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Heavy Gear
Heavy Gear is a mecha science fiction game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game, and a combat card game (Heavy Gear Fighter). The setting is also known through the PC game incarnations published by Activision in 1997 and 1999, which were developed after Activision lost the rights to the Battletech/MechWarrior series. It also spawned a 40-episode, 3D-animated TV series in 2001, which featured a much simplified version of the universe developed in the role-playing game.
The background universe of the game is very detailed – more than a hundred books and game accessories have been published since 1994. A continual epic storyline runs throughout all of the game's material, with new publications moving chronologically along the timeline. The game is best known for its humanoid combat vehicles (or mecha) – the Gears and Striders used by the military forces in the setting.
After Gen Con 1993, the game designers at Dream Pod 9 decided that they wanted to design a game system that they could use to publish their own books; this led to the Silhouette System which would be first used for Heavy Gear.
Heavy Gear is set on a distant, fictional planet called Terra Nova around 4,000 years from now (AD 6132). Terra Nova was once the pride of the United Earth Government's colonies. However, an economic collapse forced the UEG to abandon Terra Nova and its other colonies centuries before the period depicted in the game setting. This results in Terra Nova suffering a Dark Age. Eventually, city-states rose from the ashes, and either through treaties or tyranny, unite together to form nations called Leagues. These Leagues would in turn ally (again either peacefully or forcibly) to form the superpower blocs that dominated the temperate southern and northern hemispheres of the planet.
The planet's geography is composed primarily of land that contain deep underground water reserves, but few large bodies of open water, and no oceans. The planet has its own existing ecosystem of plants and animals, such as the bison-like animal called the Barnaby which is used as livestock, and the Hopper, which is the equivalent of Earth's rabbit, though most animals are reptilian in nature. The single dominant land feature is a massive mineral rich, hot desert belt around the equator of the world known as the Badlands. This territory is not dominated by any one political group, and is considered open territory to everyone, and contains many bandit groups known as Rovers. Most people live in the northern or southern polar regions where temperatures are more acceptable to human life, and other terrain types such as forests, grasslands, swamps, and jungles can be found. Small ice caps with arctic conditions and glaciers are found on the true north and true south poles. The planet has very little axial tilt, so seasonal weather differences are small to non existent.
As the setting is primarily the backdrop for a series of strategy, roleplaying, and video games the military and their weaponry are the main focus. One of the most popular weapon systems of the various groups on Terra Nova are machines known as Heavy Gears that give the universe its name. They are 12- to 20-foot-tall (3.7 to 6.1 m) bipedal, armored, single occupancy military combat units. The Gears are less heavily armed and armored than main battle tanks used by the Terra Nova armies. However, the Gears provide a mix of capabilities that prove effective as the setting/game rules typically allow victory through maneuver warfare and place less emphasis on raw firepower and armor.
Several major wars take place over time, including the War of the Alliance where Terra Nova unites against a new dictatorial government on Earth that attempts to re-take its former colonies by force. Earth is using its own advanced war machines such as hover tanks and armies of purple skinned GREL super soldiers (Genetically Recombined Experimental Legionaries). In this war, both the North and the South cooperate to fight off the Colonial Expeditionary Force, which during their first defeat and withdrawal, abandon many personnel (both human and GREL). These former soldiers eventually settle Terra Nova and form their own city-state of Port Arthur in the equatorial badlands.
As of 6132 AD (TN 1936, local calendar), the Confederated Northern City-States (CNCS) and the Allied Southern Territories (AST) are recovering and rebuilding from the War of the Alliance. Despite the looming common threat posed by the eventual return of Earth's colonial armies, the polar superpowers have great fear and animosity for each other, an analogy of the real world NATO and Warsaw Pact, while the independent City-States of the Badlands simply try to survive the crossfire.
Hub AI
Heavy Gear AI simulator
(@Heavy Gear_simulator)
Heavy Gear
Heavy Gear is a mecha science fiction game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game, and a combat card game (Heavy Gear Fighter). The setting is also known through the PC game incarnations published by Activision in 1997 and 1999, which were developed after Activision lost the rights to the Battletech/MechWarrior series. It also spawned a 40-episode, 3D-animated TV series in 2001, which featured a much simplified version of the universe developed in the role-playing game.
The background universe of the game is very detailed – more than a hundred books and game accessories have been published since 1994. A continual epic storyline runs throughout all of the game's material, with new publications moving chronologically along the timeline. The game is best known for its humanoid combat vehicles (or mecha) – the Gears and Striders used by the military forces in the setting.
After Gen Con 1993, the game designers at Dream Pod 9 decided that they wanted to design a game system that they could use to publish their own books; this led to the Silhouette System which would be first used for Heavy Gear.
Heavy Gear is set on a distant, fictional planet called Terra Nova around 4,000 years from now (AD 6132). Terra Nova was once the pride of the United Earth Government's colonies. However, an economic collapse forced the UEG to abandon Terra Nova and its other colonies centuries before the period depicted in the game setting. This results in Terra Nova suffering a Dark Age. Eventually, city-states rose from the ashes, and either through treaties or tyranny, unite together to form nations called Leagues. These Leagues would in turn ally (again either peacefully or forcibly) to form the superpower blocs that dominated the temperate southern and northern hemispheres of the planet.
The planet's geography is composed primarily of land that contain deep underground water reserves, but few large bodies of open water, and no oceans. The planet has its own existing ecosystem of plants and animals, such as the bison-like animal called the Barnaby which is used as livestock, and the Hopper, which is the equivalent of Earth's rabbit, though most animals are reptilian in nature. The single dominant land feature is a massive mineral rich, hot desert belt around the equator of the world known as the Badlands. This territory is not dominated by any one political group, and is considered open territory to everyone, and contains many bandit groups known as Rovers. Most people live in the northern or southern polar regions where temperatures are more acceptable to human life, and other terrain types such as forests, grasslands, swamps, and jungles can be found. Small ice caps with arctic conditions and glaciers are found on the true north and true south poles. The planet has very little axial tilt, so seasonal weather differences are small to non existent.
As the setting is primarily the backdrop for a series of strategy, roleplaying, and video games the military and their weaponry are the main focus. One of the most popular weapon systems of the various groups on Terra Nova are machines known as Heavy Gears that give the universe its name. They are 12- to 20-foot-tall (3.7 to 6.1 m) bipedal, armored, single occupancy military combat units. The Gears are less heavily armed and armored than main battle tanks used by the Terra Nova armies. However, the Gears provide a mix of capabilities that prove effective as the setting/game rules typically allow victory through maneuver warfare and place less emphasis on raw firepower and armor.
Several major wars take place over time, including the War of the Alliance where Terra Nova unites against a new dictatorial government on Earth that attempts to re-take its former colonies by force. Earth is using its own advanced war machines such as hover tanks and armies of purple skinned GREL super soldiers (Genetically Recombined Experimental Legionaries). In this war, both the North and the South cooperate to fight off the Colonial Expeditionary Force, which during their first defeat and withdrawal, abandon many personnel (both human and GREL). These former soldiers eventually settle Terra Nova and form their own city-state of Port Arthur in the equatorial badlands.
As of 6132 AD (TN 1936, local calendar), the Confederated Northern City-States (CNCS) and the Allied Southern Territories (AST) are recovering and rebuilding from the War of the Alliance. Despite the looming common threat posed by the eventual return of Earth's colonial armies, the polar superpowers have great fear and animosity for each other, an analogy of the real world NATO and Warsaw Pact, while the independent City-States of the Badlands simply try to survive the crossfire.