Do you remember Heavy Gear?

Several years ago Steve Jackson Games announced that they would be opening up a new edition for the Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game setting. Sadly, that went by the wayside, and SJG never pursued the setting.

Recently, however, two of Dream Pod 9's art and line directors, Mr. Greg Perkins and Mr. Jason Dickerson, decided that they would reboot the old Silhouette rule system and start a 20th Anniversary Edition for the Heavy Gear RPG.

On February 20th of 2014 they made their first blog post in the company's personal Arkana:

http://arkritepress.com/2014/02/25/hello-world/

Shortly after they discussed the first three projects, including their primary work, the Core Rulebook itself, here:

http://arkritepress.com/2014/03/20/rumbleinthejungle/

They also discussed where they would be taking the future of the RPG, splitting it up into six distinct timeframes that were previously left alone.

http://arkritepress.com/2014/03/26/destination-terra-nova-and-beyond/


Recently, they updated their blog reporting that their first module, Rumble in the Jungle, is on its way to the editor, and soon to be released.

For those of you who have never heard of Heavy Gear, my name is Brandon. I  have been a frequent-mileage guy over at the original Dream Pod 9 forums, where I go by the handle KrisDin.

Heavy Gear in and of itself was based out of the anime Armored Troopers VOTOMs, in regards primarily to the Heavy Gears themselves. Rather than souped-up Gundams and mobile suits that rival high-rise buildings, Heavy Gears are one-man infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks that give a single man the same equivalent firepower as a modern-day M3 Bradley CFV.

The storyline's primary start point has been the planet of Terra Nova in the 62nd century AD. Due to economic collapse and a second Ice Age, mankind was required to leave behind its home planet and travel through the Tannhauser gates to far planets and settle there. Eventually, while space exploration greatly spread humanity across the stars, the problems of maintaining the link between worlds became too much, and Earth folded in on itself, in so doing leaving the colonies to their own devices.

Terra Nova is just one of those colonies, as seen here in this web map:

http://arkritepress.com/2014/04/03/interstellar-web-map-tn-1948/

While Terra Nova might have been left alone, however, the people banded together to defend against anarchists and other roving bandits who would otherwise pillage and destroy whatever they wished. Over the course of time, these city-states became leagues, the equivalent of nations.

In addition, the military forces of these leagues began to rely on the Heavy Gear as their war machine of choice.

For those of you who are old heads who remember this RPG, I say welcome back. To those of you who are new, I say get ready to gear up.

-Brandon F.

(Addendum: I am currently a freelance writer working with Arkrite Press LLC. If you have any questions or comments for the future of the RPG, feel free to leave Mr. Perkins or Mr. Dickerson an e-mail on their blog or in an e-mail.)