Hey all,
I’m extremely proud to present to you Chevalier, the first OPREP of War Horses. This brand-new sci-fi series explores a concept that is not new but captured my heart many years ago: sci-fi mechas. Across films, books, and video games, this theme has spawned a global fanbase of which I am pleased to call myself a part. Here, you’ll be introduced to mechas in the form of Main Battle Upright Tanks, or simply Uprights or MBUs, for short, as well as the skilled jockeys who take them into battle.
My decision to tackle this subject came from two opinions. The first is that the theme is awesome. When I was younger, I enjoyed games like Mechwarrior, and Front Mission, and books from the Battletech universe, as well as shows like Robotech (or Macross, for the purists). Later, I enjoyed movies and shows like Pacific Rim and Full Metal Panic, and other games like Titanfall. I both adored and took inspiration from them, and have long wanted to add my own take.
The second opinion, unfortunately, is that I think the genre has stagnated in the past decade. Longstanding fans have been exploited by mediocre cash-grab sequels and spinoffs or seen their favorite IPs drift between indifferent owners like Jacks in a game of Go Fish. This isn’t unique to mecha sci-fi fans, but the phenomenon has seemed to hit us harder than most. The most prominent classic series also cling to nostalgia and their own mythos above all else, to the point that they fail to draw on the past 20+ years of military history and scientific advances or keep up with modern trends. Very little thought has gone into the nitty gritty practicality of how these machines would realistically be designed, built, and employed, or why.
So, as a purple megalomaniac once said: “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
Chevalier (and its coming sequels) is the result. It’s the kind of alternate history sci-fi where a footman in the crusades held up a crossbow, said “Reach for the stars”, and someone probably took it way too literally. It’s got big guns, explosions, and a cast of colorful characters. Okay. Maybe I didn’t buck every flaw I harped on (and undoubtedly introduced a few more). But the result, I think, speaks for itself. And it’s my sincere desire that you enjoy it. Not because it reinvents the genre, because it doesn’t. Not because it’s flawless, because Lord help me, it isn’t. Certainly not because it contributed a couple bucks to my wallet, because most of that is probably recouping the cost of editing (while I’m at it, thanks Justin. I appreciate the great work you do for me).
I hope you enjoy it because it’s something we’re both passionate about. And we, as fans, deserve something both familiar and fresh. Something that can put us in the seat of 100-plus tons of walking war machine and make us feel like we’re 13 years old again, logging in to Roger Wilco for a clan vs clan scrim.
-Scott Warren