Code Cravat

A oneshot that may become the pilot episode of more.

Character Creation

Will make it more substantial if it turns into a game.

Name

Having one of these is helpful.

Background

You are a young military officer of Wendin. One of you is a captain while three others are some grade of lieutenant. The first four players thus form the 7th Valkyr Platoon. (If we get more than four players, we can sort out non-mecha roles possibly.)

You are also a member of the new nobility. If you are also old nobility, you almost certainly know someone of similar background who was purged but maintain your title and had your status confirmed by the archduke provided you are loyal, able, and give up the feudal exemptions from taxation and the rule of law which were frankly kind of barbaric anyway. If this is your first shot at the upper class, your title was meritocratically granted by the academy when you graduated in a pompous ceremony where the archduke or archduchess (depending on academic stream) awarded you with it.

Attributes

You have 20 points. Max stat is 10.

Might
Your power and toughness. This is important even when inside your Valkyr as knights are frequently put out of action while their armour is still operational. Those who aren't physically fit have a difficult time even moving the whole affair. Outside the Valkyr, Might governs any task requiring raw physical force, including many melee attacks.

Agility
Coordination and precision in movement. Important for a slew of combat actions as well as some non-combat ones.

Smarts
Perception, book smarts and force multiplier in some circumstances.

Charisma
This oneshot's all-in-one social stat.

Mood

One word that would describe the character's foremost emotion, drive or passion like 'rage', 'vengeful', 'cool' or what-have-you. If picking something that requires a subject (like 'love', 'loyalty', etc.), it should be defined and within scope of the game.

Valkyr Name

You can't have Baal since that's the Archduke's personal machine.

Subject Major

From when you were studying at academy. Examples include Political Science, Clocktronics, Engineering, Artillery, Logistics, Elite Piloting, Tactics, etc. These provide benefits that may or may not be within scope for the oneshot.

Background

You are a Knight of Wendin. And not just any milk drinking noble handed or buying into a ceremonial title held over from centuries past. You are the young poster boys and girls of a resurgent Duchy of Wendin, among the first generation of Knights with a capital K. You represent the new, proper, enlightened nobility replacing the greedy, self-destructive generation from before the revolution. Although your lord is your monarch, Archduke Aristide I, you also have a loyalty alien to your medieval predecessors - the idea of Wendine state itself.

Valkyrs

Also, you pilot a Valkyr, an enormous suit of armour driven by the power of steam and fitted to your preference. This is a pretty big perk as the Valkyr is a monstrously powerful weapon. It handily outpaces infantry and is virtually immune to small arms fire, though it is still vulnerable to artillery. While its primary weapon is supposedly melee, it also infamously carries a Zimmad gun. As of the Battle of Zedan's Gates, it is the most significant of Wendin's several secret weapons.

Places

Wendin

Your homeland of Wendin is a fairly large country but most of it is sparsely populated owing to climate and terrain. Saddled with war indemnities and territorial loss after losing several wars, Wendin was forced to rely on ingenuity to prosper. Though the industrial revolution has spread abroad, it is here in Wendin where it is by far keenest felt. A recent revolution led by Aristide I (who was once only 23rd in line for the throne) purged away much of the old nobility that didn't fall in line. The recent unprecedented secession from the Empire has caused several of Wendin's neighbours, led once again by the Kingdom of Arian, to once again declare war on it.

Zedan Pass

A mountain pass between Wendin and the rest of the continent.

Other

The Empire

Once a theocratic empire that almost conquered the world, it has gradually become a largely ceremonial organization over the past three centuries. Ever since 1688, the imperial word has held no actual legal power, but its influence cannot be discounted in most areas since it still holds religious primacy.

Alkexianism/Third Eye Philosophy

Posits that all humans have an internal mental potential described as a "third eye" that may gradually be opened as a person and those around that person become more enlightened and turn away from superstition, worldliness and dogma.

Equipment

Artaria Arsenal Model 1790
The standard firearm for Wendine infantry is a single-shot breech-loading needle rifle. It is vastly superior to contemporary weapons as it can be reloaded in a single round. As Valkyr pilots, you have a carbine version.

Bellmar Y2 revolver
As an officer, you carry this sidearm, a pistol that can fire up to six times before stopping to reload.

Zimmad gun
The hand carried weapon of a Valkyr. The Zimmad gun is a sophisticated recoil-driven automatic gun with a nominal rate of fire that exceeds 400 rounds per minute when operating correctly but it requires cooling water from the Valkyr's tank – a resource that can run low in intense combat. Although it can be reloaded via a box with a belt of cartridges, it is said to be more likely to jam.