Macross HERO Question

[Michael Hopcroft]

The Zentradi are normally giants, but have a device that allows them to "micronize" to human size for inflitration and the like. (And, God, didn't THAT backfire on them!) The process is reversible, but you need to get to a device and have someone run it for you. Humans can't use it to grow to giant size, or at least nobody ever tried.

How would you model something like that? Growth/Shrinking Usable on Others, OAF? How big a limitation is Requires an Operator?

[Syberdwarf2]

Originally posted by Michael Hopcroft
The Zentradi are normally giants, but have a device that allows them to "micronize" to human size for inflitration and the like. (And, God, didn't THAT backfire on them!) The process is reversible, but you need to get to a device and have someone run it for you. Humans can't use it to grow to giant size, or at least nobody ever tried.

How would you model something like that? Growth/Shrinking Usable on Others, OAF? How big a limitation is Requires an Operator?

Requires PS: Micronization Device Operation Skill Roll (-1/2)

(see FREd page 199)

[Michael Hopcroft]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2
Requires PS: Micronization Device Operation Skill Roll (-1/2)

(see FREd page 199)

Now how to write up the rest of the device. Are normal Zentradi Humans who have been inflicted genetically with Growth, or do they undergo Shrinking to reach human size? Either would have to be 0 END, Persistent with no intermediate stage (you're either human-sized or Zentradi-sized). Since a Zentradi is normally about as tall as a fighter jet is long (and as tall as a veritech fighter is tall), how much growth do I have to model? How much Shrinking must a giant-sized character undergo to reach human size?

Sounds like a question for Steve.

[Logan D]

The Zentradi are normally giants, but have a device that allows them to "micronize" to human size for inflitration and the like. (And, God, didn't THAT backfire on them!) The process is reversible, but you need to get to a device and have someone run it for you. Humans can't use it to grow to giant size, or at least nobody ever tried.

Not entirely true.

There was ONE instance where a human was... er... Macronized? I guess you'd call it that.

But it's not _strictly_ canon.

In the Macross Do you Remember Love movie from 1984, Maximilian Genius battled Milia, in a battle royale similar to that of the series. And in the end, they got themselves locked inside one of the Zentraedi-sized AIR-LOCKS on board the Cruiser that Milia operated from. They finished their fight, in the dark, after shooting out all the lights, in what was, for the mecha involved, the equivelant of a knife fight inside of a phone booth!!!

The upshot of all this, was that in _this_ version of events, both mecha got totally trashed. Milia was wounded, and Max was left onboard the Meltraedi (Female Zentraedi) Cruiser when it folded out ahead of the advancing Zentraedi main battlefleet.

Unfortunately, due to this being a movie and there being time constraints and all (Max and Milia both get what amount to only cameo roles in the movie) we don't get to see what happened next. But obviously Max made real nice to both Milia and the Meltraedi, because the next time we see him, he's been MACRONISED to giant size, is wearing a modified Meltraedi combat outfit and is fighting in a Quedluun Rau powered armor on the side of the Meltraedi during the final battle of the movie!! And he and Milia are obviously about as friendly as they were in the series. Imagine Max and Milia fighting in two Quedluun Rau powered armor, and both unleashing a "death blossom" of missiles back to back of each other at one point in the fight! It happened!! It was COOL!!!

Unfortunately, the movie is now considered non-canon by the Macross creators. So make of that what you will.

Just being a pedantic completist.

[Bankuei]

Hi Michael,

Actually the protoculture in Macross was the "culture" from which the Zentradi were cloned, hence the reason they were so big on getting it back. It would later come up in Robotech as the funky seed of life cells idea that the "power" of the cell trying to multiply was being converted to power the giant mecha. It's a pretty gruesome idea when you realize the veritechs and the SDF-1 were all being powered by stem cells...

Chris

[feywulf]

Originally posted by Bankuei
Hi Michael,

Actually the protoculture in Macross was the "culture" from which the Zentradi were cloned, hence the reason they were so big on getting it back. It would later come up in Robotech as the funky seed of life cells idea that the "power" of the cell trying to multiply was being converted to power the giant mecha. It's a pretty gruesome idea when you realize the veritechs and the SDF-1 were all being powered by stem cells...

Chris

In the original Macross, it wasn't, but when Carl Macek combined 3 totally separate anime series to make Robotech, he had to change things to tie the stories together.

In Robotech, according to the glossary in the palladium rpg based on the series, protoculture is a special plant, a source of unique bio-energy drived from the Invid Flower of Life. The invid use it for nourishment and metaphysical enlightenment.

In essence, protoculture is an alien form of pot, which is used as fuel.

[Syberdwarf2]

I was always under the impression that the Zentraedi (is that what they were really called in Macross-not-Robotech?) held the belief that 'The Protculture' was some form of Precursor/Progenitor Culture that existed during the reign of some ancient humanoid race from which all other humanoids were descended. this makes sense as this is a common theme in sci-fi...

[Neko Ewen]

In Macross the Zentraedi do indeed believe that, mainly because its true -- the people of the Protoculture were the creators of the Zentraedi.

The movie, BTW, is not canon, but rather its meant to be a semi-historical motion picture that actually existed within the Macross universe. That's the official explanation anyway; there's also the fact that Macross was originally meant to only be a movie and was expanded into a TV series and the movie was made based on the original movie premise.

Here's a good site for Macross info:
http://macross.anime.net

If you have access to fansubs, I highly recommend checking out the new prequel OAV series, Macross Zero. Macross 7 isn't as good, but is still worth watching if you're a Macross fan.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Great site!

I've known about the Macross Compendium for some time now.

Its my source for very detailed information on the various Variable Fighters in the Macross universe. I will be relying upon it heavily in a couple of weeks when I start working on converting the VF's to HERO (yes, I have a copy of TUV now! First Gundam Wing, then Macross!)

[bryanb]

Hey NSG,

Of course you will post your conversions here...won't you?

[NuSoardGraphite]

Originally posted by bryanb
Hey NSG,

Of course you will post your conversions here...won't you?

Post them here?

Why on earth would I ever want to do that!?





























Just kidding!

Of course I'm going to post them here. Thats my whole reason for doing them (I don't plan on ever doing a Gundam Wing campaign...now Macross on the other hand is a possibility)

[Mathew]

The Zentradi are normally giants, but have a device that allows them to "micronize" to human size for inflitration and the like. (And, God, didn't THAT backfire on them!) The process is reversible, but you need to get to a device and have someone run it for you. Humans can't use it to grow to giant size, or at least nobody ever tried.

How would you model something like that? Growth/Shrinking Usable on Others, OAF? How big a limitation is Requires an Operator?

\

In my recent attempt at converting the Zentraedi, I gave them 9 levels of Growth, 0 END, Persistant, and "only changable in the lab" (-1/4), much like a gadget VPP. They can go back to base (or ship) and switch their growth on or off in a chamber, but can't do it in combat.