Sieg Zeon

Sieg Zeon is a multithread Roleplay Play By Post Game on Spacebattles.com that's set in the Universal Century Gundam universe, which could be best described as a cross between the Gihrens Greed and Zeonic Front games. Another way to put it would be a more grounded and serious version of Zeon Quest.

Starting off in UC 0078, the RP chronicles the events leading up to and during the One Year War through the eyes of Valeria Caine, a young mobile suit pilot from the Principality of Zeon who rises up as a lieutenant serving in the 7th Unit, aka the "Dusk Wraiths." At the same time, it also focuses on the wider struggle between Zeon and the Earth Federation and all that entails. It soon becomes evident however that this tale isn't a simple retelling of the war...

Rather than just following the source material episode-by-episode, it's structured as "What If" Alternate Continuity, with events either happening much earlier than in canon or giving way to entirely new ones depending on one's actions. This in turn results in the characters (and thread players) having an opportunity to really help the Spacenoids finally gain the upper hand that they never had in the series. But whether or not Valeria, her comrades or all of Zeon succeed is ultimately up for grabs.

The RP lasted from 2013 to 2016, with the subsequent threads found in these links, the latter set around the same time period as Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. A Fanfic adaptation is currently ongoing, which can be found here.

Tropes used in Sieg Zeon include:

Alternate History/Alternate Continuity: Even early on, changes big and small start to make themselves felt, though it takes quite a bit of time before they really become obvious.
Alternative Calendar: The thread begins in Universal Century 0078, the OYW kicking off in January UC 0079.
Awesome but Impractical:
- Zigzagged with the Jormungand. While it is an immobile sitting duck, and very expensive to operate, if it deployed efficiently, it becomes strategically vital.
- Played straight with the Dolos.
- Played around with in the initial days of the Earth Drop Operations as at least some of the Zaku-IIs used weren't suited for ground combat planetside. Even then, they're sturdy and flexible enough that they still make mincemeat of the Federation's attempts to retaliate.
Big Bad: The Federation. General Revil in particular.
Big Damn Heroes: The Dusk Wraiths have a habit of doing this, and given their original purpose as a propaganda unit are pretty much required to pull this off and succeed. In the alternate Battle of Odessa however, Ramba Ral manages to step in just before a Federation ship is able to fire directly on the Dusk Wraiths.
Big Screwed-Up Family: The Zabis are still this. Though just as in the source material, Dozle and Garma are the more decent and sympathetic of the lot. While the fanfic further underlines how sympathetic Degwin and even Kycilia could be.
Broad Strokes: Both the RP and the fanfic versions, while largely based on the original shows and OVAs, also incorporate elements from various UC sources (even those which retcon various aspects), including Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
Colony Drop: Operation British still happens as in canon, with Sydney (and the sizable chunk of Australia surrounding it) wiped off the map.
Cool Old Guy: While he's not exactly old per se, Duncan Emerson comes across as this, being an experienced officer who's been in the service of Zeon since Zeon Deikun himself was still alive. It helps as well that he's rather casual and not much into military protocol.
The Chains of Commanding: Dozle Zabi is shown to bear a heavy burden, both from commanding his men into potential death and his own involvement in Operation British. His brother Garma meanwhile, also struggles to cope with the weight and expectations put on his shoulders.
Curb Stomp Battle: Many of the battles Valeria finds herself in early on turn out to be this in some way or another, including the Battle of Loum. Deconstructed to a degree, however, during the initial days of the Earth invasion, in which a thoroughly one-sided pursuit of the Federation forces fleeing south starts unnerving Valeria, highlighting how War Is Hell even for those on the winning streak.
David vs. Goliath: Lampshaded. The Earth Federation simply has that much more manpower and resources on standby than Zeon does. In addition to the deployment of mobile suits and Operation British, the aim instead is to grind down the Federation and use their strengths against them in order to get a far more favorable peace treaty than in canon.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Downplayed, but the socio-cultural differences between Zeon and the Federation - and between Spacenoids and Earthnoids in general are touched upon especially in the fanfic version.
I Did What I Had to Do: Degwin Zabi's motivations for seizing power following Deikun's death and the Principality's rise generally amount to this, as he sees it as both for the good of Spacenoids and for his family's legacy.
Exact Words: The "Three Second Warning" following the declaration of war is a reference to the first Federation casualty in the OYW...which occurred three seconds after the declaration was made.
The Federation: The Earth Federation, who are the antagonists this time around. With their portrayal and depiction more along the lines of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
The Gump: While Valeria and company do participate in some key events, it's only later on that they actually make clear changes. And then there's the attack on Torrington Base.
For Want of a Nail: Lampshaded. A single crucial action, whether on the drawing boards of Side 3 or on the battlefield can have long and at times unforeseen repercussions down the line.
Gender Is No Object: Women can be found in many areas of Zeon society, including the armed forces (especially among ship crews and MS pilots). Then again, the Federation also has females among its ranks. The fanfic version lampshades this a bit more, mentioning how it partially stems from Spacenoids needing every able body to contribute in society over the course of generations.
Hidden Depths: Especially evident in the fanfic, there's a larger emphasis shown on the Zabis' other talents and skills.
Lower Deck Episode:
- The early parts of the RP and fanfic can come across as this, especially since Valeria's at that point just another grunt in Zeon's military.
- Inverted with the side-chapters in the fanfic version, which are from the perspectives of the Zabis themselves.
Magikarp Power: M'Quve's "United Maintenance Plan," which essentially streamlines Zeon's logistics and standardization, is approved before the war in this version of events. While it initially allows for cheaper mobile suits and research policies, it really becomes a significant factor months into the OYW, as it actually gives Zeon's forces a more equal footing against the Federation.
Mildly Military: Played with.
- It's shown early on how Valeria's surprised by how informal and casual the MS Team under Duncan is (from which the future Dusk Wraiths would form) to the point that it takes time for her to actually adjust to it. This is justified in that they still operate under the chain of command and that Duncan himself isn't all that big on formalities or discipline, so long as everyone does their duty where it counts.
- Lampshaded in the aftermath of the Battle of Loum. There's such euphoria over the victory that it's mentioned that normal military protocol was conveniently overlooked amidst the celebrations.
- Averted outright in one chapter in the fanfic, wherein Garma Zabi makes a mental note to reprimand the soldiers responsible for vandalizing the Statue of Liberty.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Valeria, like most fighting for Zeon. Though she's not a fan of war and doesn't necessarily approve of the things her superiors are doing (especially Gihren Zabi), is very much a Zeon loyalist. For all the chaos, she still would prefer her homeland's survival and working for a better future than what the Feddies have in mind for Spacenoids.
Necessary Evil: How Operation British is seen by Spacenoids in general; while many in Zeon (including Dozle and Degwin Zabi) are ashamed and shocked by it, they also begrudgingly recognize how it helped turn the tide against the Federation early on. All while spending the rest of the conflict trying to reclaim the honor sullied by that act and generally making up for it.
Not So Above It All: Valeria generally makes a point to be as professional and dutiful as she can, though she's not above drunken revelry or "indulging" in her passions every now and then.
Original Character:
- Valeria Caine, who serves as the individual protagonist and the Dusk Wraiths in general for both the RP and fanfic version.
- After a fashion, the Dopp Kai in the RP, which is a more refined version of the canon Dopp fighter used by Zeon in the One Year War.
Psychic Powers: Newtypes start showing up later on in the RP. Valeria herself is revealed to be one.
Really Gets Around: Downplayed with Valeria; not only does she have her own share of one night stands, but her own mother even encourages her to go "wild every now and then." Her teammates don't particularly mind given their own experiences, as revealed in the fanfic.
Rousing Speech: In addition to Gihren's penchant for delivering these, Gen. Revil's "Zeon is Exhausted" speech also manages to rouse the Federation to continue fighting, to Valeria's anger.
Shown Their Work: As per the course for a Spacebattles.com work, with considerable attention put to the minutiae of Universal Century technology and even politics.
Spiritual Successor: To Zeon Quest.
Think Nothing of It: At least initially, though Valeria never lets it go over her head. She's more interested in getting the job done than hogging all the glory.