Deconstructing the Wraithen..
over 7 years ago
– Tue, May 09, 2017 at 11:27:25 PM
Good Afternoon, Citizens of Mort.
This update will be a little different - we will be taking a look at the new Reton - Wraithen Sniper model from more of a.. World of Progress... perspective.
Up until now - a lot of these updates have looked at the Miniatures, the production schedule, snippets of rules and so on.. We haven't, as yet, really looked at the setting for the game - beyond the ruins of CS1, SLA Industries is predominantly set in the backdrop of the glittering commercialism of the World of Progress. So, let us use Reton as an example and dive right in..
Reton - Wraithen Sniper
Sounds awesome? Right! But what is a Wraithen..?
When Mr Slayer conducted his infamous hostile takeover of the entire Galaxy, in his infinite Wisdom he allowed certain races to survive. Races, that he deemed could have a productive and useful place in his New World of Progress. The Wraithen, or Wraith Raider, are one such race.
So, which is it? Wraithen or Wraith Raider? Well, its both - Wraithen is the collective given name for the Species, Wraith Raider is the slang that many of them prefer to be known as - because its "cool". Its like referring to a Scotsman as Scottish or Scot or even Scotch in some places; all mean much the same thing and are all recognised as such.
Wraithen are a Predator race, originally evolving on an Arctic planet they have naturally evolved superior senses, instincts and hunting ability. Physically they are extremely fast - slender of build yet muscular, they are born and bred for the hunt.
Appearance wise - they have a strange hide, on the Ice Worlds their fur grows long and white and their eyes fade to pale pink. However, if they then return to warmer planets like Mort, their hair thins out til it is almost unnoticeable at a distance. In warmer climates, the Wraith Raider has the semblance of human hair- however it is usually navy blue or deep purple, and his soft velvet-like fur is the colour of lavender with a mottled pattern similar to a leapord. The typical Wraithen wears a coolant suit, which regulates their body temperature.
Brainwasters regard Wraithen as "The Wraith Raiders are, like, dead cute. Kinda like big teddy bears that go for your fridge at a party."
Reton is typical of her species - lightning quick with a sense for hunting her prey. She has been trained to a razor edge by SLA Industries, and has equipped herself with the best equipment currently available, that she can afford.
All the Toys!
This is where one of the most fun aspects of the SLA RPG comes into play! The Toys!!!
The World of Progress is glamourous and commercial - money talks, and when the Operatives go shopping, they do so with amounts of cash way beyond the potential for the normal citizen in the street to ever even dream of having.. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the Weapons and Armour available to the successful Op.
In the SLA RPG and supplements - there are a massive spread of Melee weapons, Guns, Armour, Equipment... and much of it is customisable! And, whilst its not really possible to go into the detail of customising individual weapons and armour in a Wargame setting - however, it may become possible to build in the potential to customise the individual..
So, back to Reton - she currently adores her FEN 93 GAG, and treats it with all the respect and love that such a fine weapon surely deserves. Being a Wraithen, she very much believes in ensuring that she always has the best kit, and that she is seen to be "better" equipped than the next Wraithen. After carefully consulting the specifications on every Sniper Rifle available on the market - Reton chose to purchase a relative newcomer to the Sniper rifle market - the FEN 93 GAG.
"The FEN 30-30 True Shot has been the single best selling sniper rifle for 2 centuries. Now is the time for change, to bring forward new designs and ideas. For operatives that prefer a more compact form of armament but still like the power of a sniper rifle, FEN had introduced the FEN 93 GAG".
So, the FEN 93 is compact, can switch between single shot and semi auto, has a 10 round box magazine, takes 12mm rounds, comes ready to fit with Silencer, flash suppressor, sights and recoil baffling. More importantly to a Wraithen! Its shiny and new..
That last bit is very important to a Wraithen - if its not "cool", what is the point?
Judging by the fact that her backup weapon is a FEN AR, its likely that Reton either has, or is trying for - a sponsorship contract with FEN.
So, Reton has her rifle - custom fitted to her physique, fully recoil baffled, sights ranged in for her personally. And she loves it.. til the next shiny Rifle comes along.
For Armour - there really was only 1 choice for her;
PP112 Silverback
The current trend is for thicker, stronger armour with a great deal of added extras, such as anti-dazzle, internal air supply, special optics and so on. The Power Projects' Silverback changes all that. Being small, compact, extremely fast and offering protection which other armour types in its class lack. The Silverback is the way forward.
The Silverback is practically designed for Scouts - based on a Mk 12 Exo base chassis, the PP112 is is powered so that the Silverback operates at a constant 165% of its normal power output. Giving you, the wearer, an outstanding amount of speed and maneuverability.
The flight system on the Silverback is powerprojects newwest step forward - the sky is now yours.
In short, this suit makes you faster, more agile and gives you limited flight capabilities. It also comes with integral high adhesion grips, reflex activated knee, elbow and hand spikes and shock absorbers enabling you to climb far more swiftly and easily.
So, you have a natural born Predator with superior agility and reflexes clad in a speed enhancing armour that also increases agility, reflexes and gives them limited flight capabilities.. ? Doesn't that sound like fun?
Operatives
Within the structure of the SLA Industries: CS1 Skirmish Game there will be many "named" Operatives; Reton, Ministry, Shine, McNultie, Joe Fade, etc.. Once the Core game is released - there will be miniatures and stat cards for each of these.
A "Named" character is slightly more powerful, but is also more constrained - in that you cannot change their weapons / equipment / ability loadout much. This is intentional, as a Named Character is a set, specific individual.
One of the first expansions, post KS delivery, will be an Operative Manual that will allow you to customise your Ops to your own cunning plans! We have playtested some very early, rudimentary rules on this and they worked superbly - we don't want to focus too much time or resource on this until we have the Rulebook and Stat cards out and get the game properly launched, but afterwards the Operatives Rules are high on our priorities as you will be able to put together an Operative that you have designed from the ground up!
- I.e. Human Operatives will be available in Body Blocker, HARD, Powercell, Silverback, Crackshot or even Dogeybone armours (probably more!).
- You select your Human template, adjust stats and abilities for the armour and then give them a weapon loadout of your choosing - selecting cards from the Equipment deck and you are ready to head out into CS1.
As a side effect of the 3d rendering process, we have a large and growing range of weapons / armours / helmets etc being rendered that could be used for you to actually build the Operative that you have created! This "Arsenal" deck is a future product we plan to release along with additional weapons and equipment, beyond the scope of the initial launch.
This is not planned until Phase II of the Game, along with more characters, factions, etc but we thought we'd give you this little headsup on our longer term plans! The World of Progress is a glamorous and enticing place, a world for the Rich and powerful - and we want to get that across as much as possible into the Skirmish game.
Reton Miniature
- This is a render of the KS version of Reton. You will note a few differences to the regular Retailer release miniature. This additional equipment is unique to the KS variant.
1. Helmet! Wraithen are fickle.. and some of them simply prefer to go into battle with their own senses, preferring feel of naturally hunting their prey. The Retailer version of Reton is helmetless - however the KS version comes with the option of a full Silverback Helmet, custom fitted to the Wraithen skull. If Reton is wearing this, she has her serious head on and isn't playing with her prey - she intends to take them down as fast as possible. There will be an additional equipment card with KS Reton to reflect the added abilities of the Hemet.
2. FEN AR. The FEN AR is an assault rifle, in situations where she needs to close with her prey, or perhaps is unlikely to be able to find an appropriate position for a Sniper shot - Reton utilises her FEN AR instead, relying on the Firepower and rate of fire over the accuracy of the '93. This is particularly useful in the close environs found in many areas of CS1 - such as Carrien Warrens.
Game wise, Reton uses her Silverback to augment the Wraithens' already impressive speed. She gets herself into position to take the shot - often from the highest vantage point, and getting to that vantage point in a Silverback is so easy. She is lightning quick, and deadly - she is something of a glass cannon however as Silverback is more designed for speed and not getting hit. Should the enemy land a few shots on her, the Silverback is not built to take a beating - it may be more prudent to get out of the line of fire.
++ WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF PROGRESS ++
