Rules and setting information.
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Fandom Ragnarok: Dying World [Kaiju RPG]
- Created at
- Index progress
- Incomplete
Selee-01
All according to my Scenario
"With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound..."
Ragnarok
OOC
CURRENTLY SEEKING PLAYERS AND ASSISTANT GMS!
The Setting
More info will be given as needed.
White Zone: Areas heavily contaminated with toxins or radiation or infested with Kaijuspawn. Generally unsalvageable.
Red Zone: Dangerous regions unsuitable for habitation at present.
Brown Zone: Physically devastated cities or territories that are still recoverable.
Green Zone: Habitable regions.
Grey Zone: Industrial region. Which is most places nowadays.
___
Harbinger: A mecha line built by the United Earth to fill the gap left by the destruction of most Jaegers and Evas. With Near Impact, and Eva-01 subsequently being placed in LEO, a new combat line was needed. Harbingers are grouped into Prototype and Mark series. For example, Prototype.07 or Mark.04. There are only five Prototypes, Prototype.00-04, available. They are either piloted by single, often antisocial pilots or sophisticated A.I.
Evangelion-01 was placed in deep-freeze in the Tesseract, and the Nemesis Series set to guard it. A Harbinger team is due to deploy and recover the Eva and pilot soon.
---
"How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
Mankind has battled against the titanic monsters known as Kaiju for almost a century now. When they first appeared we could do little more than watch in awe as they toppled our greatest monuments with comical ease and made mockeries of our most powerful weapons. But humans are nothing if not tenacious. Even as they ravaged our cities time and time again, we studied them and began preparing to fight back. It took decades and countless setbacks, but finally we crafted warships and metallic monsters of our own strong enough to match the Kaiju and even win. We got good at winning. Too good. We thought we were strong enough to handle anything the universe could throw at us.
We were wrong. The Rift Kaiju were unlike anything we had ever seen before. Just as unstoppable as those we had faced in the past, but far more malicious. These were not lumbering beasts driven by territorial instinct, they were biological weapons with a single goal: exterminate humanity. We fought harder than ever, but the monsters from the Rift never stopped coming. It didn't matter how many they lost, so long as they could take a few of us with them. The never-ending battles ground away at our defenses until there was almost nothing left. We got desperate. We bet everything on a final attack, a Hail Mary to close the Rift or die trying. We succeeded, and arrogantly proclaimed our mastery again despite the massive cost the victory had required. When two more Rifts opened up just three years later, we were completely defenseless.
Mankind now faces its darkest hour. Rift Kaiju are appearing in greater numbers than ever. People are whispering about strange lights in the sky, alien invaders here to conquer us with their own monsters. Mutants and ancient menaces have begun to rise, awoken by the noise and toxic ruins of our previous battles. Every forgotten superweapon, every rusting Mecha that ever had a hope of slowing down a Kaiju is being frantically dragged out of storage, just to give us some breathing room. The behemoths that once terrorized us are being released one by one in the hopes that they will kill each other before they kill us. Maybe it will be enough to save us from extinction one last time. Maybe not. But one thing's for sure: from here on out, the future isn't going to be made by men. It will be made by monsters.
The Monsters
Each player gets a single Kaiju or Mecha to play as. These may be drawn from any source, and an adjusted outline of the Kaiju/Mecha’s origins will be used as its backstory. The setting's timeline will be modified to reflect these backstories. Only one of each distinct character is allowed, such as Godzilla. There are a few notable exceptions to this rule, such as the Evangelions or Pacific Rim’s Jaegers. Some kaiju are allowed to have multiple individuals as in the Anime Godzilla Trilogy, but please do try to avoid that.
Because things like Jaegers follow the same general template but are all canonically unique and considered difficult (if not impossible) to rebuild once destroyed, it would be unrealistic to force players to select from only those shown in the various source materials. Anyone who wishes to play as a templated being is allowed create their own, complete with unique name, origin, and equipment. The official Pacific Rim Jaeger creator may be helpful for this, as might the Pacific Rim and Godzilla wikis’ weapon pages. Similar customization may be allowed for other Mecha/Kaiju if a reasonable justification can be given.
The list of customizable 'template' characters currently includes (but is not limited to):
All Kaiju/Mecha are roughly the same size (200-300ft tall), with those canonically too small or too large grown or shrunk to fit. To keep the game balanced, all characters will operate at about the same power level, regardless of how strong they are in canon. To maintain a relatively serious tone during dramatic confrontations, any ‘goofy’ abilities that are not core to a Kaiju or Mecha’s identity (such as Godzilla’s ability to fly or turn into a magnet) will be removed. Abilities that allow automatic victory unless negated will be either removed or scaled back to maintain game balance. The GM (I.E. me) has the final say on whether an ability fits the game’s tone or is overpowered.
Summoning abilities, duplication, and other powers are allowed, but the Conservation of Ninjutsu is in effect. The more things you have on your side the weaker they will become.
Characters will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis.
No "I" In Team
As an alternative to selecting a single large monster or robot, players may also opt to play as a team of weaker characters. Battlemech lances, Valkyrie squadrons, Kamacuras packs, Gundam teams, and stranger groups would all fall under this category. Though individually weaker than a normal character, teams can use their numbers and superior tactics to make up for this disadvantage. Teams are not subject to the usual height rules and always remain at their canon sizes.
As mentioned before, for balance reasons fights follow the Conservation of Ninjutsu. You can have as many things on your team as you'd like, but the more you bring the weaker they become.
The Human Element
No Kaiju film would be complete without bloodied pilots in ruined cockpits and panicked scientists running around underfoot. In addition to their city-smashing behemoth, players also have control of a team of humans connected to said behemoth in some way.
For Mecha this is usually the robot’s pilot(s) and primary maintenance team. For Kaiju, it is typically a team of specialists tasked with studying the creature. While most Kaiju cannot talk to humans (and likely wouldn’t even if they could), their teams can interpret and predict their behavior enough to speak for them. For example, a player who needs assistance can have her team point out that their creature is losing the fight and suggest additional assets be deployed to take the heat off it.
When not engaged in titanic brawls through major cities, players are encouraged to interact with one another through their teams. Friendships, romances, rivalries, and feuds are all part of the fun. With GM approval players may even use this time to upgrade their chosen engine of destruction with new abilities or weapons.
Combat-capable Support Teams are allowed and are sometimes logical for certain characters. Kaiju-class individuals may never be taken as part of a Support Team, but anything else is fair game. If you want the SDF-1 to back up your elite Valkrie squadron, it's all yours. Be forewarned that the rules for Summons, Minions, and Teams also applies to your Support. The more backup you bring, the weaker they and your character will become.
The Rules
This game will operate as a traditional RP: you say it and it happens. No rolls will be required, nor will characters need numerical stats or other hard game mechanics. All NPCs are currently controlled by the GMs, and anyone wishing to Assistant GM would be most welcome.
Gameplay itself uses the limited consent system: cosmetic injuries may be inflicted without requesting permission from other players, but in general players should post an action and let their opponent describe the ultimate result. You may not inflict lasting harm on another character without the permission of the player running that character. As always, powergaming will not be tolerated.
When introducing their monster/robot here in the OOC thread, players must simply give its name, a brief description of its in-universe history, any unique abilities it has, and any key members of its support team. Players should also list their character’s areas of relative strength and weakness. Godzilla is strong but slow, Evangelions have fantastic defense but limited battery life, etc. A link to a Wiki page for either the character or its source material is also helpful, especially for more obscure characters. Once a GM has approved your character sheet, you are free to post in the IC thread!
Character Sheet:
Name:
Appearance:
Origins:
Template:
Tank: A fighter oriented around ranged combat. These guys are also the most well-defended, bearing heavy armor or powerful force fields to weather blows, but lack in speed.
Juggernaut: Armored and fast, but lacking in ranged options.
Duelist: These lightweights are made for one on one, relying on speed to outflank a single foe.
Berserker: You're not the strongest. Nor the fastest. Not even particularly smart. But when something pisses you off, you blow up big time.
Sniper: You may not excel in melee, but close-quarters combat is for savages. You rely on range and battlefield repositioning to tear a foe to shreds.
Mother/Carrier: You prefer to leave the heavy lifting to your children. You aren't good in a fight, but with your spawn you make a formidable foe.
Balanced: Bog standard, jack-of-all-trades. Your everyman monster.
Personality:
History:
Powers:
Strengths: What are you good at? This is not where your lasers go. That's powers.
Weaknesses:
Support Team:
Due to the nature of the setting, Player Vs Player interactions are going to be almost inevitable. Such altercations are encouraged provided they occur in a respectful manner and follow the normal rules regarding limited consent. If you would like your attack to do more than singe some scales, you will need the other player's permission.
Despite many instances of it in various Kaiju canons, mind control of NPC monsters or those of other players is too balance-breaking be allowed. Your support team may use mind control on your monster if you need a good explanation for how they keep it under control, however, and hostile NPCs are still allowed to try and brainwash your character.
Because Mecha can be rebuilt even after total destruction and Kaiju are nearly impossible to permanently put down, the risk of character death will extremely low. Even if torn to bits andthrown in a volcano, sooner or later they will return. Sadly support staff are not nearly as durable and thus may only be killed off if a player explicitly consents.
Kaiju are notoriously fickle and Mecha are mechanically unreliable. Player absences during active conflicts will be treated as either their Kaiju losing interest and leaving or their Mecha breaking down. If you will be gone for an extended period of time or wish to leave the game, please let everyone know so appropriate steps can be taken.
---
Better! Faster! Stronger! (Upgrades)
Everyone likes getting stronger, and everyone likes being able to customize his or her character. That's where Upgrades come in. Upgrades can be almost anything a GM has approved, though you may not use them to remove a weakness that has not yet been used against you. Apart from that extra firepower, new abilities, improvements to old abilities, the limits are endless. They also are not limited by canon: you can add weapons, abilities, or other things on that your character never had originally, provided they stay within its theme. For example: a biological Kaiju cannot be Upgraded to have huge minigun in its arm without a very good IC explanation...but could learn to breathe fire. Sadly, like all good things, Upgrades must first be earned.
Your character may earn Upgrades by fighting, either with PCs or NPCs. These must be real fights, training or sparring does not count. For every two victories or draws you are able to achieve, you earn a single Upgrade. However, you also earn an Upgrade every time you lose. That's right: a single loss is worth two wins. This is to encourage players to let themselves be beaten now and again: defeat is often a better teacher than victory, and what better time to add on that new plasma cannon than when you're putting your mecha back together anyway? Wins and loses are calculated on a personal level: if your side won the battle but you took a dirt nap, it still counts as a loss for the purposes of earning Upgrades. Also be aware that retreating does not necessarily constitute a loss: being driven away by superior odds is just a draw. Having your ass handed to you and running for dear life with your tail between your legs? That's a loss. GMs will be the ultimate arbitrator of who won and who lost, but generally the outcome should be pretty obvious.
Once earned, characters can either Upgrade before a fight or right in the middle of one (though this last option is generally reserved for Kaiju). As mentioned, almost anything can be an Upgrade, though players are encouraged to tailor their choices either to the eventual route they want their character to develop in, or to previous fights they have had. If your most recent Upgrade was earned because someone suckerpunched your weak point, a logical Upgrade would be to remove that weak point.
Defenses also upgrade in the same inverted manner. Defeats or large amounts of collateral damage convince the world that they are ill-prepared for when a Kaiju comes to stomp on their neighborhood, and nearby cities will spend more on defenses or warning systems. Crushing victories show that humanity is not so poorly protected after all, and people will begin spending on stuff that will improve their quality of life but will lessen their ability to defend against the next attack.
Be aware that attempting to game the system by losing on purpose until you have enough Upgrades to solo the planet will not work. Please don't try it.
---
The number one rule is, above all else, be respectful of your fellow players. Remember it's a game and we're all just here to have a good time. So have fun and go stomp something!
---
"The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around."
"Let them fight."
Ps: I have dibs on Zeruel.
Ragnarok
OOC
CURRENTLY SEEKING PLAYERS AND ASSISTANT GMS!
The Setting
More info will be given as needed.
White Zone: Areas heavily contaminated with toxins or radiation or infested with Kaijuspawn. Generally unsalvageable.
Red Zone: Dangerous regions unsuitable for habitation at present.
Brown Zone: Physically devastated cities or territories that are still recoverable.
Green Zone: Habitable regions.
Grey Zone: Industrial region. Which is most places nowadays.
___
Harbinger: A mecha line built by the United Earth to fill the gap left by the destruction of most Jaegers and Evas. With Near Impact, and Eva-01 subsequently being placed in LEO, a new combat line was needed. Harbingers are grouped into Prototype and Mark series. For example, Prototype.07 or Mark.04. There are only five Prototypes, Prototype.00-04, available. They are either piloted by single, often antisocial pilots or sophisticated A.I.
Evangelion-01 was placed in deep-freeze in the Tesseract, and the Nemesis Series set to guard it. A Harbinger team is due to deploy and recover the Eva and pilot soon.
---
"How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
Mankind has battled against the titanic monsters known as Kaiju for almost a century now. When they first appeared we could do little more than watch in awe as they toppled our greatest monuments with comical ease and made mockeries of our most powerful weapons. But humans are nothing if not tenacious. Even as they ravaged our cities time and time again, we studied them and began preparing to fight back. It took decades and countless setbacks, but finally we crafted warships and metallic monsters of our own strong enough to match the Kaiju and even win. We got good at winning. Too good. We thought we were strong enough to handle anything the universe could throw at us.
We were wrong. The Rift Kaiju were unlike anything we had ever seen before. Just as unstoppable as those we had faced in the past, but far more malicious. These were not lumbering beasts driven by territorial instinct, they were biological weapons with a single goal: exterminate humanity. We fought harder than ever, but the monsters from the Rift never stopped coming. It didn't matter how many they lost, so long as they could take a few of us with them. The never-ending battles ground away at our defenses until there was almost nothing left. We got desperate. We bet everything on a final attack, a Hail Mary to close the Rift or die trying. We succeeded, and arrogantly proclaimed our mastery again despite the massive cost the victory had required. When two more Rifts opened up just three years later, we were completely defenseless.
Mankind now faces its darkest hour. Rift Kaiju are appearing in greater numbers than ever. People are whispering about strange lights in the sky, alien invaders here to conquer us with their own monsters. Mutants and ancient menaces have begun to rise, awoken by the noise and toxic ruins of our previous battles. Every forgotten superweapon, every rusting Mecha that ever had a hope of slowing down a Kaiju is being frantically dragged out of storage, just to give us some breathing room. The behemoths that once terrorized us are being released one by one in the hopes that they will kill each other before they kill us. Maybe it will be enough to save us from extinction one last time. Maybe not. But one thing's for sure: from here on out, the future isn't going to be made by men. It will be made by monsters.
The Monsters
Each player gets a single Kaiju or Mecha to play as. These may be drawn from any source, and an adjusted outline of the Kaiju/Mecha’s origins will be used as its backstory. The setting's timeline will be modified to reflect these backstories. Only one of each distinct character is allowed, such as Godzilla. There are a few notable exceptions to this rule, such as the Evangelions or Pacific Rim’s Jaegers. Some kaiju are allowed to have multiple individuals as in the Anime Godzilla Trilogy, but please do try to avoid that.
Because things like Jaegers follow the same general template but are all canonically unique and considered difficult (if not impossible) to rebuild once destroyed, it would be unrealistic to force players to select from only those shown in the various source materials. Anyone who wishes to play as a templated being is allowed create their own, complete with unique name, origin, and equipment. The official Pacific Rim Jaeger creator may be helpful for this, as might the Pacific Rim and Godzilla wikis’ weapon pages. Similar customization may be allowed for other Mecha/Kaiju if a reasonable justification can be given.
The list of customizable 'template' characters currently includes (but is not limited to):
- Jaegers
- Evangelions
- Harbingers (my original mecha)
- Angels (as in Neon Genesis Evangelion)
- Mythological Figures (Gods, Monsters, etc)
All Kaiju/Mecha are roughly the same size (200-300ft tall), with those canonically too small or too large grown or shrunk to fit. To keep the game balanced, all characters will operate at about the same power level, regardless of how strong they are in canon. To maintain a relatively serious tone during dramatic confrontations, any ‘goofy’ abilities that are not core to a Kaiju or Mecha’s identity (such as Godzilla’s ability to fly or turn into a magnet) will be removed. Abilities that allow automatic victory unless negated will be either removed or scaled back to maintain game balance. The GM (I.E. me) has the final say on whether an ability fits the game’s tone or is overpowered.
Summoning abilities, duplication, and other powers are allowed, but the Conservation of Ninjutsu is in effect. The more things you have on your side the weaker they will become.
Characters will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis.
No "I" In Team
As an alternative to selecting a single large monster or robot, players may also opt to play as a team of weaker characters. Battlemech lances, Valkyrie squadrons, Kamacuras packs, Gundam teams, and stranger groups would all fall under this category. Though individually weaker than a normal character, teams can use their numbers and superior tactics to make up for this disadvantage. Teams are not subject to the usual height rules and always remain at their canon sizes.
As mentioned before, for balance reasons fights follow the Conservation of Ninjutsu. You can have as many things on your team as you'd like, but the more you bring the weaker they become.
The Human Element
No Kaiju film would be complete without bloodied pilots in ruined cockpits and panicked scientists running around underfoot. In addition to their city-smashing behemoth, players also have control of a team of humans connected to said behemoth in some way.
For Mecha this is usually the robot’s pilot(s) and primary maintenance team. For Kaiju, it is typically a team of specialists tasked with studying the creature. While most Kaiju cannot talk to humans (and likely wouldn’t even if they could), their teams can interpret and predict their behavior enough to speak for them. For example, a player who needs assistance can have her team point out that their creature is losing the fight and suggest additional assets be deployed to take the heat off it.
When not engaged in titanic brawls through major cities, players are encouraged to interact with one another through their teams. Friendships, romances, rivalries, and feuds are all part of the fun. With GM approval players may even use this time to upgrade their chosen engine of destruction with new abilities or weapons.
Combat-capable Support Teams are allowed and are sometimes logical for certain characters. Kaiju-class individuals may never be taken as part of a Support Team, but anything else is fair game. If you want the SDF-1 to back up your elite Valkrie squadron, it's all yours. Be forewarned that the rules for Summons, Minions, and Teams also applies to your Support. The more backup you bring, the weaker they and your character will become.
The Rules
This game will operate as a traditional RP: you say it and it happens. No rolls will be required, nor will characters need numerical stats or other hard game mechanics. All NPCs are currently controlled by the GMs, and anyone wishing to Assistant GM would be most welcome.
Gameplay itself uses the limited consent system: cosmetic injuries may be inflicted without requesting permission from other players, but in general players should post an action and let their opponent describe the ultimate result. You may not inflict lasting harm on another character without the permission of the player running that character. As always, powergaming will not be tolerated.
When introducing their monster/robot here in the OOC thread, players must simply give its name, a brief description of its in-universe history, any unique abilities it has, and any key members of its support team. Players should also list their character’s areas of relative strength and weakness. Godzilla is strong but slow, Evangelions have fantastic defense but limited battery life, etc. A link to a Wiki page for either the character or its source material is also helpful, especially for more obscure characters. Once a GM has approved your character sheet, you are free to post in the IC thread!
Character Sheet:
Name:
Appearance:
Origins:
Template:
Tank: A fighter oriented around ranged combat. These guys are also the most well-defended, bearing heavy armor or powerful force fields to weather blows, but lack in speed.
Juggernaut: Armored and fast, but lacking in ranged options.
Duelist: These lightweights are made for one on one, relying on speed to outflank a single foe.
Berserker: You're not the strongest. Nor the fastest. Not even particularly smart. But when something pisses you off, you blow up big time.
Sniper: You may not excel in melee, but close-quarters combat is for savages. You rely on range and battlefield repositioning to tear a foe to shreds.
Mother/Carrier: You prefer to leave the heavy lifting to your children. You aren't good in a fight, but with your spawn you make a formidable foe.
Balanced: Bog standard, jack-of-all-trades. Your everyman monster.
Personality:
History:
Powers:
Strengths: What are you good at? This is not where your lasers go. That's powers.
Weaknesses:
Support Team:
Due to the nature of the setting, Player Vs Player interactions are going to be almost inevitable. Such altercations are encouraged provided they occur in a respectful manner and follow the normal rules regarding limited consent. If you would like your attack to do more than singe some scales, you will need the other player's permission.
Despite many instances of it in various Kaiju canons, mind control of NPC monsters or those of other players is too balance-breaking be allowed. Your support team may use mind control on your monster if you need a good explanation for how they keep it under control, however, and hostile NPCs are still allowed to try and brainwash your character.
Because Mecha can be rebuilt even after total destruction and Kaiju are nearly impossible to permanently put down, the risk of character death will extremely low. Even if torn to bits andthrown in a volcano, sooner or later they will return. Sadly support staff are not nearly as durable and thus may only be killed off if a player explicitly consents.
Kaiju are notoriously fickle and Mecha are mechanically unreliable. Player absences during active conflicts will be treated as either their Kaiju losing interest and leaving or their Mecha breaking down. If you will be gone for an extended period of time or wish to leave the game, please let everyone know so appropriate steps can be taken.
---
Better! Faster! Stronger! (Upgrades)
Everyone likes getting stronger, and everyone likes being able to customize his or her character. That's where Upgrades come in. Upgrades can be almost anything a GM has approved, though you may not use them to remove a weakness that has not yet been used against you. Apart from that extra firepower, new abilities, improvements to old abilities, the limits are endless. They also are not limited by canon: you can add weapons, abilities, or other things on that your character never had originally, provided they stay within its theme. For example: a biological Kaiju cannot be Upgraded to have huge minigun in its arm without a very good IC explanation...but could learn to breathe fire. Sadly, like all good things, Upgrades must first be earned.
Your character may earn Upgrades by fighting, either with PCs or NPCs. These must be real fights, training or sparring does not count. For every two victories or draws you are able to achieve, you earn a single Upgrade. However, you also earn an Upgrade every time you lose. That's right: a single loss is worth two wins. This is to encourage players to let themselves be beaten now and again: defeat is often a better teacher than victory, and what better time to add on that new plasma cannon than when you're putting your mecha back together anyway? Wins and loses are calculated on a personal level: if your side won the battle but you took a dirt nap, it still counts as a loss for the purposes of earning Upgrades. Also be aware that retreating does not necessarily constitute a loss: being driven away by superior odds is just a draw. Having your ass handed to you and running for dear life with your tail between your legs? That's a loss. GMs will be the ultimate arbitrator of who won and who lost, but generally the outcome should be pretty obvious.
Once earned, characters can either Upgrade before a fight or right in the middle of one (though this last option is generally reserved for Kaiju). As mentioned, almost anything can be an Upgrade, though players are encouraged to tailor their choices either to the eventual route they want their character to develop in, or to previous fights they have had. If your most recent Upgrade was earned because someone suckerpunched your weak point, a logical Upgrade would be to remove that weak point.
Defenses also upgrade in the same inverted manner. Defeats or large amounts of collateral damage convince the world that they are ill-prepared for when a Kaiju comes to stomp on their neighborhood, and nearby cities will spend more on defenses or warning systems. Crushing victories show that humanity is not so poorly protected after all, and people will begin spending on stuff that will improve their quality of life but will lessen their ability to defend against the next attack.
Be aware that attempting to game the system by losing on purpose until you have enough Upgrades to solo the planet will not work. Please don't try it.
---
The number one rule is, above all else, be respectful of your fellow players. Remember it's a game and we're all just here to have a good time. So have fun and go stomp something!
---
"The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around."
"Let them fight."
Ps: I have dibs on Zeruel.
Selee-01
All according to my Scenario
Bump.
