our information is extremely poor- there are other races, these are only our best documented.. Please report any new sightings or remarks. There is also a wide array of alien weapons in our possession which, as of yet, we have failed to operate.
Squad Alpha will consist of the first five applicants to fill out their forms and submit them. Should they fail in their task, they will be replaced by Squad Beta, and so on...
Well, what are you waiting for?
Author
Topic: Kill Aliens, and Don't Afraid of Anything: Enter Atmosphere (Read 7915 times)