Post-Hoc Integration

Integration of new themes on Super Robot Taisen MOO is not entirely closed; we know that players will want to play from shows other than the ones we've chosen to integrate, especially in Phase 1.

Post-hoc integration is always something of a challenge, however, due to the amount established about the world and the setting. Some themes require things that just don't make sense for the setting to have, or have to give a fair bit.

Post-hoc integrations are on the table for themes that:

• Have been in an SRW game, OR
• Have robots 3 meters or more in height as a central element of their conflict resolution, AND
• Are not precluded by another rule or an explicit disallow.

As such, integrating new themes requires some discussion with staff (usually Tem Ray Circuit and/or Beam Coat). During the initial such discussion, players and staff will identify potential problems the theme presents, and ways those problems can be addressed, as well as whether the show is viable during the current Phase. The unit of consideration is the series; if a series is greenlit or disallowed, its characters and mecha generally receive the same answer. (One notable exception occurs when a theme's mecha are, essentially, variants on another's; in cases like Gundam Build or Front Mission sequels like Evolved and Left Alive, for instance, we will allow the use of design concepts from these but not characters or plot content. This can help give characters inspired by these themes -- both FC and OC alike -- a bigger, broader upgrade cycle than they happen to have in their origin shows.)

Sometimes, the answer will end up being "This should have been on our list of inappable themes, but we either didn't know about it or didn't think of it;" this is not meant as a personal affront. We're trying to build a mutually-agreeable setting that is fun for everyone to play in, to the greatest extent possible. Ultimately, this is a subjective test, and questions like "does it accord with the staff's understanding of the theme and tone of the game" and "would staff be comfortable adding its elements to the playspace" are just as important as practical, logistical ones.

If we tell you no, we'll do our best to help you identify what attracted you to the thing in the first place and find an FC or OC concept that would still appeal. (We still ask that you do not use this as a tool to "stealth integrate;" the line between homage, expy, and ripoff is a little blurry and personal, but we really do want you to have a good time! Promise!)

Post-hoc integration is ultimately more art than science, and requires a fairly delicate hand due to the combination of 'how much retconning needs to happen to accommodate this?' A post-hoc integration definitionally cannot bend the theme to the same extent as a core theme's integration can; much is already built on the existing assumptions.

We will only accept post-hoc integrations from players who already have characters on our game. Getting a sense of the game's vibe can often make the process more intuitive.

To provide examples of how this works, we've picked a handful of themes not in our starting theme list but which players or staff asked about prior to opening and broken down some tension points; all of these themes are appable during Phase 1 of SRTMOO.

• 30 Minute Missions, a model kit series without attached multimedia content
• Cowboy Bebop, a 1998 anime with ships and fighters, featured in Super Robot Wars T
• Galaxy Cyclone Braiger, a 1981 Super Robot anime, featured in Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden
• Hardcore Mecha/Code:Hardcore, a 2020 action video game patterned on mecha action games like Front Mission Gun Hazard and Assault Suit Leynos, with a Super Robot Wars-like art style
• The Ultra Series, a tokusatsu franchise with nearly 60 years of content; we have used 2020's Ultraman Z and 2018's SSSS.GRIDMAN as primary integration points. Earlier Ultra Series entries have been featured in several Super Robot Wars-related titles, including Hero Chronicle and Super Hero Operation; the latter is featured in Super Robot Wars 30.

The diverse spread of content in these choices is part of the point; we want to show how adaptation might work for a wide variety of types of content.

What We're Looking For

Broadly, we want post-hoc integrated shows to add something to the game as a whole. This usually means one of the following things:

• A character. This is the gold standard. A butt in a seat always wins. If we don't see an app within three weeks of the post-hoc integration getting approved, we may check in with you to see what's up.
• Or, at least 5 mass production units done, dusted, and on the unitlist, split between more than one faction.
• Or, a plot with at least 5 (open-to-multiple people) scenes.

Some post-hoc integrations make very neat drop-ins to existing themes, however, so we can be a little flexible on this point if the show is an example of that.

Post-Hoc Integration Application

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1) Give us the broadest-strokes run-down of what this theme or series is about, the most important events distilled into a brief summary.

2) Please list the primary characters and group them broadly by organization/location (how organizable they are depends on the theme but do your best!), with a brief note on what they are like and what they do. If there's an absolute avalanche of minor side characters don't feel a need to go into too much granular detail, but when in doubt it helps to jot them down!

3) Tell us about the biggest key elements - the fundamental things without which the theme is unrecognizable. What do they absolutely need to be, at their purest form, for the characters' stories to work? What are some of the broader implications, underlying details, and overall vibes from canon - and how can we work them into the setting of SRT MOO? Please present each of them in the following format.

• a) The basic top-level Thing or Question that needs to be answered! Give as many as you can -  ‘fundamental capitalized plot devices’, ‘important organizations’, ‘fundamental character backstories’, etc.
• b) What basic function does it serve at its most important level?
• c) What are some of the finer-detail mechanics, problems, or complications it imparts in canon?
• d) What ideas do you have for how these elements can fit into the established setting of SRT MOO?

4) Tell us about the primary classes of mobile weapon! The robots! The stuff robots fight! The ships that carry robots to the places they fight each other!

5) What is the overarching ‘state’ of the world in this theme - and how can these elements be cleanly adapted to the setting of SRTMOO? For some this will be a very short answer, for others this might be very large.

6) Are there any problems or complications in the source material that may need to be averted or reworked to be handled more tastefully?

7) To what extent does the theme need to be run as a plotline, and how many important beats need to be covered to move things to an endstate? What are the primary aspects of the series that need ‘resolving’ over the course of roleplay?

8) What are your plans involving this theme? We broadly do prefer that people submitting post-hocs have something in store for pushing it forward, to avoid concepts getting abandoned at large - especially since it's inherently going to be a property staff is slightly less familiar with than applicants.

Please note that we cannot guarantee speed on post-hoc integration applications; they are indisputably the slowest element of current SRTMOO staff practice, as they usually involve one or more staffers finding the energy to watch the show themselves.