Heavy Gear
Encyclopedia
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
, a role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
and a lesser known combat card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
(Heavy Gear Fighter). The setting is also known through the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
-game incarnations published by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
in 1997 and 1999, developed after Activision lost the rights to the Battletech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
/MechWarrior
MechWarrior
MechWarrior is the title of a series of computer and video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech-Games:In these games, players take control of a single BattleMech and combat other BattleMechs, tanks, infantry, and more, from within the cockpit of their machine. A third-person alternate...
series. It also spawned a 40-episodes, 3D-animated TV series in 2001, which featured a much simplified version of the universe developed in the role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
The background universe of the game is extremely detailed: several million words have been published to date in more than a hundred books and game accessories. A continual epic storyline runs throughout all of the game's material, with new publications moving chronologically along the timeline.
As the name implies, Heavy Gear is best known for its humanoid combat vehicles (or mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
): the 'Gears' and 'Striders' used by the military forces in the setting. Its mecha designs are typical of those found in the Real Robot
Real Robot
is a genre of Japanese animation. The genre contains mecha robots that are powered by conventional power sources and weapons explainable by real world science, and that use ranged weapons and speed to survive battle situations....
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
genre; they are most similar in size and tactical role to those in Ryousuke Takahashi's 1983 Armored Trooper Votoms
Armored Trooper Votoms
is a 52-episode anime television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise, featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. The series originally aired in Japan from April 1, 1983 to March 23, 1984 on TV Tokyo...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. They're, in fact, generally used in role of special forces rather than armored vehicles.
Plot and setting
Heavy Gear is set on a distant, fictional planet called Terra Nova around 4,000 EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
Standard 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 government to abandon Terra Nova and all its other colonies centuries before the period depicted in the game setting, leaving Terra Nova in a dark age. Eventually, City-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
s rose from the ashes and either through treaties or tyranny, united to form national unions 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 primarily land containing deep underground water reserves, but few large bodies of open water, and no oceans. This is unlike Earth which is covered by 70% ocean. The planet has its own existing ecosystem of plants and animals, though most animals are reptilian in nature, such as the bison like Barnaby used as livestock, and the prolific Hopper which is the equivalent of Earth's rabbit. 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.
As the setting is primarily the backdrop for a series of strategy, roleplaying, and video games the military and weaponry are the main focus. One of the most popular weapon systems of the various groups on Terra Nova are the machines known as Heavy Gears that give the universe its name. They are 12- to 18-foot-tall (12 to 18 ft (3.7 to 5.5 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. A new dictatorial government on Earth attempts to re-take its former colonies by force using its own war machines of hover tanks and armies of purple skinned GREL super soldiers (Genetically Recombinant Expeditionary Legionaries). In this war both the North and the South cooperate together to fight off the Colonial Expeditionary Force, some of which is abandoned on the planet and form the Port Arthur city-state.
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 a common enemy the polar superpowers have great fear and animosity for each other, an analogy of the real world NATO and Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
, while the independent City-States of the Badlands simply try to survive the crossfire.
Confederated Northern City-States
The political situation on Terra Nova has three major nations of the north polar region banding together to form their alliance called the Confederated Northern City-States to oppose the Allied Southern Territories from the south pole.Northern Light Confederacy
A large nation known for its devotion to the major religion of Sorrento Revisionism based on the teachings of an early wandering desert colonist prophet named Mamoud. Sorrento Revisionism is a sect that preaches conservatism, and the necessary use of force to make the world a better place. They are most often motivated to conflict by that reason, and even incorporate chaplains into military units.Mercantile Federation
An industrial power that puts a price on everything, including buying and selling votes in their political system, and has a keen interest in exploiting the untapped resources buried in the sand and rock of the Bandlands.Western Frontier Protectorate
A region of open plains and ranching that promote family, hard work, and patriotism by military service. Indeed, the WFP requires a person to be a reservist in the Protectorate armed forces in order to be elected to high office, and only military veterans may vote.Allied Southern Territories
The south pole of Terra Nova likewise has an overall political grouping known as the Allied Southern Territories. Unlike the three nations forming the CNCS, which are generally on an equal level with one another politically, the Southern Republic dominates over the other three southern nations in order to field the strength necessary to meet Northern aggressive policies towards them.Southern Republic
The real power of the southern pole. They are the largest nation on the planet with both territory and population, and dominate the other southern nations by military force if necessary. They are openly free with many individual rights of expression, a high level of art and culture, and legalised vices, but with the major exception of freedom for political dissent. The government is intolerant of dissent and opposition groups, and employs secret police. Prisoners often form poorly trained and equipped military units.Mekong Dominion
A nation of manufacturing, money lending, and corporations as government. They are also minimally armed, using their small military as a dual purpose police force and often hires outside forces to supplement their own when necessary.Humanist Alliance
This nation uses science and technology to structure their society in an attempt to create harmony and utopia. This ideal has almost attained religious status in their people. They place citizens into castes based on aptitude testing and are highly educated at all levels. Research and development, and an efficient skilled work force are some of their greatest assets.Eastern Sun Emirates
A fractured nation of individual City-States that are almost nations unto themselves. They are led by hereditary monarchs known as Emirs who rule over their common citizens with no middle class in between.Minor powers on Terra Nova
Along with the major polar regions, several smaller factions exist on Terra Nova.Peace River
An independent city state in the Badlands of Terra Nova. They are an industrial nation capable of sophisticated, but practical manufacturing. This nation is home to Paxton Arms, one of the few independent corporations outside the two polar regions to build military hardware, including Heavy Gears of their own design. Peace River is the largest independent nation in the Badlands. The Peace River military also tries its best to defend other bandland nations from encroachments by either polar League, but is often stretched thin to cover such a vast area. Their other major conflicts involve Rovers, the bandits of the Badlands.Port Arthur
The remnants of the failed expeditionary army sent by Earth to reconquer Terra Nova, Port Arthur was one of their primary staging bases in the Badlands. Over one-hundred thousand human officers and GREL (Genetically Recombinated Expeditionary Legionaries) super-soldiers were abandoned by the Earth fleet concentrated on Port Arthur. From here they have established a nation for themselves, and benefit from the high technology of the Colonial Expeditionary Force (CEF) hover tanks, and GREL infantry to safeguard their territory.Rovers and independents
Most people in the Badlands owe their allegiance to no nation. They live as families, gangs, or individuals. Small facilities of human habitation known as Oasis Towers are spotted around the Badlands at any available surface, or shallow wells of water, and small-scale agriculture can even be attempted. However, most Badlanders make their living as miners or caravan traders. They ply back and forth between the polar regions and far flung industrial sites of the Badlands selling and buying goods.Rovers are the criminal element of the Badlands. They are groups of local outcasts, criminals escaping the law, deserters fleeing their homelands, simple runaways, or even hereditary rovers born to other rovers who live in the wilds of the badlands and prey on local trade caravans, independent miners, and homesteaders.
They are a common problem in the lawless Badlands. Rather than work for their living, they take from others. Most Badlanders protect themselves in some fashion, though an unwritten code has developed over time where Rovers only take enough for themselves, and will not leave their victims destitute or without the supplies to survive. However, the cruelty and/or humanity of the Rover bands runs the full spectrum of decency. Many Rover bands even operate Heavy Gears salvaged from forgotten battle fields, stolen, or even bought on the open or black markets.
Mysteries and oddities of Heavy Gear
The Heavy Gear series has a number of unresolved mysteries in the setting. A few of these are listed below. It is unknown if any of these will be revealed due to the developer turnover at Dream Pod 9Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
.
- Stoneheads: The planet of Terra Nova is sprinkled with large round stone heads similar to those of Easter IslandEaster IslandEaster Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
but with a much more Asian style. These date back to the earliest colonization of the planet or possibly before and the meaning of the giant markers is unknown. - The Koreshi, or sand-riders, are a culture of desert-dwelling nomads similar to the FremenFremenThe Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
of the Dune universeDune universeDune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
. Their existence on Terra Nova is a mystery. - One of the CEF's fleets disappeared when sent to the colony world of New Jerusalem.
- The Eastern Sun Emirates saw massive changes during the published Storyline Books culminating in the launch of an ancient spacecraft. It is unknown where that spacecraft went.
- MacAllen cave network: Much of the water on Terra Nova is subterranean. The MacAllen network of caves contains most of it, and is nearly a worldwide phenomenon. Natural artesian springs appear all over the globe, even occasionally in the deep deserts of the Badlands. Most of the network is deep underground, often thousands of feet below the surface. Even whole ecosystems of life exist in some of the airless and perpetually dark areas of the network. The extent of the cave system is unknown.
- White Sand: One of the more unusual hazards of the equatorial deserts of the Badlands is the phenomenon known as white sand. This sand is highly corrosive and dangerous volcanic ash. It is so corrosive it can destroy machinery and can slowly eat through most metals chemically. It is even used as weaponry in the form of bags of sand thrown into air-intakes or to be inhaled.
- Bowser: A near sentient ONNet computer installed into a CNCS heavy gear that has run away from its military base without a pilot. Sightings of Bowser occasionally filter in from the Badlands.
- Landships: Unusual magnetic properties of the planet Terra Nova allow for large ships able to hover a few feet off the ground known as Landships. They form the equivalent of a "wet navy" that other planets with surface water would have. A minimum size is necessary to take advantage of this unexplained property, so all Landships are the size of ocean going vessels such as frigates, destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. Because of the cost of they are uncommon.
- Order of the Blue Crescent. A religious group based on the teachings of the desert prophet Mamoud. Blue Crescent Adherents typically shave their hair bald, tattoo a blue Crescent on their foreheads, give up all personal property beyond what they can carry, and must visit the major locations that Mamoud once lived in the Badlands during their life. They are noted for being generous, friendly, and often volunteer for civic duties and charities, but are not pacifists. Blue Crescent Adherents can be found serving in the military of many of Terra Nova's Leagues.
Heavy Gears
The namesake machines of the universe setting are the Heavy Gears. They are 12- to 18-foot-tall (12 to 18 ft (3.7 to 5.5 m)) machines usually weighing between 5 to 12 tons, that resemble robotic humanoidsMecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
. They seat a single pilot inside the chest and head unit. They provide a flexibility to the battlefield of Heavy Gear setting that make them more useful than most other units, though they do not dominate. They can traverse more difficult terrains faster, and change direction swifter than tanks, which is important to a setting that emphasizes movement over firepower to succeed in combat.
They are powered by a unique piston engine called a V-engine mounted as a backpack. This is different than most science fiction settings that use some form of nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
or even more obscure or invented power source. Confusingly, this V-engine is not the same design as a modern V-engine, but an alternative working design invented by students at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. The engine works by having two rotating cylindrical engine blocks with multiple chambers in each block. The blocks somewhat resemble large scale cylinders from a revolver handgun. The two rotating cylinders are set approximately 90 degrees from each other, and shared between each rotating block are several solid V-shaped rods that serve as pistons. As the blocks rotate inside their static housings openings in the sides of the rotating and static portions of the engine will line up and act as intake and exhaust ports, and also electrical contact connections trigger the spark plugs. The rotation of the cylinder blocks can then be tapped for electrical power generation or directly for hydraulic pressure.
The computer system that enables the machines to move and operate fluidly are called Optical Neural Networks, or ONNets for short. They are learning computers that work, in many ways, similarly to an organic brain and are trained to perform advanced tasks instead of being programmed with software. They operate using light instead of electricity, and use microscopic crystals to form logic circuits for the light to pass through. New connections are made over time by the computer and allow it to learn new instructions. This factor leads the ONNet computer to develop traits, instincts, and habits over time based on the pilots that operate with them. Some functions become automatic as the computer tries to predict what the pilot wants and has used in the past in similar situations. This allows faster reactions in most situations, but can sometimes also cause indecision on the ONNet's part if tactics or patterns change in an unusual situation. Heavy Gear pilots tend to form a bond with their Gears' ONNets, or at least recognize the efficiency that an experienced ONNet provides; pilots forced to abandon a damaged or disabled Gear often take with them the ONNet unit from beneath their seats.
The weaponry of the Heavy Gear is usually lighter and less powerful than a main battle tank, as Gears themselves typically weigh only a fifth (or less) the weight of a tank. They typically have one automatic cannon carried as a Gear sized hand held assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
. They also typically have a shoulder mounted multiple-launch missile launcher rack, as well as a small anti-personnel fragmentation grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
for use against infantry. However, variants of many machines, especially heavier models, can carry or mount a wide variety of weapons, such as heavy mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s, bazookas, guided missiles, larger hand-held grenade launchers, field guns or cannons, and even advanced directed energy weapons.
Heavy Gears can walk, run and crawl. Most Gears also have a secondary movement system consisting of wheels (or tracks for heavier gears) fitted to the soles of their feet, powered either by efficient electric motors or a drive train connected to the V-Engine. The use of the alternate movement systems afford a higher speed on roads or flat terrain, and reduce wear on leg joints when travelling long distances. However, the wheels sacrifice maneuverability and cannot be used in heavy terrain due to their relatively small size.
Artwork & Design
Ghislain Barbe
Ghislain Barbe is a Canadian illustrator and artist. He is best known for designing the visual aspects of the Heavy Gear science fiction franchise in the 1990s and early 2000s...
, who was also responsible for the artwork of Jovian Chronicles
Jovian Chronicles
Jovian Chronicles is a science fiction game setting published by Dream Pod 9 since 1992. It introduces a complete universe for role-playing and wargaming space combat, featuring mecha, giant spacecraft and epic space battles....
, another Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
game line with similar anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
inspirations. Although he left Dream Pod 9, Ghislain produced book covers for the Heavy Gear franchise until Heavy Gear Blitz! Locked & Loaded.
The main themes of many artworks include the Heavy Gears themselves, with destinctive backpacks for the V-engine, single eye head units, and at least a small area of the machine painted with an alternating yellow and black warning stripe paint scheme.
Northern military combat machines are typically shaped with square armor plates, and are usually named for predatory mammals such as bears and large cats.
Southern military units are likewise given a distinctive look. They usually include numerous rounded and spherical shaped armor plates. They are usually named for reptiles, often snakes.
Rules
All editions of Heavy Gear use some variation of Dream Pod 9's own Silhouette game system. The first and second editions of the game contain both Role-playing and Tactical Wargame Rules. "Tactical" Heavy Gear calls for the use of hex maps and paper counters or miniatures.The third edition of the Heavy Gear RPG uses a separate Silhouette CORE Rulebook, which is needed for play. The Heavy Gear 3rd Edition book contains useful summaries from many 2nd edition products, combined with some detailed statistics for both the SilCORE and OGL D20 systems.
Heavy Gear: Blitz! Locked & Loaded is the most recent Heavy Gear: Blitz! rulebook, the first of which was released concurrently in 2006 with a new line of miniatures. It contains no role-playing material and is styled as a dedicated wargame; it contains a streamlined rule system, an innovative new army building system, complete army lists and background information for five factions, a basic campaign system, a painting guide, and a timeline of historic events in the Heavy Gear universe. The Heavy Gear: Blitz! rules are intended for use with 1:144 scale model terrain, but it is still possible to use hexed mapsheets and paper counters.
The Heavy Gear Blitz! ruleset was a nominee for the 2007 Origins Award for Best Miniatures Game or Expansion of the Year.
In May, 2009, Dream Pod 9 released "Return to Cat's Eye", the first expansion book for Heavy Gear Blitz!, which provides background information and army lists for three new armies.
Silhouette CORE RPG Rules
The Silhouette RPG, known in later editions as SilCORE is a simulationistGNS Theory
The GNS Theory, as originally developed by Ron Edwards, is a relatively amorphous body of work attempting to create a theory of how role-playing games work...
system that defines characters in terms of 10 base attributes (agility, knowledge, etc.), 5 derived attributes (health, etc.), and a variety of skills. Skill rolls make up the "backbone" of the system, while basic and derived Attributes serve as modifiers to the roll.
The task resolution and tests involve rolling a number of 6-sided dice, taking the highest result, adding in modifiers for attributes and/or situation, and then comparing it to a set threshold number. If the result is higher than the threshold the test is a success; if it is lower the test is a failure. The margin by which the test succeeded (Margin of Success, MoS) or failed (Margin of Failure, MoF) helps to determine the final outcome. Characters may suffer penalty-inflicting wounds rather than depleting a set number of health points.
Some players regard the system as particularly lethal, especially for inexperienced characters. A variety of optional rules are available in the SilCORE rulebook to mitigate this lethality.
DP9
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
ceased producing RPGs between 2006-2008 for their entire game catalog, including Heavy Gear.
On August 27, 2008, Steve Jackson Games announced that they had entered into an agreement with Dream Pod 9 to produce a fourth edition of a Heavy Gear roleplaying game. The project never got past the planning stages, however, and on August 9, 2010, Steve Jackson Games announced that they were relinquishing the rights to Heavy Gear back to DP9.
Dream Pod 9 has announced that they will produce a fourth edition of a Heavy Gear RPG themselves, with a tentative release date of late 2011.
Heavy Gear Fighter
Heavy Gear Fighter is a stand-alone two-player card game set in the Heavy Gear universe. It was published by Dream Pod 9 in 1994, and is currently out of print.Game Description
Heavy Gear Fighter is a card-based dueling game in which two Heavy Gears duel in the Badlands. It is not a collectible card gameCollectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
; everything needed to play is contained in the box.
Every playing card is illustrated with a full color picture of a Gear. They are divided into Attacks of various strengths, Defenses, and Special Effects. Both players draw from the same pile.
The game does not use dice or paper. Each playable Gear has a full color record/action sheet that is used to keep track of actions/damage with small counters. Cards are dealt from a player's hand to cause damage, defend against enemy attacks, and create various special effects.
Expansion Sets
The game received an official expansion set, Equipment & Weapons, in 1995. As its name implies, it added new Equipment and Weapon cards that could be played on the Gears.Several "mini-sets" were included as promotional material in the pages of various magazines, notably Mecha Press
Mecha Press
Mecha Press is a North American anime and manga magazine that was published by IANVS Publications in the early 1990.The magazine was released on a roughly bimensual schedule, with 5 to 6 issues per year...
and White Wolf Magazine. These cards were always optional and allowed players to create special combat conditions as well as execute different maneuvers.
A set was designed that would have featured new vehicles (notably tanks and Striders), but it was never published.
Miniatures
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
miniatures starting with the RAFM produced 1:87 scale
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
line, then the in-house produced 1:144 scale Tactical Rules and varying scale Fleet line, and the current 1:144 scale resculpted line for Heavy Gear: Blitz!
The 1:87 scale RAFM line was launched in 1995. The miniatures were largely cast in lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
until public safety concerns, originally raised in 1993, influenced the gaming
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
industry to cast lead-free miniatures. The price increase from the adoption of lead-free pewter
Pewter
Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
made Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
reconsider the size and scale of their miniatures. As a result, the RAFM line of Heavy Gear miniatures was discontinued and never expanded beyond the Northern and Southern Terra Novan factions.
The 1:144 scale (12mm) Tactical Rules line was launched in 1997. It was largely the result of a desire to decrease the production cost inherent in lead-free, pewter miniatures. The Tactical Rules line was also developed with a greater attention to the control of proportions of the various Heavy Gear designs using CAD illustrations as guides. The Heavy Gear miniature range was then expanded beyond the Northern and Southern factions to include designs from the Badlands and Colonial Earth Forces factions. The later Tactical Rules line miniatures were sculpted by Philippe Ferrier Le Clerc, who joined Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
in 2001. He also provided Heavy Gear limited edition resin miniatures through his boutique studio, Minimaniak.
During the same era as the Tactical Rules miniatures, Fleet Scale miniatures were also introduced which ranged from 1:350 scale for infantry, tanks, heavy gears, and striders to 1:3500 scale for landship
Landship
A landship is a large vehicle that travels on land, as opposed to on water, air, or in space. Because of their large size, their use on land is seen as impractical due to terrain obstacles, and soft ground that cannot support such large weight. Such problems are non-existent on water and in space...
s.
The 1:144 scale (12mm) Heavy Gear: Blitz! line was launched in 2006. It preserved some of the Tactical Rules line miniatures for recasting. However, the majority of the Tactical Rules line miniatures will be resculpted. The intention of this change was that the miniatures bear a closer resemblance to the original hand drawn illustrations, that they have a greater range of possible poses, and that unit recognition is made easier for overall improved gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
. In order to accomplish this, the difference in size between some miniatures has been exaggerated by approximately 10% and the miniatures are now cast on sprues, which allows many smaller, modular parts to be cast. Another effect of the Heavy Gear: Blitz! line of miniatures has been an appreciable increase in detail due to new sculpting and resin-master casting techniques. It has also produced the first new Heavy Gear designs in many years.
Fusion Models has also produced a 1:35 scale resin model of Heavy Gear
Video games
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
/MechWarrior
MechWarrior
MechWarrior is the title of a series of computer and video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech-Games:In these games, players take control of a single BattleMech and combat other BattleMechs, tanks, infantry, and more, from within the cockpit of their machine. A third-person alternate...
property, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
's Production Executive, Frank Evers (NYPH)
Frank Evers (NYPH)
Frank Evers is the CEO of Institute for Artist Management . Founded in 2009, INSTITUTE is an artist management and multi-platform production company focused on editorial, cultural and commercial clients. INSTITUTE represents filmmakers and photographers, and operates out of New York, Los Angeles...
, spearheaded the acquisition of the video game license in 1995. The story of the first game, Heavy Gear: The New Breed, followed the crew of the CNCS landship (an enormous hovercraft carrier), 'Vigilance' as they played a cat-and-mouse game across the Badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
with a rival landship from the AST, the 'Draco'. The game was made for the Windows 95 operating system and was partly based on a game engine derived from existing MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries code.
An online demo version of Heavy Gear 2 was available some months before the official demo and was a success in the Mechwarrior community.
In the second game, Heavy Gear 2: Black Talon, an atrocity caused by the New Earth Concordat (NEC) — the destruction of the Badlands city of Peace River by an anti-matter bomb — leads to a formal cease-fire between the Northern and Southern Leagues. A team of elite Special-Ops pilots from across the planet, equipped with advanced prototype Gears and a newly unveiled intersystem assault shuttle, are sent through the interstellar Tannhauser gate to the planet Caprice, the nearest NEC base, to find out more and strike back at the enemy. The game was made for the Windows 98 operating system, though a Linux version was also released later on by Loki Software
Loki Software
Loki Software, Inc. was a software firm based in Tustin, California, United States, that ported several video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux...
. Unlike the previous title, it used an entirely new game system, which was also used in Interstate '82
Interstate '82
Interstate '82 is a computer game for the PC. It was developed by Activision and released in 1999.-Synopsis:The game is set in the southwest United States of America in an alternate version of the year 1982, during the Reagan Administration. The game is less complex than its predecessor,...
. It was well received by critics, with an 81.46% average rating on gamerankings.com and being considered the best game of the genre at the time by Gamespot.
TV series
In 2001, a computer-animated TV series titled Heavy Gear: The Animated Series was produced by Mainframe EntertainmentMainframe Entertainment
Rainmaker Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California. It produces computer animation TV series and movies. They are best known for producing the first ever CGI animated series ReBoot, as well as the...
and Adelaide Productions
Adelaide Productions
Adelaide Productions is an animation division of Sony Pictures Television.Originally named Columbia TriStar Children's Television, Adelaide has produced numerous animated television series including:*Jumanji: The Series...
for Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
. The series lasted 40 episodes (though two of these were "recap" episodes and more still were clip shows). It played in syndication in various markets worldwide.
DVD releases include two volumes released in North America in 2002 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
, each with five episodes edited together into "feature length" stories. 2004 saw a UK two disc Season One set released including both "feature length" stories and three standalone episodes, which collectively held the first thirteen episodes of the series in one form or other, but lack the bonus commentary tracks present on the 2002 North American releases. Also in 2004, Anchor Bay briefly released a very cheap single disc release in Canada with another five episodes from later on in the series. Columbia TriStar's releases are anamorphic widescreen, whereas Anchor Bay's release is letterboxed widescreen, both of which are preferable to the cropped fullscreen versions seen on most syndicated broadcasts.
The Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9
Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
creative staff had very little input in the series' content, and the animated universe differs significantly from the game's. The show was aimed at an audience much younger than the one the property had previously targeted. The producers' original intent was to start the series with a mecha-combat tournament held between the villainous Vanguard of Justice and the honorable Shadow Dragons (representatives of Terra Nova's Northern and Southern armies respectively), but after the resolution of the tournament storyline rising tensions would lead to war between the North and South, which would in turn be followed by an invasion from Earth trying to reconquer its old colony planet, forcing the North and South to join forces for their own survival. Worries that having the villains from the early episodes (the Vanguard characters) suddenly working with the heroes, and shifting from a tournament-styled competition to all-out mecha warfare, would have been too confusing for their targeted age group led to a decision to not use the war storyline. What ended up happening on the show was that they ran the tournament storyline as planned but even though the tournament had been 'won' within the first dozen or so episodes, the two teams just kept having exhibition matches and the like for the remainder of the 40 episode run.
The "in-universe" explanation for the difference between the universes is that the animated series is a Terra Novan entertainment program not unlike real-world professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
.
The entire series is available for streaming for free in the US on Sony owned Crackle
Crackle
Crackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
.
External links
- Dream Pod 9 (Publisher)
- Dream Pod 9's official online forum
- Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear Links Page
- Marc A. Vezina (Line Editor 1994-2003)
- Ghislain Barbe (Lead Conceptual Artist 1993-1999)
- Edge Entertainment homepage, Spanish translators and publishers of Dream Pod 9 games, including Heavy Gear
- Heavy Gear Blitz! QuickStart Rules (2007)
- Heavy Gear Blitz! Cangames 2007 Tournament article
- The 10th Anniversary Silhouette Core Heavy Gear Miniature Rules (2005)
- Aurora: The Silhouette Magazine, a free magazine dedicated to the worlds of Dream Pod 9Dream Pod 9Dream Pod 9 is a Montreal-based Canadian game publisher. In addition to games, they have been known to work on special projects, creating worlds and stories to order for a variety of clients.-History:...
and the Silhouette Rules