Gears of War RP info thread.

[The Author]

I know Randy told me to stop obsessing over this game, but what the hell. You see, what started as an innocent bit of AIM randomness turned into something much more – something that Art and I feel the need to share with all of you. A Gears of War RP! So, before we get into the actual storytelling bit of it, here’s all the technical and backstory stuff you need to know before starting. And after this is done, you can all use this thread to post your character bio’s.

Backstory, bitches! (I love the internet):

Sera
Sera has edured millennia of conflict, teetering on the brink of a world war that guaranteed Armadeddon. Humanity pulled back from this act of self-destruction and evolved into something nobler. For a time, the hush of peace blanketed the land. There were still problems: skirmishes, crime, debates over liberties, and a demand for energy that outstripped Sera’s reserves of petroleum and nuclear fuels. There was, however, hope… Sera’s cities became sparkling examples for future generations that this was a new Golden Age.

Imulsion
Discovered by an oil-exploration drill, Imulsion is a phosphorescing, low-viscosity fluic that was only as scientific curiosity until Dr. Helen Cooper invented the Light-mass process. It converts a portion of Imulsion mass directly into energy – the perfect solution for an energy-hungry world. The few nations luck to have Imulsion reserves suddenly found themselves the owners of cheap, limitless fuel... and the envy of other less fortunate nations on Sera.

The Pendulum Wars
Hydrocarbon energy was ultimately abandoned in favor of Imulsion. Soon thereafter the world economy crashed due to rampant Imulsion speculation, and, as expected, humanity reasserted its true nature. Under the guise of thinly veiled politics, Imulsion-poor nations attacked those with abundant reserves. For seventy-nine years, nations battled one another for possession of the miraculous energy source.

E - Day
As humanity fought on the surface of Sera, a new enemy, the Locust, gathered underground and launched an attack unimagined in our worst nightmares. On this “Emergence Day” humans ceased fighting one another. They had to. Within twenty-four hours, one quarter of the human population perished in the Locust onslaught. Human forces rallied, but divided by decades of fighting in the Pendulum Wars, it was too little, too late. The Locust captured most urban, military, and manufacturing centers. To deny our enemies this overwhelming advantage, humans did the unthinkable.

Scorched Earth
Human forces fell back to Jacinto Plateau, a geological region of solid granite the Locusst could not penetrate. From this haven, human leaders unleashed chemical and orbital-beam weapons that burned the enemy… along with the Locust-occupied cities… and the civilians who could not evacuate. Humans won the E-Day invasion, but 90% of Sera’s surface was left a desert wasteland. The Locust, secure in their underground warrens, survived.

Jacinto
The hush of death settled over Sera. While the Locust’s digging machines could not penetrate the granite substrata of Jacinto Plateau, there were natural fissures and utility systems riddling the rock. Human leaders sealed these passages or flooded them with nerve gas. The surviving military then fortified what had once been sera’s most beautiful cities, transforming shining symbols of hope into desperate reminders that peace was fragile.

Who are the C.O.G.?
Long before the Pendulum Wars, the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) existed only as an obscure world-government philosophy in the mind of the fanatic socialist, Alexiy Desipich. Its austere canon was based on eight guiding values: order, diligence, purity, labor, honor, loyalty, faith, and humility. As the Pendulum Wars continued, however, the COG grew into a legitimate, albeit a minor, political party. After E-day, COG leaders were the only ones willing to take the necessary steps to survive the epic devesation. They ratified the Fortification Act, which established martial law and transformed Jacinto Plateau into an unassailable fortress. The COG’s methods proved wildly popular, despite the fact that they “temporarily abridged” civil rights…

What are the Locust?
Most scientists believe they’re a mutated version of Sera’s native life forms. A minority claim they’re aliens. Ask any Gear and they’ll tell you the Locust come straight from hell. They live underground. How and exactly where are impossible to determine, however, because the cavern systems in Sera’s mantle are, for all practical purposes, endless. As a result of dwelling in perpetual darkness, they have an aversion to light – one of our few advantages. All attempts at negotiating with the Locust have failed, and all overtures of peace have been answered with violence. The only conclusion we can draw from their actions is that they want every last man, woman, and child dead.

[The Author]

Weapons (because I’m a stickler for shit like this):

-Snub, Boltok Pistols COG and Locust pistols, respectively. The Boltok is slightly more powerful, but only carries 6 shots per clip instead of 24 like the Snub.


-Lancer: The weapon most people bought the game for. Also known as the chainsaw gun. This is the workhorse of the COG army. It is intended for mid-range combat, but features a chainsaw bayonet for when you feel like getting up close and personal. Each clip carries 60 rounds.


-Gnasher: The Gnasher Shotgun is a close range weapon which can occasionally take down smaller enemies in a single shot. It is most effective at point blank range(less than 3 meters). Each clip carries 14 rounds.


-Hammerburst: The Hammerburst is the primary weapon of the Locust Drone. It fires six round bursts and is most effective at mid-range. It lacks the bayonet of the Lancer, but makes up for it in accuracy, especially during blind firing. Ammuntition for the Hammerburst is easily found as most Locust you kill will carry one.

-Longshot: Standard issue sniper rifle in the COG army. Bolt action, and capable of a zoom to reach enemies at a distance of 300 meters.

-Boomshot: The Boomshot is a Locust weapon that resembles a cross between a rocket launcher and a grenade launcher. The weapon fires an explosive projectile that detonates on impact with a damaging explosion. A direct hit will destroy an average sized target. If the target is missed, upon detonation this projectile splits into three smaller charges which bounce randomly around the immidiate area (usually towards the direction the shot was taken in) and detonate with smaller explosions. The boomshot is a one-shot weapon and must be reloaded after each shot.

-Torque Bow: Crossbow used by the Theron Guard variant of Locust. The bow fires an arrow with an explosive charge on the end which, given enough force, will penetrate most any kind of armor and explode, resulting in instant death.

-The Hammer of Dawn: The Hammer of Dawn is an Imulsion-energized satellite particle-beam weapon capable of leveling buildings. It must be orbitally aligned overhead to fire. The Hammer requires a ground-based observer to acquire a target with a targeting laser. To do this, a COG soldier (Gear) must have line of sight on the target and open sky. If either of the conditions are not met, the targeting laser is useless.

-Troika: Locust stationary machinegun. Somewhat resembles a double barreled minigun. Limited field of fire and vulnerability from the sides and rear, but fires rounds which such destructive force, it makes .50 cal weapons look like pea shooters.

[The Author]

Enemies (to close off our 3-part information giving session of doom):

-Drone: Standard footsoldier of the Locust Horde. A very good shot. Called “Grubs” by Gears.Aside from the standard drone, there are many variants, including the Gunner/Spotter (a two-man team used to operate a Troika), Sniper, and a Grenadier (Rambo-type with little to no armor that rushes into combat headfirst). Drones can deploy nearly anywhere outside of Jacinto at any time with no trouble due to the use of Emergence Holes. These holes in the ground can appear anywhere the Locust have tunnels (see: everywhere beneath the surface) but can be plugged up with a grenade or other explosive.

-Boomer: 2 meter tall killing machine. Heavy assault troopers of the Locust Horde. Large, massive, ugly, and a bitch to take down. Carries the boomshot weapon, and has a very limited vocabulary (usually limited to simply “Boom!”)

-Theron Guard: A Theron Guard is a commanding officer among the drones. Their sheer voices (which is typically a low, hissing warning) have been known to scare Gears into fleeing. They are stronger, faster, and harder to kill than an average drone. Cold and calculating, they often wield Torque bows with explosive arrows into battle.

-Wretch: Wretches are a subspecies in the Locust Horde, and appear to be underdeveloped. They do not use any weapon and wear little armor. Instead they use their claws and teeth to take out their prey. They are also known to eat their victims. Usually attacks in packs of 10 to 20, and attack like wolves. When they encounter prey the alpha of the pack will usually emit a loud scream that is known to shatter windows. Comes in a darker skinned variety brought about by prolonged exposure to Imulsion. Their intestines glow(this can be seen when one howls), and they will explode when they die.

-Seeder/Nemacyst: Seeders serve as a launching pad for Nemacyst. They usually sit dormant in a huge Emergence Hole and spit Nemacyst out into the sky. They do not have any attack of their own and can only be destroyed with the Hammer of Dawn. Nemacyst are slow moving flying spheres that are dangerous to both infantry and aircraft, due to their tendency to explode on impact. They can be taken down easily, however.

-Berserker: Female version of the Drone. 2.2 meters in height, 260 kg, and covered in a thick, scaly hide that is the equivalent of APC armor. Blind, but uses scent, vibration and sound to detect enemies. Slow, but can build sufficient moment to smash through walls. Their massive fists have been known to obliterate armored Gears with a single blow. Perpetually PMS-ing. The only known weapon to be effective is the Hammer of Dawn.

-Reavers: Large, flying creatures about 20 times the size of a drone. They are saddled up and ridden by a pilot Drone as well as a passenger Drone (or Theron Guard), who guns down enemies. The passenger often wields a Torque Bow. Reavers can be killed with normal weapons and go down faster when their riders are killed.

-Corpser: Corpsers appear as horrific giant spider-like monstrosities, covered by a mysterious armored helmet. Their heads appear almost humanoid except for their bug-like eyes. Corpsers have eight thick rock camouflaged legs that guard their vulnerable caterpillar-like underbellies. The Locust Horde uses Corpsers to dig tunnels through the soil of Sera, allowing the other members of Locust to move about undetected, and even allows the Horde to dig behind COG lines.

-Brumak: Gargantuan monstrosities bigger than Corpsers. Bipedial giants that appear to have armor plating fused onto their hide. Their helmets resemble that of Corpsers, and above that is a huge gun, which appears to be the caliber of most anti-tank or anti-aircraft weapons.

-Kryll: While not part of the Locust Horde, Krill are certainly an enemy to be feared, despite the fact that a single Kryll is a small flying bat-like creature. They stay deep underground during the day and come up to the surface the moment the sun has subsided into the night. When this happens, a swarm so large emerges that it will blot out the night sky. Kryll avoid lit areas and they can be dispatched by using an APC's UV light turret, but they can not be harmed by anything else. Kryll apparently feed on humanoids, and they will literally strip the flesh and bone away to nothing within a few seconds. They will eat both C.O.G. Soldiers and Locust Drones if they are foolish enough to step into open darkness.

[The Author]

Ok, time for the first character description - my character!

Name: Duo [codename, real name classified]
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Height: 1.82 m (1.85 m with armor)
Weight: 90.7 kg (117.9 kg with armor)
Affiliation and rank: COG Special Forces Gear; Master Sergeant
Appearance: At first glance, he appears to be a normal COG Gear, wearing a less bulky version of the standard Coalition uniform. Closer inspection reveals his uniform to be a heavily modified version of the Special Forces uniform, the elite troops of the COG military. Wears glasses linked up with his combat suit both for corrective vision and to give himself a personal HUD during combat. The only truly distinguishing mark is a long scar running from his left temple to his left cheek very close to his eye. If one doesn’t look too close, he could pass for an ordinary Gear.
Other Information:
-Fought in the Pendulum Wars
-Over 300 confirmed kills, actual count estimated to be much higher

[Spark]

Boy imma smack you. Just you wait. I'll be there in like 30 minutes.


Edit: I made it in 27 minutes, and smacked him. Just an update.

[CaptainKirk91]

Now for my character... I'm not posting in the story page just yet, though, because I want to find out a little more about the universe before I start. But I think I've got the essentials of my character down.

Name: Alan MacCleod
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Height: 1.75 m (1.78 m with armor)
Weight: 107 kg (137.2 kg with armor)
Affiliation and rank: COG Ground Forces Infantry Gear; Gunnery Sergeant
Appearance: Alan is a tall-ish, stocky fellow, and in all tangible aspects is a normal COG soldier. He wears the insignia of a gunnery sergeant on the bicep covers of his armor, and carries the standard-issue Lancer as well as a Gnasher Shotgun. Alan's mild near-sightedness and nervous tendencies never made him much of a good shot from long range, so he prefers to get up close and personal with his enemies. He generally wears a black bandana on his head, sometimes with yellow safety glasses that have a headset on the right side to allow him to communicate with his squadmates.
Other Information:
- Fought in the Pendulum Wars, earned 2 purple heart equivalents
- Carries a Bowie knife across the small of his back, just in case the Gnasher runs out

Gawsh I'm excited about this!

[King of Asmar]

Meh, why not.

Name: Nick Forest
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Height: 1.85 m (1.88 m in armor)
Weight: 74.3 kg (99.8 kg in armor)
Affiliation and rank: COG Special Forces; Private First Class
Appearance: Nick is a man of average build with short cropped blond hair. His face is boyish and young, the look of a new soldier. He wears your basic COG Spec. For. armor, complete with helmet. Carries a Boltok pistol and a Lancer.
Other Information:
- New recruit, fresh out of training.
- Did so well in basic that he was recommended for Special Forces training.
- Passed out of Spec. For. training with flying colors.
- Got perfect scores on his sidearms tests.

You know what I love about the Kyrll... how blatant a rip-off of Pitch Black they are. They live underground, only come out at night, block out the sky with their numbers, rip people apart. What Sera needs is Riddick... he'd um... actually he'd just run away and be torn about saving the others because he doesn't need them... hmm... I guess that doesn't solve anything then. Still having Riddick can never be a bad thing.

[Artemis Maximus]

Name: Iolanthe Trinity
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Height: 1.72 m
Weight: 66.6 kg || note: yeah. I didn't do that on purpose. ||
Affiliation and rank: Survivor, hermit
Appearance: Mid-length red-brown hair to her shoulders, green eyes obscured by bangs, and an "aerodnamically curvaceous" body. Wears no real armour save what was given her by Duo. Usually found in a wifebeater, cargo pants, and steel-toed boots. Has a long scar on the inside of her left arm, from elbow to wrist. Two tattoos, a celtic knot on the back of her right wrist and the first five bars of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" circling her upper right arm. Wears old plastic spectacles.
Other Information:
- After her fellow survivors were killed (took about four years), she lived alone for ten years of her life.
- Parents were concious objectors
- Foster family (other survivors) taught her basic weaponry, how to protect each other, etc. Former military man took post of her "father" until she was fourteen and he disappeared on patrol.
- Once alone, she was never really bothered by locust and their kind again. She grew used to the solitary life, without human contact-- or any other kind.
- The COG want her, but little is known why. It is surmised that it has to do with her surviving in an infested area, alone, for approximately ten years.

[knightdisciple]

Hm, never played the game, but this looks fun.
A couple of questions real quick:
Can a soldier only carry two weapons, as per Halo? Or is it a bit looser than that?
Also, do you think someone having a Hammer of Dawn would be too much? If not, would it count for the "weapons limit" if there is one? (I know, this isn't the game, but I don't wanna be god-modding or nothing. The HoD is actually mainly because of story/RP reasons.)
Finally, I'm going to assume unless answered otherwise: the ranks work just like the US military.
Next comes the character profile, which can be modded as needed.

[The Author]

1) a soldier (in the actual game) can carry two normal weapons, a pistol, and a bandolier of up to 4 grenades. That number can be variable depending on the situation, the characters preparation, and any number of other factors.
2) The Hammer of Dawn is a system of orbital particle weapons - what most people associate the weapon with, however, is the "painter" that uses a laser targeting system to "paint" the target. It counts as a normal weapon, but is useless unless one of the satellites is in orbit over the target and the sky is clear.
3) Yes, the ranks work just like the US military.

[knightdisciple]

Name: Michael Wayne
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 1.93 m (1.96 m with armor)
Weight: 106.0 kg (136.2 kg with armor)
Affiliation and rank: COG Special Forces Gear; Captain
Appearance: One of the bigger men in the Gears, his intimidating size belies his sharp mind. His dark hair is cut very short, giving him an almost bald appearance at a glance. However, his goatee is much harder to mistake. He has piercing blue eyes, giving a hint of his sharp tactical capabilities. He wears Gear Spec Force armor, colored almost completely matte black. When in the field, he typically has a helmet on, albeit one that does not cover his face. He also tend to have a bit more plating than some of the other Spec. Force guys, but it doesn't really slow him down, what with him being all big, bad, and buff. Typically he is also wearing darkened glasses, that serve as info feed, protection from light bursts (such as from flares or explosions), and sheer coolness factor. Often also has various small extra sensor packets on belt and back, as well as heavy-duty, long range comm gear.
Other Information:
-Is one of the youngest officers of his rank in the Gears. He went straight into the Spec. Forces officer program when he signed up in the military. His sharp mind and quick processing ability led to his assignment to the Information Division, as well as his continued allowance for field missions.
-He has a special knack for computers, and has been assigned part-time to the Information Division of Gears. In this capacity, he serves as a radio contact for Gears in the field, providing a constant flow of information, the most precious resource of battle. However, he also works in the field, often serving as the contact point between base and team.
-Always has a Lancer in the field. Often carries a Gnasher as well. Sometimes is assigned a Hammer of Dawn target painter, due to his rank, and knack for using it at just the right time. When off duty, or on duty back at base, carries a Snub Pistol.
Edit: I updated his description, based on Duo's drawing (visual reference is much the nice.)

[knightdisciple]

(Thanks for the info Duo. Yeah, I guess I technically meant the laser painter for the HoD. I doubt poor Michael could carry a whole satellite around.)

[Spark]

Alright, I'll be joining when I get a chance.

Name: Spark [codename, real name unknown]
Gender: Male
Age: 39
Height: 1.88 m (1.91 m with armor)
Weight: 69.9 kg (87.1 kg with armor)
Affiliation and Rank: COG Special Forces, Sergeant First Class
Appearance: Spark is tall and skinny, and doesn't appear to have much muscle mass, though its hard to tell with the armor he's wearing. The armor is standard COG Special Forces armor, with the insignia of his rank on the right bicep of his armor. He never wears a helmet, so his short reddish hair and goatee are visible, along with his clear green eyes.
Weapons: The only weapons he carries are the standard-issue COG pistol (Snub) and a modified version of the Longshot Sniper Rifle, with enhanced zoom and the capability of shooting up to five shots before needing to be reloaded, rather than the normal one.
Other Information:
-Fought in the Pendulum Wars, in Duo's squad.
-Known for his exceptional skill with the Longshot
-Over 400 confirmed kills, though estimated to be higher. He has a little contest going with Duo.

[The Author]

Presenting: Duo, the COG Special Forces Gear

[knightdisciple]

Oh, he's so getting called a "geezer" by Michael at least part-time now. The posted age in the info started it, this just reinforces it.