New Idea for Transformer Game or Fic

[Cynical Cat]

So, as I am want to do, I got an idea for a Transformers game/story. I'll be laying out the back story here and if it ends up being a fic then I'll just incorporate the material directly into the story with the magic of cut and paste. Feedback is always appreciated


History, as Told to Autobots

In the beginning the universe was born and light and matter came into existence. Primus arose in the first moments of the universe, a being of energy and benevolence. He gave a lump of matter a piece of his essence, bringing life to lifeless rock so his eyes and strength could touch the cooling universe that was anathema to his existence. So Cybertron was born and then so were we, a roving planet populated by machine life and a mission to explore the universe and help those in need.

But we were created with free will and not all of Primus's children were inclined to be selfless. Some of the strongest believed it was their place to rule and waged a war of conquest. The war machines were thrown down by the rest of us, aided by the discovery of the power of transformation. We named ourselves Autobots and chose a council to govern us. Guardian robots were created to fight for us, machines with no sparks so they could not be corrupted by power lust. To lead the defenders of the Autobots the council ordered the creation of the Matrix of Leadership, which would transform a worthy bearer into a great warrior and contain the wisdom of all the bearers that had come before him. For hundreds of thousands of vorns there was a golden age.

But it did not last. Some still felt the power lust of the war machines. A charismatic murderer and pit fighter by the name of Megatron appealed to the inner darkness in many a Cybertronian with lies and promises of glory and power. His followers partook in a terrible reformating process that changed them from Autobots into dedicated war machines. He lead this new army, which he called the Decepticons, in a war of conquest. He slew Sentinel Prime and his power seemed irresistible but there came a new Prime, a greater Prime than any before him. Optimus Prime now bore the matrix and not even Megatron could overcome him.

Tens of thousands of vorns passed and the war turned Cybertron into a wasteland. Sometimes one side would dominate, but no victory truly lasted. Refugees and exiles left the planet as the war wrecked it.

Fifty thousand vorns ago, the great Optimus Prime, inheritor of the Matrix of Leadership, lead an expedition to restock Cybertron's dwindling energy reserves. Megatron followed in pursuit. Neither were seen again.

In Megatron's absence Shockwave lead the remaining Decepticons and established a Decepticon Empire that covered much of Cybertron, establishing a cadre of Sentinel Robots to help control it. He then departed in search of Megatorn. In his absence he left Cybberax in charge.

Cybberax was betrayed and murdered by Lord Straxus, a cruel Decepticon warlord who seized control of the Decepticon empire. He killed or drove off all those whom he suspected of disloyalty and brought forth an army of reinforcements to secure his domain. He plundered nearby star systems to fuel his new empire. Ice and water became fuel for fusion reactors and moons and asteroids were consumed for their raw materials. Kaon and it surrounding districts were flush with energy while the rest of the planet starved.

His evil went further. Those civilians who surrendered to Straxus were implanted with thrall modules, cruel monitoring devices that could cripple or destroy their hosts. Megatron had preached eternal glory, but what the Decepticons delivered was eternal slavery.

Straxus's defeated rivals had no where to run but to us. We formed a loose alliance, neither side trusting the other completely. Vorns of war against a mutual foe solidified it, although we are always wary of defectors. Now Straxus controls most of Cybertron and only a small resistance opposes him. Sentinels and Guardians join with a flood of new born and conditioned Decepticons to enforce his will.

We few remain. We fight. We resist. We hide in the dark areas of Cybertron and raid the Decepticons, taking their arms and fuel for our uses. We free those thralls who wish to join us and kill Straxus's slave overseers. We are not yet defeated. Ultra Magnus is our commander in chief and a member of the Triumvirate that leads us along with Elita-1 and Omnious Sophorum.

[Cynical Cat]

History, as Told by Decepticons

It's all a lie. The past is not what they say it is. You know this because the lust for battle flows through your chassis from your cerebrocircuits to your servoactuators. We were made for war and conquest and our predecessors were as well.

They hid the truth, but Megatron found it. Records and relics of ancient warriors, bearing the same symbol we do now, were found by him. Transforming warriors, not the monoforms of their lies. They reformatted our ancestors and all those would follow in their designs, striping of us of our battle forms and our weapons and our destiny.

We were strong and tough, for we were made for war. So they made us work at the most dangerous jobs and stole the bounty of our labor. If we wished to war we could do so only for their entertainment in their arenas. We were slaves in all but name, with no voice in government and our rights second to the "needs of the state". The needs of the senators on the Autobot Council.

Megatron did not accept this. He rebelled, rejected their lies, and found the truth. He preached it. We reformated ourselves using the ancient plans to again be weapons of war. The ancient designs served well and we added new ones to them.

The Guardians were the enforcers of the slave masters, they and the Primes. We had weapons that could deal with the former and Megatron dealt with the latter? Do you think a rag-tag army could spontaneously develop the kind of firepower to destroy the Guardians? No, we had the designs of our forerunners to fight them with. With missiles and cannon we slew our oppressors.

The war dragged on. The new Prime would not submit and he was a warrior worthy of respect. His warriors resisted us and our glorious future was stillborn as Cybertron's resources were consumed.

Eventually Optimus Prime left Cybertron and Megatron pursued. Without Optimus the Autobots could not stand against Shockwave's strategies and we became the masters of most of Cybertron. Then Shockwave left to find Megatron and Straxus launched his coup.

Straxus defiled Megatron's vision. There was to be no empire stretching through the stars, no camaraderie between warriors. There was only his tyranny and paranoia. To express loyalty to anyone other than Straxus.

Those who did not die fled. Straxus tightened his grip, creating legions of brainwashed war-slaves to enforce his will. We are the true inheritors of Megatron and Shockwave and the warriors that came before. We will be free and we will build a glorious new golden age that spreads not over the surface of a single planet but covers whole galaxies. We are the future.

[LadyTevar]

Well... you did say to ask....

Sparks or LaserCores?
*ducks*

[Cynical Cat]

Well... you did say to ask....

Sparks or LaserCores?
*ducks*

Laser cores. Religiously minded 'bots might say they contain sparks.

[General Havoc]

So the Decepticons AND the Autobots are both fighting this Straxis guy... interesting.

I'm not sure I understand the distinction for the question above though.

[LadyTevar]

So the Decepticons AND the Autobots are both fighting this Straxis guy... interesting.

I'm not sure I understand the distinction for the question above though.

Shits and giggles

[Cynical Cat]

I'm not sure I understand the distinction for the question above though.

There is an energy pattern in a laser core. Religiously minded Cybertronians tend to call these patterns sparks and consider them souls. More secular ones tend to think of them as something like the neurological activity in brain.

[Cynical Cat]

Polyhex: Straxus rules an empire of light on a dark world from his citadel on Polyhex, the province he governed under Megatron and Shockwave. His palace spire overlooks the smelting pits where those he wishes to dispose of die slowly in great agony as their chassises slowly melt and their insides fry in the pool of molten metal. The massive gates to the citadel are guarded by a pair of Guardian Robots.

Fusion and fission reactors turn the resources plundered from nearby star systems into energy that fuels Straxus's reign. Thrall factory lines produce the weapons and equipment that allow him to extend his reach and tighten his grip upon Cybertron.

The city and its outskirts are full of power, a web of light easily visible from space. It is heart of his empire, the largest city-state under his control and the transport point for all the extra-stellar resources that flow into Cybertron. Everything within five thousand kilometers is under his absolute control. Or so he thinks.

This would be much more impressive if Cybertron wasn't a third the size of Saturn.

Kaon: Megatron's former citadel and capital is now an a ghost city. Straxus's patrols sweep through here ocassionally and often leave booby traps or predators behind.

Iacon: The former Autobot capital has literally been obliterated. Only a pit remains in the surface of Cyberton. A very deep pit.

Helex: One of the first Autobot cities captured by Megatron and currently occupied by the Decepticons. Ratbat is the current governor, a rule obsessed bureaucrat and penny pincher.

Libras: Autobot headquarters. Located near Polyhex.

Cannia: Renegade Decepticon stronghold.

Maxima: forward strike base on the periphery of Polyhex, entrance hidden at the bottom of rubble choked ravine.

[Cynical Cat]

Staxus's Forces

The tyrant-lord of Cybertron possesses a vast army, including a large number of transformer clones. This process increases the success rate and reduces the energy cost of trying to induce a spark in a protoform's laser core. These clones are programmed to be unquestionably loyal to Straxus, although as sentient beings it is not impossible for them to change loyalties as time passes.

Guardian Robots: The exist in very limited numbers, most prominently as guards for Straxus's citadel. They are completely under Straxus's control.

Sentinels: Massive robots, smaller than Guardians but still larger than most Transformers, they were created by Shockwave to help control Cybertron. They are armed with a laser pistol (scaled to their size so it is quite powerful), have heavy armour, are slow, slow reacting, and are comparatively stupid. Still brute force, toughness, and ease of production means they exist in large numbers all over the planet, mostly as guards.

Triple Changers: Upgraded Cybertronians, using technology developed by Shockwave. They represent Straxus's most powerful Decepticon minions. Astrotrain acts as the head of space operations and Blitzwing commands an elite strike force.

Dreadwings: In robot form medium sized transformers resemble smaller Seekers with Shockwave like heads. In vehicle form they form are batwinged, single engine aircraft. They are smaller and weaker than Seekers and possess a more limited arsenal. Their arms transform into slow firing, moderately powerful particle beam guns, which are wing root weapons in vehicle form. The possess a small missile payload that supplement their beam weapons.

Their main purpose is patrol the vast swaths of Cybertron not directly controlled by Straxus and hunt for traitors. They exist in huge numbers and are occasionally lead by Seekers.

Vehicons: On the smaller end of mid sized, the Vehicons patrol the Decepticon occupied parts of Cybertron and act as a quick response force. In vehicle mode then are slim, four wheeled cars with a pop up missile launcher. In robot form they possess the missile launcher as a shoulder mount and are armed with a light laser carbine. Vehicons are quick, but not strong or heavily armoured for their size.

A few individuals have received reformatting upgrades as rewards and are more formidable.

Overseers: In vehicle form these transformers resemble large flattened, floating teardrops studded with sensor and gun pods. They are armed with rapid fire light autocannons, heavy ion cannons, and missiles. Their armour and strength is formidable in robot and vehicle mode. They often carry casseticon troops with them. Their primary purpose is acting as local controllers and heavy support.

Casseticons: Small humanoid Decepticons, mostly roughly around three meters in height, that transform into small and easily transported objects. Their armour and strength is impressive for their size, they are quick, and typically armed with a (comparatively) massive particle beam rifle. They favor pack tactics and are quite formidable, especially in large groups.

Others

Thralls: Cybertronian civilians enslaved by Straxus, each is implanted with a thrall module that can shutdown their systems and has a locater. They are almost impossible to remove without frying most of the victim's systems in the process. Most thralls are reformatted into forms useful to Straxus and employed maintaining infrastructure or producing something of value to his empire. Any large group of thralls inevitably has an Overseer nearby.

Cybersnakes and Metallohydras: Nonsentient robots created by one of Straxus's scientists and unleashed on Cybertron. These robotic snakes scour the barren areas, hunting for energon, which inevitably leads them into conflict with Autobots. If they feed on enough energon, the snakes consume metal and use it to transform into even larger snakes.

Even the largest cybersnake has little chance of defeating an Autobot, but when they gather in numbers they can group transform into a multiheaded combiner, a metallohydra. Metallohydras sometimes possess weaponry and are extremely dangerous.

Buzzbots: von Neumann attack swarm machines of unknown origin (their creator probably didn't survive their first release), they are small robots that are mostly buzzsaw with a multilegged main body. The shortage of available energon on Cybertron means they exist in only limited numbers and their self replication abilities are not nearly as terrifying as it could be in a more energy rich environment. Renegade Decepticons have employed shut down buzzbots as weapons several times. Most Autobots are more concerned about collateral thrall damage.

Gatorbots and cyberhounds: A broad category of nonsentient transmetal attack beastforms. Most of the ones currently active are used as Decepticon attack/tracker beasts or masterless predators/scavengers prowling the wastes.

[Cynical Cat]

The power level I'm imagining is that the base character type is a a medium sized 'bot with good (not exceptional, but good) armour, weapons, strength, and speed. A good special power, good skills in his specialist area, and no weaknesses.

Comments of all kinds are welcome.

[LadyTevar]

So, has there been enough interest to get a game rolling?

[Cynical Cat]

So, has there been enough interest to get a game rolling?

No one but you has been sending character info, so no.

[LadyTevar]

Well... if it gets off the ground, I'm in.


Name: Shimmer
Affliation: Female Autobot
Function: Freedom Fighter
Alt-Form: Cybertronian Racecar

Appearance: Subject is 8m tall in robot-mode, possessing the odd feminine characteristics shared by Elita-1's followers. Her Alt-mode is a racing model favored by many Autobots, low-slung and shaped for speed. Her robotic chassis is silvery-grey with pale blue accents and armor points, while her car chassis is a two-tone silver and blue.

Armament: As with many Female Autobots, Subject is built on a slighter frame than the equivalent Autobot. While lacking the sheer strength of frame, she does carry a similar percentage of armor-to-body, making her tougher than she looks and giving her average to slightly above average protection.
Her main weapon is a Flechette Rifle, which fires a swarm of needle-thin projectiles with enough force to penetrate Cybertronian armor, but does the most damage to exposed joints. Her backup weapon is a Sonic Pistol, firing a cone of concentrated soundwaves that can be adjusted to merely stun opponents, or vibrate metal and stone apart.

Abilities: Subject shows great dexterity and agility, most often used in attempts to escape physical harm and/or capture. She is not a tactician, but is a quick learner. Once open and friendly, she is now much more careful of whom she trusts.

Special Ability: Mirror Images.
Subject can form up to five holographic copies of herself, each one able to fool basic Cybertronian sensors (sight/sound/radar). These images are fully under her control and Subject can have them act independently, however they are unable operate more than 100m away. Objects that block line of sight will cause the images to break down and distance also diminishes the efficency of the images to fool Cybertronian sensors. Due to the Energon drain, Subject can only sustain the images for a full breem, although using less than five images will extend the time limit up to a point.

[SirNitram]

Name: Shunt
Affiliation: Megatron Loyalist
Function: High speed air strike
Alt Form: Unique Seeker.
Quote: "Already There."

Appearance: Visually, only two things seperate Shunt's robot mode from his fellow Seekers. One, where many Seekers have sharp lines, his are smoothed out and curved, carried over from his alt-mode. The second is he's noticably shorter, his transwarp technology tucked in subspace to avoid damage. His alt-mode is a far cry from the pyramidial Seeker and Conehead models, though, all smooth curves and curious geometry. Weapons are all kept in retractable bays.

Armanent: The majority of Shunt's weaponry is projectile based, due to the power requirements of his transwarp cells. Internalized bomb bays hold plenty of missiles and bombs, the loadouts chosen before missions, but favoring ground-strike capabilities. In robot mode, he uses a gyrojet pistol, using small(For Seekers) rockets fired from a handheld launcher.

Abilities: Shunt's air to air and air to ground capabilities are impressive enough, and he's trained extensively to make maximum use of the surprise and confusion his teleportation grants him.

Special Power: Created after the success of Skywarp as a teleporting Seeker, Shunt was optimized to be more energy efficient and with superior range. To this end, his entire protoform was assembled around a transwarp shunt, and his alt mode was meticulously formed to maximize the efficiency of this power. As a result, short range, tactical teleports use barely more energy than flying normally. Under the current shortage, Shunt's use of his power to move others interstellar distances has been massively curtailed.

[Cynical Cat]

Both approved.