Marine Platoon Design

Transcription

1 Contents Marine Platoon Design Marine Platoon Design...1 Pledge tier contents...2 Rules...3 Roadmap for completed designs...3 Where to find Lore Documents...3 Community design process...4 Step 0: Read documentation...4 Step 1 - Concept...4 Step 2 - Design...5 Step 3 - Peer review...5 Step 4 - Forum Submission...5 Step 5 - Final submission...6 Template Process...7 Platoon Characteristics...8 Platoon Commanders...8 Step 1 Faction...8 Step 2 Name your platoon and the marines in it...8 Step 3 Choose the platoon motto...8 Step 4 Background Story...8 Squad setup...9 Step 5 - Squad Traits...9 Background traits...10 Personality traits...11 Squad traits...12 Step 6 - Assign Squad Equipment...13 Armor...13 Weapons...14 Kits...15 Platoon Form...16 Version 1.3 1

2 Pledge tier contents This pledge tier gives you the ability to design: Marine Platoon (this document) Platoon Commander (Officer design document) Version 1.3 2

3 Rules Before we get into the creation process itself, we need to talk about what not to do: Original works - You can use real history as a starting point (we did!) but change the names and specifics (we did!). Don t copy from other works of fiction. No parodies or jokes - A little humour in a write-up is great, and if you can sneak an injoke past us, that s fine, but we ll ruthlessly cut any write-ups that don t take the setting seriously. Fit the setting - In The Mandate universe, humanity is alone - there aren't any other intelligent alien races. There are no teleporters, no replicators, no psychic powers. Also, don t make any assumptions or declarations about our major non-player characters in your write-ups - it s fine to say that a character trained under Admiral Suvarov, but not that the character is Suvarov s long-lost son or that Suvarov thinks he s the greatest student he ever had. Use proper spelling and grammar - We ll be polishing your text if it needs a touch-up, but what you submit should at least be readable so remember to run your text through a spell checker. If your submission breaks any of these rules, we ll either send it back to you with a list of requested changes, or else make the changes ourselves, depending on circumstances and the pressures of time. Roadmap for completed designs This template is a work in progress and not all information may not yet be available. During September we expect to give you updates to the Officer and Captain forms. Stay tuned for changes to the other design templates in the coming months! Where to find Lore Documents You can find the lore documents on the Backer-Templates page on the Mandate website, or use the direct links below. The main lore document for The Mandate Timeline for The Mandate Manufacturer Guide Version 1.3 3

4 Community design process The community design process will take place over the next several months. We will provide examples and guidelines as well as appoint community members to help facilitate this process. During this process you will share your initial concept and detailed design for peer review and feedback from other backers. At a later stage we will launch a separate web submission form where you can upload your final designs for approval by our writers and designers. The web interface may include interactive tools like a limited version of the character creation process so you can define the visual look of for example the captain you are designing or his/her flagship (and then submit the design to us). Remember, only verified backers of the relevant tiers will be giving feedback so help each other out, provide constructive criticism, behave like adults and use common sense. Step 0: Read documentation Before you write down your initial concept you should review the templates and examples to get an idea of the level of detail, formatting and length of submissions. We ve provided templates for several of the content creation levels and will provide more in the near future. Look at the template for your pledge level and use that as the basis for your content submission. As mentioned before, you can find the lore documents on the Backer-Templates page on the Mandate website, or use the direct links below. The main lore document for The Mandate Timeline for The Mandate Manufacturer Guide Step 1 - Concept Come up with a brief description of your planned content. Keep it short - a few lines is long enough! In that small space, try to include the key aspects of the history, personality, notable abilities and any drawbacks of your character or group. This brief synopsis is going to be the core of your content, it ll be what people really use and remember about your content. It s worth taking the time to refine this concept and get it right. Later on you can expand this synopsis into a more detailed design and gradually modify it based on feedback from other backers. At this stage, be wary of concepts that break the rules and duplicated concepts. 1. Post your new concept as a new thread in the relevant sub-forum 2. Add an empty post in the same thread to reserve a spot for your design (which you will add in step 2) 3. For the thread title, clearly identify the type of design you are doing: Captain XYZ, Officer XYZ etc 4. Attach the [ CONCEPT ] prefix in front of the thread title Version 1.3 4

5 Step 2 - Design Flesh out your concept over time. Look for concepts that could link up with your ideas. Note down ideas and details that don t fit into the short synopsis. We suggest speaking with other users from the forum and agreeing on how your concept links to another. Be respectful and considerate of others content. If you re working on an officer who was wounded in battle, and you see someone else s concept for a band of mercenaries, then you could link your concepts together, and note that your officer was injured in battle with that particular unit. Take feedback from other content creators into account. Then when you feel ready: Using this template, write your full design in the second post in your thread Update your thread topic prefix to [ DESIGN ] If you wish to incorporate ideas from other backers, seek their permission first and remember to acknowledge their contribution. Step 3 - Peer review Take a look at the concepts posted by others, and make suggestions. If you have a suggestion that could improve a concept, post it! If an idea blows you away with its brilliance, leave a note of praise. If you think a particular concept might run into problems or doesn t quite fit with the established Mandate lore, say so! (If you prefer, send a private message to the author) Once you feel confident that your design is ready for final peer review from other backers: Update the thread prefix to [ PEER REVIEW ] This will draw attention from backers who may check lore, help with language, phrasing etc Look at the drafts posted by other content creators and give feedback and refine your own design Step 4 - Forum Submission Rewrite your submission until you re happy with it while taking feedback into account. There is no rush with this process, take your time. Update your thread topic prefix to [ FINAL ] Version 1.3 5

6 Step 5 - Final submission Later on we will launch a web interface to let you submit your designs for final approval by our designers and writers. The web interface may include interactive tools like a limited version of the character creation process so you can define the visual look of for example the captain you are designing or his/her flagship (and then submit the design to us). If we have any requested changes or important feedback then you will be notified via the web interface and asked to do fixes. Once we approve your modified design, your job is done! All approved content gets put into the game. As we ll be building the setting and quests in parallel with the community content creation, there s every chance that you ll influence the Mandate beyond the confines of your specific bit of content. If you come up with a brilliant idea we may build on it elsewhere in the game. Version 1.3 6

7 Template Process Your Captain will feature in the game as a level 30 character. Perhaps you want to create an Astrogation-based Captain focused on Sensor skills? Or maybe you would rather make a Captain focused on Power skills instead. The process can be divided into two parts the Personal Characteristics of your Captain and the Captain stats which personalize your Captain further through a points buy system. The Personal Characteristics for your Captain contains details about him/her that are not numerically represented by stats, such as the name, faction allegiance and background story for him/her. The Captain stats allow you to create your Captain as you see fit by detailing what service branch and attributes he/she has progressed through as well as any traits he/she has. Before you start your design, make sure you check the Mandate Forums for your relevant tier and read any sticky posts there: Each step is also explained in the corresponding section, but to summarize the process, it goes like this: 1. Choose your faction 2. Choose your sex 3. Choose your ethnicity 4. Choose your name 5. Write a mental/physical description of your character 6. Create your personal crest 7. Write the character's background story 8. Choose your service branch 9. Buy attributes for your character 10. Choose your Traits At the very end of the document, you will find a fill-in form for your Captain information. Version 1.3 7

8 Platoon Characteristics The platoon characteristics determine where in the Mandate universe we insert your platoon this section covers your platoon background, faction and other information. Platoon Commanders Keep in mind that the Platoon Commander is designed separately from the platoon but is still an integral part of it. A platoon commander have trickle-down effects that affect how the platoon behaves in combat situations as well as how they perform actions. In particular, you may want to consider the traits for a platoon commander; If they do not mesh well with those of the platoon, it may in fact be detrimental to the morale of the platoon (such as having an aggressive platoon commander but a cowardly platoon or the reverse) or have other negative effects. Correspondingly, a good match-up between a platoon and their commander will confer bonuses to the platoon in combat (typically morale related bonuses but also behavioural adjustments). With that in mind, let's look at the squads of a platoon! Step 1 Faction Your platoon hails from a faction if you wish to know more about each faction, you can read up on some of the factions here: Step 2 Name your platoon and the marines in it The name of your platoon is up to you but be sure to follow the rules, despite how tempting it would be to name your platoon "The Crazy 89". Step 3 Choose the platoon motto Your platoon motto is the battlecry for your platoon. This is not to be taken as something the members of the platoon shouts constantly while going into battle (although some might) but rather a code that represents the values of the platoon words that the platoon members live by. Examples: "For glory!", "Always on the move!", "Victus!", etc Step 4 Background Story Your platoon will have a need for a background story to determine where we insert it into the game. Your platoon may be Arkwrights or perhaps members of the Osmani, or even pirates out to seek adventure and treasure (yarr!). The story of your platoon may be told through lore-text found by recruiting/meeting them. The platoon background story has a word limit of 300 words. Version 1.3 8

9 Squad setup This section gives you the ability to build your platoon as you see fit. You may give them traits as well as equipment here. Step 5 - Squad Traits Each of your platoon's squads will appear in the game as a level 20 squad, meaning that they have earned themselves four traits. Each trait can only be taken once per squad. Some of the traits may be subject to faction requirements (for instance, some traits being limited to "Arkwright" faction, etc) As your platoon will be level 20, the squads in it will have accumulated the following types of traits: 1 Background Trait 1 Personality Trait 2 Squad Traits Example: Ainsleigh wants her first squad to be focused on heavy weapons, so she gives them the "Heavy Metal" background trait and the "Aggressive" personality trait. For marine traits, she decides to give them "Muscle Memory" and "Armor Training". Bred for war, indeed! For her second and third squad, she decides a more general approach would be wise, so she picks the "20/20 Vision" background trait for combat awareness and rounds that off with the "Methodical" personality for a reliable baseline. She gives the squads the "Fitness" and "Designated Carrier" traits to allow them quick feet and access to more equipment to carry into battle. For her final squad, Ainsleigh decides she wants them to be the security on board the ship rather than a direct combat squad, so for this squad, she chooses the "Geek Squad" and "Paranoid" traits. From the squad traits, she picks the "Combat Evasion" and "Duelists". This will give the squad some means of defending themselves at least. Version 1.3 9

10 Background traits Trait Description 20/20 Vision The perceptive capabilities of the squad are unmatched, giving them a bonus to scoring critical hits as well as detection of hidden enemies and traps. In addition, taking this trait reduces the cost for buying the Motion scanner kit by 1 point for this squad. Advanced Tactics Assault Troopers Desk Cowboys Geek Squad Grenadiers Gun Nuts Headshot Heavy Metal Recoil Reduction Spray and Pray The squad has been trained well in the art of war and battle drills in particular, conferring a bonus to their Battle Drill efficiency. The squad specializes in the use of assault rifles, giving them a bonus when operating such weaponry. The squad has mainly been tasked to handle security consoles, giving it a bonus to console operations. In addition, taking this trait reduces the cost for buying the Hacker Kit kit by 1 point for this squad. The squad members have spent most of their life as security monitor guards on ships, giving them a high bonus to console operations but a slight penalty to handling basic weapons. In addition, taking this trait reduces the cost for buying the Hacker Kit kit by 1 point for this squad. It's not real combat until someone loses a limb. The squad has extensive expertise in using grenades, boosting damage (or efficiency for non-lethal grenades) for any grenades used. In addition, taking this trait reduces the cost for buying any Grenade kit by 1 point for this squad. Working behind consoles is not this squads forté it much prefers the battlefield. The extensive combat record of the squad has given it a high bonus to basic weapon handling and a slight penalty to console operations. The squad prefers to surgically remove opponents from the battlefield. The squad gains a bonus to operating Sniper rifles. In addition, taking this trait reduces the cost for buying the Motion scanner kit by 1 point for this squad. The squad has received training in how to handle heavy weapons, giving them a bonus to operating any type of heavy weapon. The squad has mastered Submachine guns as a weapon and gain an increase to hit chance, critical hit chance and critical severity when using Submachine guns. The squad prefers to rain down lead on their opponents and push them back by overwhelming firepower, giving it a suppression bonus to rapid-fire weapons such as SMGs, Assault Rifles and Light Machine Guns. Version

11 Personality traits Trait Aggressive Aloof Ambitious Bullies Courageous Cowards Cynics Hedonists Kind Lazy Liars Methodical Nemesis (Arkwright) Nemesis (Black Eagles) Nemesis (Europan) Nemesis (Romanov) Nemesis (Osmani) Nemesis (Rebels) Nemesis (Pirates) Paranoia Renegades Description Passive. The Marine Squad's confrontational nature provides a bonus to base success chance when engaged in combat. Passive. The Marine Squad's detached and distant attitude lowers morale gains from succeeding at tasks and morale losses from failing at tasks. Passive. The Marine Squad's boasting demeanor doubles morale gains from succeeding at tasks and morale losses from failing at tasks. Passive. The Marine Squad's cruel nature lowers the attached squad's morale, but improves their critical success chance. Passive. The Marine Squad's determination provides a bonus to success chance when performing a task against worse odds. (Base success chance is lower than 50%). Passive. The Marine Squad's cowardly nature lowers the attached squad's morale. If the squad/squadron is destroyed at the end of a combat scenario, there is a small chance that each member may survive. Passive. The Marine Squad's cynicism lowers the squad's morale, but the same harsh world view also reduces morale damage taken. Passive. The Marine Squad's joie de vivre improves the squad's morale. The squad is however more vulnerable to disease outbreaks. Passive. The Marine Squad's personality raises the squad's maximum morale, but the lack of harsh discipline increases the morale damage the squad takes. Passive. The Marine Squad's carefree attitude lowers base success chance at tasks but also lowers the impact of failure on morale. Passive. The Marine Squad's big claims and tales increase the morale of the squad but the lack of real work to back them up also increases failure chance at tasks. Passive. The Marine Squad's systemic approach to tasks lowers both critical success chance and failure chance. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of Arkwrights gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of Black Eagles gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of Europans gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of Romanovs gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of Osmani gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of rebels gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's hatred of pirates gives them a bonus to success chance when acting against enemies from that faction. Passive. The Marine Squad's extremely cautious behavior lowers failure chance when performing tasks. The constant fretting however increases morale damage taken when things do go wrong. Passive. The Marine Squad's unconventional approach to tasks raises both critical success chance and failure chance. Version

12 Squad traits Trait Armor Training Auto Reloader Combat Evasion CQC Training Crowd Control Designated Carriers Duelists Energized Armor Fitness Flechette Rounds Hardy Military Culture Muscle Memory Overcompensating Perfect Aim Pin-point accuracy Polarized Armor Precision Rapidfire Reavers Shredder Rounds Stout Description Reduced chance of taking critical hits in heavy armor. (Arkwright Only) Reload speed for all heavy weapons reduced. Improved defense when wearing light armor. Improved aiming speed in short range. Improved chance to knockdown. Squad carries more kits into missions. Taking this trait allows taking one more kit into battle for the squad. (Europan Only) Improves damage and reload speed with submachine guns. (Osmani Only) Increased movement speed when wearing light armor. Improved movement speed. (Arkwright Only) Shotgun spread increased. (Rebel Only) Slightly increased health for the squad. (Black Eagle Only) Improves growth rate for weapon skills when levelling up. Improved reload speed for all non-heavy weapons. (Pirate Only) Increased damage with heavy weapons. (Black Eagle Only) Improves critical severity and critical chance slightly with all weapons. (Romanov Only) Improves base accuracy with all weapons. (Osmani Only) Increased shield capacity when wearing heavy armor. Improved accuracy at long range. (Rebel Only) Increased movement speed when wielding SMGs. (Europan Only) Improves accuracy and damage with SMGs. (Pirate Only) Increased critical hit chance with shotguns. (Romanov Only) Increased morale for the squad. Version

13 Step 6 - Assign Squad Equipment The traits of your squad are not the only part of the equation when it comes to making a squad equally important is the equipment, which is divided into three parts; Weapons, Armor and Kits. Each squad has a single slot for Weapons, Armor and Kits. Note that some traits may increase the slots available for kits, or allow taking free upgrades if you should so wish. In each of the sections below, you will be given a number of points that you can spend to equip your squads to your own preference and specification. Do you want to make a squad that focuses on heavy firepower or a more light-weight scout squad? Perhaps a more balanced approach is your preference you may customize your squads as you see fit. Armor No marine without suicidal tendencies would consider going into combat without armor. Armor provides protection but at the cost of mobility the table below details which armors provide what level of protection and how they affect the mobility of a squad. For your squads, you have 8 points to spend on armor. Armor Points Cost Description Duty Uniform 0 (free) Little to no protection Light Armor 1 Basic protection, suitable for scouts and other units that need mobility and that will (hopefully) not be subject to too much incoming fire. Medium Armor 2 The most common armor, allowing a compromise between mobility and protection. Heavy Armor 3 If your squad will see a lot of action, this is what you want to go for. Although limiting the squad somewhat in mobility, the armor makes up for it by withstanding incoming fire much better. Heavy armor also comes equipped with a gas-mask, making the unit immune to gas grenades and air-borne virals. Example: Ainsleigh decides to have her 'desk jockey' squad in light armor (for 1 point) so that she can afford to upgrade her heavy weapon squad to heavy armor (3 points) for additional survivability. That leaves an even 4 points to spend on her two other squads, and she decides to give them both medium armor (2 points each). Version

14 Weapons Similar to the armor section above, this section gives you 8 points to buy weapons for you may use any weapon for any squad, although you may want to make sure that the traits for using the weapons line up to make the most of your squads. Weapon Points Cost Description Submachine Guns (SMG) 0 (free) Submachine guns have a good fire rate, very rapid reload speed and decent damage and are the most common equipment for all marines. Assault Rifles 2 With a smaller clip than Submachine guns but slightly higher damage and range, Assault Rifles are good all-round weapons suitable for most combat scenarios. Shotguns 2 Shotguns have a cone of fire, making them able to hit more than a single person. Compared to assault rifles, they have a smaller magazine and higher reload speed but a higher damage. Sniper Rifle 3 Sniper rifles have devastating damage potential and range but require frequent reloading and are slow to aim. Heavy Weapons - Launcher Heavy Weapons - Light Machine Gun 3 Heavy weapons (launchers) are capable of demolishing most resistance. Not only do heavy weapons have high damage but they also have an area of effect, making these ideal room-cleaners. While the damage output is tremendous, the reload speed for heavy weapons are the lowest amongst all the weapon-types. 3 Light machine guns are devastating offensive weapons capable of penetrating any armor they have a very high fire rate and suppression factor but are very slow to reload. Example: Weapons-wise, Ainsleigh already knows that she'll want to give her 'heavy' squad heavy weapons, otherwise, what would be the point? With the choice between Launchers and Light Machine Guns, Ainsleigh decides to go for Launchers. With 3 of her 8 points spent on one squad, she decides to give her light armor squad sub-machine guns (for free) and then gives out a Assault Rifles to the one of the two remaining squads.for the final squad, she decides to go for Sniper Riffes to provide some long range options. Version

15 Kits In additon to armor and weapons, each squad will also have a kit slot. Kits are extra equipment that the squad carries into battle typically grenades, but other types of kits also exists. Some traits allow you to carry more kits into battle (for example, "Designated Carrier") while yet others gives you the ability to get cheaper specialized kits (such as "20/20 vision" and "Desk Cowboy"), so make sure to check traits for this. Note that it is not required (although it is recommended) for a squad to have a kit assigned to them. This section gives you 8 points to buy kits for. Kits Points Cost Description Grenade - EMP 1 EMP grenades disables and/or causes damage to mechanical and electrical systems such as turrets, drones and automated defenses. Grenade - Explosive 2 Explosive grenades causes damage in an area of effect. Grenade - Flash bang 1 Flash bang grenades can be used to blind opponents, making it near-impossible for them to aim straight. Grenade - Gas 2 Gas grenades have a high chance of temporary disabling enemies not wearing heavy armor. Grenade - Smoke 1 Smoke grenades obscures whatever is inside the area of effect from vision, making it harder to hit targets inside the smoke. Hacker Kit 3 Hacker kits allow you to take control over enemy turrets and other automated defenses. In addition to this, hacker kits can be used to extract information and blueprints from enemy databases on board ships. Med Kit 2 Med kits can be used to regenerate health for injured marines. Motion Scanner 3 Motion scanners allow you to reveal hidden traps and/or cloaked enemies on the map, making it possible to effectively scout ahead without putting your squad in potential danger. Shield Kit 3 Shield kits give your squad a temporary shield for addiitonal protection, making it a good kit for lightly armored squads. Stealth Kit 3 Stealth kits give your squad a passive shielding against motion detectors, making it possible to not show up during a scan. In addition, Stealth kits can be activated to 'cloak' the squad for a short period of time, rendering them nighinvisible. Example: Ainsleigh decides to first cover her two basic squads by giving them Explosive grenades for 2 points each. Since her basic squad can each carry an additional kit, she gives one of them a Flash Bang (1 point), and the other one a Gas grenade (2 points). With only one point to go, she decides to give her light armor squad an EMP grenade kit. No more pesky turrets will stand in their way! Version

16 Platoon Form Platoon Name Faction Commander (designed separately) Motto Background Story Version

17 Squad Setup Squad 1 Name your squad and marines and assign the squad service branch and traits. Squad Name: Background Trait Pesronality Trait Squad Trait 1 Squad Trait 2 Squad Leader name: Squad Armor Squad Weapon loadout Squad Kit 1 Squad Kit 2 (Designated Carrier trait required!) Version

18 Squad Setup Squad 2 Name your squad and marines and assign the squad service branch and traits. Squad Name: Background Trait Pesronality Trait Squad Trait 1 Squad Trait 2 Squad Leader name: Squad Armor Squad Weapon loadout Squad Kit 1 Squad Kit 2 (Designated Carrier trait required!) Version

19 Squad Setup Squad 3 Name your squad and marines and assign the squad service branch and traits. Squad Name: Background Trait Pesronality Trait Squad Trait 1 Squad Trait 2 Squad Leader name: Squad Armor Squad Weapon loadout Squad Kit 1 Squad Kit 2 (Designated Carrier trait required!) Version

20 Squad Setup Squad 4 Name your squad and marines and assign the squad service branch and traits. Squad Name: Background Trait Pesronality Trait Squad Trait 1 Squad Trait 2 Squad Leader name: Squad Armor Squad Weapon loadout Squad Kit 1 Squad Kit 2 (Designated Carrier trait required!) Version