Game and Setting Information

Here you can find game-related information. Some of it is required reading so make sure to familiarise yourself with it!

Feel free to contact the mods if you think a section is missing vital information, or the game should use a new one that is not there yet.

Most of the information in the list is out of date, not that it matters because the game ended. The mission logs are all there though.

Game Information
Rules and Policies - required reading for every player
Player Contact Info - visible only to community members

Guides
FAQ - suggested reading with sections for newbies and SRW UG or UG@ veterans
Application format - descriptions of what you're supposed to write in each app section, required reading for all new potential players
Missions, Events and Story Arcs - suggested reading for everyone, especially those who compile an event list for their canon
Glossary - summary of terms, both general-use DWRP ones and those specific to our game
General questions thread - if you have a question regarding the game, please post it here!
Mission time guide

Setting Information
Background - general in-character backstory for the game
Locations
Groups of Interest
Mission Logs
Character Residency
Unclaimed Unit Hangar
Timeline

FAQ

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions! Or at least, questions we predict will be frequently asked! Either way, the section for new (potential) players is right below. The section for veterans already familiar with SRW UG or UG@ is here.

New player FAQ

What's the premise of the game?
It’s the future, and giant robots have become widespread. Which is good, because threats that take giant robots to fight are widespread, too! Alien invaders, giant monsters, human criminals, terrorists and rogue states - players are part of a group that defends Earth from these threats and more. The game combines canon plot, character drama and hijinks, and crossover action featuring a whole lot of giant robots punching things in the face to save the world.

What is Super Robot Wars?
Super Robot Wars is a series of turn-based strategy games that heavily influenced SRWU (as if the name wasn't indication enough). Each game is a crossover of plots and events of mecha shows that are present in the game, with the addition of original characters and a plot that usually ties it all together.

This game's premise sounds very familiar. Weren't there similar games before?
Yes - SRWU is a spiritual successor to two previous games, SRW Unlimited Generation (UG) and SRW Unlimited Generation Alpha (UG@). Both previous games ran, played through their canons’ plots, and came to planned ends, as we hope SRWU will too. SRWU is not a sequel or continuation of either game, and is a separate continuity. The SRWU mods have experience as players in both games, and as mods for the later part of UG@, and will be building on that experience to make SRWU as good as it can be.

I'm new to DWRP or roleplaying in general.
The best advice we can give is not to be afraid to ask questions - look around how other players do their things, and when something is unclear for you, ask the mods or in the game's OOC AIM chat (details here). Additionally, we’ve put together a guide to explain how things work, which should be accessible even with zero roleplaying experience. There’s also a glossary which explains some of the jargon of the hobby in general and this game in particular.

I know how DWRP in general works, how is this game different?
SRWU is a comm-based, pan-fandom, OC-friendly crossover game with a focus on mecha (giant robot) canons, and combat. It’s a hybrid game, using real-time AIM chat sessions for combat “missions” which are an important part of most canon plots. It’s also different from most DWRP games in that characters are not removed from their canons - the setting is a mashup combining the canons involved, with those canons’ plots and events running during the game, and characters joining forces to fend off the various threats to the world.

Is this a combat-heavy game? How is combat run?
Yes - in common with the video games it’s based on and the kinds of canons that include giant robots, there’s a lot of action in this game. Most combat takes place in AIM-based missions scheduled an average of 1-2 times per week, but combat and event posts can also be found on the IC community. For details you can consult the mission and event guide, see here. That said, combat is not the only thing the game is about, and even characters with no combat ability can be both suitable and welcome.

What kinds of characters can I app?
The “standard” character for this game is a pilot of a giant robot, who uses it to fight other giant robots or comparable enemies. However, this is not a requirement, and a wide range of characters can be suitable! Your character may control a robot rather than piloting it; may be a robot; may simply be capable of fighting robots themselves; or may be a non-combatant from an otherwise suitable canon. Guidelines for exactly what kinds of canons are appropriate for the game can be found on the applications page. If in doubt if a canon is appropriate for the game or not, ask the mods.

How many characters can I have?
As the game opens, the limit is four characters per player. This will gradually increase to six over time.

Do you accept OCs (Original Characters)?
Original characters are welcome! Both fandom OCs and OCs from original canons are fine, though if you’re apping into a canon (established or original) that already has characters in the game, the other players must agree to the addition. Original characters should be interesting and well written, and original canons should add something to the game.

Do you accept alternate or multiple versions of characters?
In almost all cases, no. Each character is their own unique person so there won't be multiple interations of the same character running in the game. There are exceptions for canons that explicitly include evil clones, alternate universe characters, supernatural beings reincarnated in several bodies at once, etc - but these are rarely player character material.

Mecha? So this is an anime game?
Nope! Due to the nature of the material a lot of suitable characters will be from anime or manga, but characters from live-action works (Japanese and otherwise), Western animation, comics, and video games are all fine. Suitability is judged based on the canon and characters, not the medium or place of origin of the work.

What's the setting like?
SRWU’s setting is kept deliberately a little vague, in order to make it easier to incorporate new canons. Details that have been established in play can be found here. The broad picture is that it’s a future sci-fi setting where humanity has established colonies in space around Earth (and possibly on other planets as well) and uses giant robots, humanoid and otherwise, in a variety of roles. One of those roles is combat - both among humans, and against assorted strange threats from within and beyond the Earth. The setting as a whole has a tech level advanced enough for regular space travel (in the limits of the Solar System at least) and for giant robots to be effective combat machines, but specifics are highly variable given the differences between canons involved.

How does my character enter the game?
Unless something unusual has been arranged for your canon, your character is assumed to have been present in the game world all along, so it’s just a matter of deciding why their path crosses that of the rest of the cast. Most likely your character becomes part of the Unity Group and shows up at a base where they meet others, or perhaps they’re drawn in to the action on a mission.

When does my character enter the game?
Usually right after they’ve been approved, but in some circumstances you may app a character before it makes sense for them to debut in the course of the canon’s plot. In that case, you can simply wait - you won’t be considered idle or at risk of failing activity when your character literally can’t show up yet. Canons with characters waiting to debut will be given priority for missions and events in order to minimize the wait.

Can my character die?
Yes, but only if you agree to it, and usually as a result of a canon event where they die in the source material. The mods will never kill your character off without permission, nor are other players allowed to do so. A mission will never result in a player character's death unless the player agreed to it beforehand, either. Lastly, do not feel pressured to kill your character off even if they died in canon - see below.

Can my canon's events be changed from how they originally went?
Absolutely. Super Robot Wars games have a long tradition of changing canon events, especially for the better - preventing "bad ends", character deaths, etc. Just make sure to note where and how does the event diverge from how it originally went. Also, do note that the suggested event list is only suggested - the events may turn out differently, probably because of another canon's interference. Though other players are not allowed to alter the course of your canon without your knowledge and permission.

What happens to dropped characters? Can they be re-apped?
Yes. Dropped characters are available to be re-apped by anyone, including the dropping player, depending on the circumstances of the drop. Although a returning character is assumed to be the same person, the new player is not obliged to carry on with the old one's CR or remember everything the old version of the character did. This can be handwaved away, especially if the character is from a different version of the canon (for example, someone drops a Ryouma Nagare from New Getter Robo, a new player apps a Ryouma from Shin vs Neo).

How do the characters interact?
In-character interaction has two main venues: the main game community and the AIM mission chats. The IC community encompasses face to face interaction, private communications, broadcasts, etc. A character might post a greeting to the entire Unity Group on joining the game, for example, to which other characters can respond by saying hello.
Missions have their own detailed rules, but for the most part boil down to the 6-8 characters present for the mission all communicating with one another while fighting together, by whatever means are appropriate to their units.

Is this a network-based game?
No. Characters have access to long-range communication but it's usually reserved for important messages and thus not used for idle chatter. All communication is presumed to happen face-to-face, in person unless stated otherwise. However, you can assume your character can always broadcast something to the whole in-character community (even if they do it by saying it in-person), or contact a specific character as long as that character is not unavailable, for example missing, abducted, trapped in another dimension, etc.

What information can my character access when they join?
This is kept somewhat vague, but it can be assumed that they can look up any non-private communications over networks - broadcasts to the entire Unity Group or the like - and mission information equivalent to what’s found in the debriefs. Of course, things deliberately kept private or secret, and in-character interactions for which the character wasn’t present, are either unknown (for the former) or only heard about second hand (the latter) - unless you work something out with the players involved.

What language are our characters speaking?
Don’t think too hard about it - most of the source canons don’t! Most characters are assumed to understand one another, even aliens, unless the language barrier is a deliberate plot point in their canons.

When in canon can I take my character from?
If you app a character from a canon that is already in the game, then the character will usually be at the same point the canon is currently in - although this can be fudged a little. Note that different canons can run simultaneously even if they are supposed to happen one after another - for example, Zeta Gundam and Unicorn could be run at the same time, even if one takes place decades after another. If you app a character from a canon not in the game, it is usually at the canon's starting point - though if you so decide and it is not too difficult to implement, you can start the game with a character already halfway through their plot, or even at the point where the plot ended and they have no canon events left at all.

A character or canon I was involved with left the game. What do they leave behind?
The character’s time in the game is still “canon”, their CR with other characters is intact, and their canon’s contributions to the setting remain - but they’re played down. Ideally the character’s departure is explained by the player dropping them, but if not (in the event of a ban or idling out) it’s assumed to be uneventful. Any outstanding issues left hanging in the canon’s plot simply... don’t come up. Places exclusive to the canon don’t get any screentime. In other words, the canon doesn’t retroactively unhappen, but nor does the world blow up because it set a ticking time bomb and then vanished before defusing it. The canon is moved to a back burner in case someone wants to pick it back up in the future, but the game as a whole moves on without drawing IC attention to what’s essentially an OOC issue.

I’m interested, but I have issues with a player already in the game.
Talk to the mods. We can't police and penalize people for their actions from outside the game, but we absolutely want as many people as possible to be comfortable in the game. Credible reports of bad behaviour elsewhere let us know to be watchful with problem players. If you think having to deal with a particular person might damage your enjoyment of the game, you can ask them not to contact you (via the mods if necessary) and they will be held to that request.

Does this game use HMDs?
Yes. How's My Driving posts are not mandatory, but highly encouraged so it is suggested that each player have one for themselves. There is also a dedicated HMD for the game in general and the mods' actions in particular. You can find our HMDs here.

Does this game use Plurk?
No. There is no Plurk account for the game or the mods, but our players are of course free to use Plurk as they want to.

Veteran FAQ

What's new, rules-wise?
Rules did not change much since mid- to late-game UG@. The biggest changes are: the activity check - the cycle is now 2 months long, and requires 35 tags per cycle. No posts or missions are required to pass AC, but they still count as 5 extra tags per.
Also, in addition to the character limit there is also a limit on how many OC LCWs a player is allowed to have, as well a limit to how many LCW canons a single player may have active at the same time.

What are the changes in apps?
The app format is slightly different this time, though what the apps require of the potential player is mostly the same as before. Standards for OCs will be enforced tighter - in UG@, we accepted several original characters that really should not be accepted, and we wish to avoid that mistake.

Any new features?
Mission arcs are technically not new, but they were criminally underutilized - arcs being several missions of the same canon happening close to each other, one after another. This time there will be an option for the player to point which missions should happen in an arc together in their app, rather than leaving it to the mods' discretion.
Also combat logs and similar events will be run differently, with an OOC post saying what is happening and players writing their own IC posts where they respond to the situation. Posts for specific in-character situations will still be used as before of course, this is for more generic "there are enemies attacking, fight!" events.

What is the setting like, this time?
UG@ had a post-apocalyptic setting where the players adventured around on a giant flying carrier. SRWU will be more similar to UG, where players were a part of a united organisation that responded to various threats and mostly lived on or near the organisation's base. In SRWU, there will be several such bases (including one in space and most likely one on a space ship that can move around various locations), connected with fancily-named teleporters so that characters can easily interact with others even if their home base is physically far away away.

I didn't like something that was present in UG/UG@! Will SRWU be any different?
We were not mods in SRW UG, we were however (lategame) mods for Alpha, and we realize that we made some mistakes, some of them large. Because of that we have a strong drive to improve and not repeat those mistakes. If you are concerned about a game element, the mods are always willing to hear you out and address your concerns.