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wolf90 · 05-28-2018, 05:08 PM

It has been brought to my attention that the history of our game is difficult to determine. Certainly, the background has grown over the past 40+ years, and it is scattered about in a variety of places. To try to assist new players in "catching up" with the vibrant, if violent, world of Ogre, here are some links and information.

A history of The Last War
An Ogre Timeline

[The following will be a link soon. But please enjoy the material here for now!]

The various cybertanks of The Last War

The term “Ogre” officially only applies to cybertanks of North American Combine design and designation. However, for the purposes of this essay and ease of use during the game, “Ogre” refers to any cybertank, regardless of affiliation.

► Mark I. An oversized heavy tank controlled by a robot brain instead of a crew. It was a proof-of-concept design, and turned out to be hard to kill, but it was too expensive! However, the Mark I remained in production as long as the Combine lasted, simply because it was the only Ogre small enough to be transported by conventional means. It was effective in terrain where human troops didn’t perform well, such as jungle and tundra.
In 2080, the Paneuropeans fielded a physically near-identical unit, calling it the Pikeman. It is assumed that the templates were acquired by espionage.

► Mark II. The first Ogre to be mass-produced by the Combine. It worked well, but demand for still heavier armament soon led to its replacement by the Mark III for most purposes. However, the Mark II remained in limited production for many years and was sold to client states.

► Mark III. The first really capable line-of-battle Ogre, designed by the Combine, but produced in quantity by Paneurope after it captured the British facility that built them. They called it the Legionnaire. The Mark III-B was a Combine-only variant with a heavier chassis and two main batteries  instead of one.  

► Mark IV. A large but lightly built “raider” unit – as expensive to build as a Mark V,  but faster and specialized for hit-and-run attacks. It could demolish a Mark III, and make a good showing against a Mark V – but its real purpose was to penetrate an enemy position, wreak long-range havoc with its missiles, and withdraw.

► Mark V. A very formidable all-around line-of-battle unit. This was the biggest cybertank to be built in quantity. Paneurope also built large numbers of Mark V units, calling them Huscarl, after the occupation of Great Britain.

► Mark VI. The biggest Ogre ever to go into regular production, with three main batteries and three missile racks. Comparatively few were built.

► Fencer. The first original Paneuropean cybertank design. It was no faster than a Mark V, but with four missile racks, it was designed for a hit-and-run tactical role. Mounting only two light railguns, it was weak in close-range combat; the upgunned Fencer-B turret was an attempt to address this.

► Doppelsoldner. The biggest Paneuropean cybertank, generally comparable to a Mark VI.

► Ninja. Of the many experimental cybertanks designed by the empires of the 21st century, certainly the best known was the Combine’s Ninja. It was by far the most successful attempt at a “stealth” cybertank. How do you hide something the size of a small building? With lots of electronics. The Ninja traded offensive armament for speed, intelligence (almost all were self-aware), and defensive electronics and weaponry. Probably fewer than a hundred were built; they were expensive, and not cost-effective in every role. But as sneaky raiders or tactical recon units, they were unmatched. Legends built up around the Ninja.

► Vulcan. The Vulcan was the Combine’s unique solution to the Ogre logistics problem. Ogres could be shipped in modules, airdropped where needed, and assembled in the field by a Vulcan maintenance cybertank. Vulcans were based on the Mark III-B chassis, but sacrificed weapons for manipulator arms and drone storage.  Although not designed for combat, a Vulcan had a number of ways of altering the battlefield for the benefit of their comrades.

► Oni. The first known cybertank produced by the Nihon Empire. Based upon stolen plans of the Combine’s Mark III-B, it was quite effective against human forces.

► Samurai. The big brother to the Oni, the Nihon Samurai is roughly equivalent to the Combine Mark V or Paneuropean Huscarl.

► Golem. Independently developed by Israel, the Golem proved to be an exceptionally effective unit in its own right, working in close formation with human Israeli forces.

► Dragon. Not a cybertank per se, the Chinese Dragon was a massive armed landship crewed by human forces. Although armed and armored in many ways comparable to the various “true” Ogres, it proved inferior in combat against them. Nevertheless, it was a fearsome unit when used against conventional forces.

► Ogrethulhu. When an Ogre Mark V is possessed by an unspeakable Eldritch Horror, the result is a doubly-unstoppable killing . . . well, not exactly a machine, but a creature of inhuman cyberintelligence and unholy hungers, with tentacles, claws and a never-blinking eye . . .
{This Ogre is not part of the "official" Ogre universe}

{Note: There are no official rules for the Oni, Samurai, Golem, Dragon, or Ogrethulhu . . . yet!}

- Drew

05-28-2018, 05:08 PM	#4
wolf90 Join Date: Jun 2010	Re: Welcome! It has been brought to my attention that the history of our game is difficult to determine. Certainly, the background has grown over the past 40+ years, and it is scattered about in a variety of places. To try to assist new players in "catching up" with the vibrant, if violent, world of Ogre, here are some links and information. A history of The Last War An Ogre Timeline [The following will be a link soon. But please enjoy the material here for now!] The various cybertanks of The Last War The term “Ogre” officially only applies to cybertanks of North American Combine design and designation. However, for the purposes of this essay and ease of use during the game, “Ogre” refers to any cybertank, regardless of affiliation. ► Mark I. An oversized heavy tank controlled by a robot brain instead of a crew. It was a proof-of-concept design, and turned out to be hard to kill, but it was too expensive! However, the Mark I remained in production as long as the Combine lasted, simply because it was the only Ogre small enough to be transported by conventional means. It was effective in terrain where human troops didn’t perform well, such as jungle and tundra. In 2080, the Paneuropeans fielded a physically near-identical unit, calling it the Pikeman. It is assumed that the templates were acquired by espionage. ► Mark II. The first Ogre to be mass-produced by the Combine. It worked well, but demand for still heavier armament soon led to its replacement by the Mark III for most purposes. However, the Mark II remained in limited production for many years and was sold to client states. ► Mark III. The first really capable line-of-battle Ogre, designed by the Combine, but produced in quantity by Paneurope after it captured the British facility that built them. They called it the Legionnaire. The Mark III-B was a Combine-only variant with a heavier chassis and two main batteries  instead of one.   ► Mark IV. A large but lightly built “raider” unit – as expensive to build as a Mark V,  but faster and specialized for hit-and-run attacks. It could demolish a Mark III, and make a good showing against a Mark V – but its real purpose was to penetrate an enemy position, wreak long-range havoc with its missiles, and withdraw. ► Mark V. A very formidable all-around line-of-battle unit. This was the biggest cybertank to be built in quantity. Paneurope also built large numbers of Mark V units, calling them Huscarl, after the occupation of Great Britain. ► Mark VI. The biggest Ogre ever to go into regular production, with three main batteries and three missile racks. Comparatively few were built. ► Fencer. The first original Paneuropean cybertank design. It was no faster than a Mark V, but with four missile racks, it was designed for a hit-and-run tactical role. Mounting only two light railguns, it was weak in close-range combat; the upgunned Fencer-B turret was an attempt to address this. ► Doppelsoldner. The biggest Paneuropean cybertank, generally comparable to a Mark VI. ► Ninja. Of the many experimental cybertanks designed by the empires of the 21st century, certainly the best known was the Combine’s Ninja. It was by far the most successful attempt at a “stealth” cybertank. How do you hide something the size of a small building? With lots of electronics. The Ninja traded offensive armament for speed, intelligence (almost all were self-aware), and defensive electronics and weaponry. Probably fewer than a hundred were built; they were expensive, and not cost-effective in every role. But as sneaky raiders or tactical recon units, they were unmatched. Legends built up around the Ninja. ► Vulcan. The Vulcan was the Combine’s unique solution to the Ogre logistics problem. Ogres could be shipped in modules, airdropped where needed, and assembled in the field by a Vulcan maintenance cybertank. Vulcans were based on the Mark III-B chassis, but sacrificed weapons for manipulator arms and drone storage.  Although not designed for combat, a Vulcan had a number of ways of altering the battlefield for the benefit of their comrades. ► Oni. The first known cybertank produced by the Nihon Empire. Based upon stolen plans of the Combine’s Mark III-B, it was quite effective against human forces. ► Samurai. The big brother to the Oni, the Nihon Samurai is roughly equivalent to the Combine Mark V or Paneuropean Huscarl. ► Golem. Independently developed by Israel, the Golem proved to be an exceptionally effective unit in its own right, working in close formation with human Israeli forces. ► Dragon. Not a cybertank per se, the Chinese Dragon was a massive armed landship crewed by human forces. Although armed and armored in many ways comparable to the various “true” Ogres, it proved inferior in combat against them. Nevertheless, it was a fearsome unit when used against conventional forces. ► Ogrethulhu. When an Ogre Mark V is possessed by an unspeakable Eldritch Horror, the result is a doubly-unstoppable killing . . . well, not exactly a machine, but a creature of inhuman cyberintelligence and unholy hungers, with tentacles, claws and a never-blinking eye . . . {This Ogre is not part of the "official" Ogre universe} {Note: There are no official rules for the Oni, Samurai, Golem, Dragon, or Ogrethulhu . . . yet!} - Drew __________________ Proud sponsor of Ogre KS $4.5k Sheet #3 - Bringing the Vatican Guard, a Tiger-striped mercenary unit, and of course pink GEVs, to a game near you! Orders may be placed here. Last edited by wolf90; 05-28-2018 at 08:38 PM.