By The Intrepid in Echo in the Hangar — 18 May 2025

Echo in the Hangar: Universal Century, Part Three

An unofficial, fan-made adaptation of our favorite MS Gundam characters to the Echo in the Hangar game.

Mobile Suit Gundam: MS IGLOO

Oliver May – The Archivist

Callsign: Tech (short for Technical Officer)Archetype Reasoning: As the 603rd’s engineering officer, Oliver is obsessed with documenting every test, every failure, and every loss. He keeps the records of doomed weapons like the Hildolfr and Oggo, embodying the Archivist’s need to remember what others let fade.Function Stack:

Recall +3 (He’s haunted by every test log and fallen comrade.)
Reason +2 (His engineering mind is sharp and methodical.)
Wonder +1 (A quiet curiosity drives his work on experimental tech.)
Grounding 0 (He’s detached, focused on data over people.)
Impulse -2 (He’s not one for rash action—planning is his strength.)

Flaw Trigger: “When memory becomes unbearable, they try to erase—or rewrite—it.” Oliver might tweak a log to soften a failure (like the Jormungand’s misfire) or bury it to protect the team’s morale.Spiral Anchor: “I remember who sat in every cockpit. Even the empty ones.” (His duty to catalog the 603rd’s ghosts.)Mech/Craft Description: YMT-05 Hildolfr – A massive tank-like mobile suit, half-buried in test data and dirt. It’s a marvel of engineering, flawed by its impracticality.Grounding Object: A worn data tablet with every test report, scratched with notes in the margins—a lifeline to his purpose.

Monique Cadillac – The Commander

Callsign: Captain (her rank and demeanor)Archetype Reasoning: Monique leads the 603rd with a stern hand, pushing her team to test weapons despite the odds. She’s not invincible—she’s just the one willing to sign the orders, carrying the weight of every sacrifice.Function Stack:

Reason +3 (She’s a tactician, keeping the unit on mission.)
Grounding +2 (Her loyalty to her crew is fierce, if unspoken.)
Recall +1 (She remembers past failures but doesn’t dwell.)
Impulse 0 (She acts when needed, not impulsively.)
Wonder -2 (Her faith in Zeon’s victory has faded.)

Flaw Trigger: “When someone needs comfort, they default to command tone or withdrawal.” Monique snaps orders or retreats to silence when her team falters—like after the Oggo pilots’ deaths.Spiral Anchor: “The mission worked. That doesn’t mean it was right.” (Her conflicted sense of duty.)Mech/Craft Description: Jotunheim (Support Ship) – An aging freighter turned test platform, patched and creaking. It’s not a mech, but it’s her command post.Grounding Object: A Zeon officer’s cap, pristine despite the war—a symbol of the authority she clings to.

Martin Prochnow – The Ace

Callsign: Helmsman (his role on the Jotunheim)Archetype Reasoning: Martin, the Jotunheim’s pilot, is a detached, efficient veteran who keeps the ship steady through chaos. His cool-headed skill and refusal to get personal make him the Ace—reliable, but distant.Function Stack:

Reason +3 (He navigates with precision and logic.)
Impulse +2 (Quick reflexes keep the ship alive.)
Grounding +1 (He cares for the crew, subtly.)
Recall 0 (He carries experience but not baggage.)
Wonder -2 (He’s too pragmatic for idealism.)

Flaw Trigger: “When offered trust, they shut it down with procedure or silence.” Martin brushes off emotional outreach—like Oliver’s concerns—with a curt “Focus on the job.”Spiral Anchor: “They say I’m reliable. That’s not the same as safe.” (His self-aware detachment.)Mech/Craft Description: Jotunheim – A lumbering ship, scarred from re-entry and combat. It flies smooth under his hands, but its engines groan.Grounding Object: A small wrench, always in his pocket—his tool for keeping the ship (and himself) together.

Additional Character: Erwin Cadillac – The God-Botherer

Callsign: Ghost (posthumously, as an Echo)Archetype Reasoning: Monique’s brother, killed early in the war, lingers as a memory and Newtype vision. His faith in Zeon’s cause and his gentle presence make him a God-Botherer, even as an Echo haunting the Jotunheim.Function Stack:

Grounding +3 (His empathy bound the crew in life.)
Recall +2 (His memory lingers in every test.)
Reason +1 (He was practical, but not cold.)
Wonder 0 (His faith was quiet, not wild.)
Impulse -2 (He wasn’t reckless—death found him anyway.)

Flaw Trigger: “When faith is questioned, they grasp harder—sometimes at the wrong thing.” In life, Erwin might’ve clung to Zeon’s ideals despite the cracks; as an Echo, he doubles down on comforting Monique.Spiral Anchor: “Even the void listens, if you speak gently enough.” (His Newtype whisper from beyond.)Mech/Craft Description: None – He died before piloting anything notable, but his presence clings to the Jotunheim’s bridge.Grounding Object: A prayer strip with Zeon insignia, left in Monique’s quarters—a relic he carried.

Squad Rituals & Tone

Shared Rituals:

Test Prayer: “One shot, one truth.” (Said before firing an experimental weapon.)
Log Toast: A sip of recycled water after each test, poured for the lost too.
No Names Rule: They avoid saying the dead’s names aloud—too many ghosts already.

Tone Dial: Starts at Pensive Core—the 603rd’s mix of duty and quiet despair fits here—but drifts to Bleak Beauty as weapons fail and crew die, hitting Igloo Threshold during moments like the EMS-10 Zudah’s final flight or the Jormungand’s last shot.

Shred Index Triggers:

Oliver rewriting a test log to hide a flaw (e.g., the Zudah’s instability).
Monique ordering a doomed test (like the Oggo swarm).
Martin shutting down Oliver’s worries with silence.
Erwin’s Echo whispering during a critical moment, unsettling the crew.

Playing MS IGLOO in Echo in the Hangar

MS IGLOO’s episodic structure—each episode testing a new weapon, often ending in failure—mirrors the game’s Echo Cycle perfectly. Pre-launch scenes could focus on calibrating the Hildolfr’s cannons or briefing Oggo pilots, debriefs on mourning the inevitable losses, and hangar moments on repairing the Jotunheim or arguing over the next test. The Echo Chair would shine with fallen pilots like Hideto Washiya (Zudah test pilot) or the Oggo recruits, haunting as Ghosts or Logs reciting telemetry of their deaths. The Shred Index would climb with each failed experiment, pushing the 603rd toward an Igloo Threshold collapse—where the Jotunheim drifts silently, its purpose spent.