Premise:

Having long since mastered travel from one star to another without having to fear effects of time dilation, humanity has just recently discovered a way to send a small spaceship from one galaxy to another. The trip, however, is one way due to the constraints of the technology used to make such a leap. With subspace transceivers information can be transmitted at a considerably faster pace. These are relatively small in size and the ship either has a significant number of them in store or can fabricate a great many of them. Small crews are being sent from the Milky Way to neighboring galaxies on one way scouting missions, discovering what's out there, exploring system by system, cataloging what they find, and relaying the information back.

Progression (a.k.a. how this will work):

The interaction will mostly be concerned with the psychology of the characters aboard this ship. This covers everything from: why they chose the mission, how they are dealing with the separation from the rest of their people/family/friends, their interactions with the other members of the crew, as well as their exploration and their duties aboard the vessel. The exploration itself is how I will segment the story (via chapters, parts, etc.), with each star system being the driving feature that not only physically moves the ship, but keeps the story moving along as well.

As far as the systems we travel to go: I do not have a specific plot or path in mind (in great part because, as a character aboard the ship, I want to be able to respond as spontaneously to the circumstances in which we find ourselves as everyone else). The contents of each system will be based on die rolls. That being literally everything: the composition of the star (or possibly stars), the number and composition of the planets, how many additional moons/asteroids/other interstellar bodies and the composition of all of these, even the chance of life, primitive or otherwise (and keep in mind that all of these will be heavily weighted in various directions, I use the term “die rolls” but it’s really probably going to go through a random number generator). All of these will be incorporated via reports that arrive through the vessel’s sensor suite.

But remember: these details are not what make this particular rp interesting. They are details given only to occasionally help drive the story forward. They are a supplement, not the meat and potatoes. I may occasionally decide to throw in any sort of plot device along the way if I think that playing out such a scenario within the roleplay would be worthwhile.

I intend this rp to be rather short-lived in nature. However, it could very easily lead to a much larger scale (both in plot and in number of contributors) in the future. The hope is that we will get a significant amount of character development done. The end will arrive at a natural point in the story: i.e. there have been too many questions raised by the potential of the mission to progress and something further/greater is required, the ship blows up (always a possibility, from any number of causes) or even crash lands, etc.

Characters needed (described here only by their duty/role aboard the ship):

Pilot/Captain: I personally follow the Banks model of interstellar travel. That is to say that I believe (or rather I like this element more) that many of the calculations required to pilot a spaceship, whether from star to star, planet to planet, or galaxy to galaxy, simply happen at too fast a pace for the majority of organic minds to process. While certain evolutionary or artificial elements could easily be introduced to facilitate this extremely advanced decision making possible for us meat sacks, I think it far more likely that the piloting role be delegated to the ship’s systems with some sort of interface for slightly grander-scheme decision making to be left to conscious minds (being that the ship itself does not have as an intelligent of an A.I. as many sci-fi- predecessors might). So the role in this case really would be hand-in-hand, being that piloting decisions would go directly through the captain into the piloting mechanism of the ship.

Astrophysicist/Exoplanet Specialist: This character would find their work station at the sensor suite interpreting readouts and assisting the Captain in making recommendations for the exploration of the galaxy based on their findings. This character’s innate understanding of the various sciences in relation to how star systems work would make them invaluable, as only limited information about adjacent systems would be available before a prolonged travel from one system to the next. While in system, this character would also have the Captain’s ear for closer inspection of any particular stellar body of interest.

(maybe/maybe not) Engineer: Considering the nature of a small crew, I initially questioned the need for an “engineer”-type character. It is highly likely that every person aboard would be trained in the repair of the vessel within which they will likely live the rest of their lives. However, this character could have more specialized training in that regard. This character, being more tech-oriented, could be in control of the fabrication/deployment/overseeing of the subspace communications modules, as well as other non-automated tech functions aboard the ship such as maintaining computer systems, robotics, etc.

I’m sure there are other possible roles but I don’t think the crew should exceed four members (possibly five if an interesting enough role is presented). The only ones that I think are absolutely necessary are the two listed on top, with the Engineer being give or take. I absolutely welcome suggestions for other character roles.

Additional:

My influences for this come variously from Iain M. Banks’ Culture novel series, Stargate Universe, and the video game FTL.

As far as “roleplaying” goes, the only math going into this will be the random number generators deciding the star system composition. I will not be “GMing” or holding anyone’s hands through this. I am a writer, and this project is absolutely designed to be a cooperative writing project. This means that everyone taking is responsible for their own character. I don’t think I need to explain what that means.

I tend to write in lengthy prose. I enjoy depth, and part of my writing process comes from critical thinking. Please do not consider this to be an insult. I want my level of writing to be high, and I appreciate the same desire from those with whom I work.

Sorry for the double post, but, just to note. I will be playing one of the characters (though I'll wait to decide which until other folks have voice their opinion on which they might be interested in playing.

I've gotten one positive from Kessa and another possible from Captain Jordan. We've invited a few other people who we think might be interested in this sort of thing, but I am certainly not going to limit it. Anyone interested is more than welcome.

Interested. Also, I've a character premise that I've already shared with you. Would you like me to post it here or leave it off for now?

Sure, might as well.

It could be interesting.

My character concept:

"Cartographer", a narcissistic (so it's like talking to a TV, while he is talking to an audience) adventuring pretty boy who enjoys relaying all information. Succinct in report writing and relaying information, proficient in coding (to include updating the map which he's forever tweaking to make better and clearer visuals with the tools he has). A bit of a MacGyver and certainly the shipboard blogger. He lives for the number of hits or views their ship's "adventures" get and enjoys hyperbolizing virtually everything. He's a bit of a self-made man and somewhat of a troublemaker, thought to have gotten into the project as the result of "luck" (in this case, being one of the Earth board of trustee's enthusiastic nephew). Though he comes across as rather dim-witted because he's an "ooh shiny" complex, he's well-versed in the finer points of code and is a capable firefighter (for all of those space board emergencies). He's testy with some of the members because he's forever feeling like he has to prove himself and his worth. Which is says the proof is in the pudding. No literally, he's the best ship's cook and is able to make a feast out of the dehydrated eggs. He just asks that nobody asks him how he does it. He tosses in his vote (if there's ever such a thing, which he's convinced himself there is despite the presence of a singular "captain") with whichever option sounds like it'd be more foolhardy AKA "fun." More complexity to come, but I'd say that his role could fit the "face" of the ship and he'd be a quick learner for any language, not solely code. So translations would be reasonable if you can get him to do them. He'd be your comms guy and he knows enough about electronics to be able to make repairs (especially if he's under pressure, stressed, and has few resources) otherwise he can be a bit lazy about "getting around to it."

New character type needed:

In a way, this is an update for the traditional Engineer type that I was initially struggling with. This character type would then supersede the initial one mentioned in the top post on the page. Credit for coming up with this new idea goes to conversations with Jordan, Ellri, and (much further removed) Bounce.

Engineer/Programmer: A large number of systems aboard the ship are entirely automated. There are also a great number of automatons and robotics that are required for everything from repair to cleanliness to the nanites in our bloodstreams that regulate various organic health concerns. However, as code is, these systems are not always immediately adaptable to new environments, changes, and other shifting criteria. This futuristic Engineer should be capable of very high levels of coding in order to reprogram functionality in any system as well as be able to repair these sensitive areas if physical damage occurs. While basic repair, even on occasionally more advanced levels, is a function that all crew members possess, this character is innately familiar with the ship's systems, how they both externally and internally work (in other words, both the hardware and software).

Question! Would playing as a humanesque robot be a possibility? In terms of practicality, It'd probably be treated like Data on Star Trek by calculating probability, withstanding inhospitable environments, doing ambiguous sci-fi scans, and doing other neat robot-y stuff. As for psychological drama, it could be taken in a lot of ways. One crewmember could insist the robot is an emotionless machine, they could ponder what it means to be human, the ethics of considering a robotic crewmember expendable could be questioned, etc.

I'm having trouble with deciding on this question. With an engineer character who essentially makes sure all the ship's A.I. systems (integrated or free-roaming) to function properly, the character itself could end up becoming more like an NPC to the engineer than an individual role. What made Data so special in Star Trek was that he was capable of learning and then adapting due to the sum of his experiences. As a result, in the Star Trek universe, he was considered an incredible anomaly as far as A.I. went. Story-wise, or at least how we are starting to envision the direction of how things function in this futuristic universe, I worry that an android simply would not be able to function on its own.

Now, I would be completely ok with a cyborg. Take a human and throw in robot parts, sure. But I'm inclined to say no to the android.

This thread needs more noise. It has more potential than one might think from reading the first post.

Probably going to need an assistant engineer/coxswain, largely because when ships do bad things to themselves, the chief engineer is the first to die from acute radiation sickness.

~That or get sent to a regen-tank in sickbay for a whole chapter.

BTW, you're going to need a doctor/EV-specialist.

The 'swain also assists in piloting the ship when things are pretty much either needing absolute-trust in the engines capabilities as of that particular moment (like landing), or when things are super-dull and the pilot wants to do some recreation rather than going perception-blind looking at a screen-saver.

I haven't done much updating here, but I have been having many conversations with Ellri, Jordan, and Kessa about this and haven't really gotten around to posting some of what was discussed. One reason for this is because my motivation for running this rp has little to do with delving into the backstory of the situation, but only to deal with the situation and the characters dealing with their circumstances themselves. While I'm sure the history of each of the characters will be incredibly important to those efforts, I'm leaving it open for each writer to figure that out on their own. It's a big galaxy after all, and there are many possibilities, many of which I probably haven't even considered yet. As a note, I tend to be very hands off in those regards.

As far as medics go: I've decided that might be unlikely. The way things are set up, having to rely on too heavily on any one member of the crew would fatal for the entire ship. A doctor especially, if one existed and subsequently got knocked out for any reason, the penalty would lie not just on that character but certainly for the rest of the crew. However, nano-technology is an excellent replacement for this (and would then also fall under anyone who has any engineering experience which they all likely will). With the proper programming, nanites would be able to mend tissue, fight illness, and even repair significant bone/tendon/ligament damage over lengthy periods of time. It would then be up to the entire to crew not only make sure these nanites are functioning properly, but also to have some basic medic training (or really common sense) concerning any injury received.

I think Kessa's character would already cover the field of assistant engineer as her character has skill in the field as we've established it. As far as a coxswain/co-pilot goes, this again is a skill likely to be duplicitous across the board for the crew, especially considering that the actual piloting of the ship is done by computer and the command inputs are really the only effort needed from the crew as far as "piloting" is concerned. This would also allow shifts for the crew to always have some sort of rotation set up for "off time."

All that make sense?

In a world where nanites can heal virtually any known disease and mend all but the most lethal injuries, traditional medical practice is essentially a lost art.

Changes to the medical nanites is done by analytical programs discovering necessary changes and software engineers implementing the relevant changes. When a broken bone/tendon/etc can be repaired in a matter of minutes/hours/days through use of nanites, the skills of a doctor related to such are obsolete. For diagnosis, machines are almost certainly better at picking up signs than any human would be. Again, obsolete for humans to do.

That doesn't leave much work for doctors, which is why we consider it a lost art.

This of course causes trouble in the very rare situations that don't get picked up by the machines or won't be cured normally, but if such cases make up about 0.001% of all cases, it would be well within acceptable margins in most societies.

I like all of this. Also, I feel like my character has a better hold on the role as "programmer" and "coms" officer/thing than as generic of a role as assistant engineer. (I'm really trying hard not to fall into my normal niche/role as engineer. ><; Some electronics/hardware fixes can be assumed with my character, but he won't have any of the knowledge my previous characters do of the shipboard workings. Reactor cores will have an "I believe" button attached. If he's asked to explain how it works, he'll be, undoubtedly, blowing smoke up your arse. And any other systems are all just in the back of his mind as boxes with pipes leading to other boxes. Ex. [Head/toilet] => [Waste centre? Filtration?] => [Space ejection thingy?])

Glad to see you in here, Foster. =) I figured you'd dig this place. You thinking about joining in? It's less tech heavy and more character interaction with a space background.

Ellri, my character will be working closely with yours if she's an alien specialist. ;D I figured my character would have more communication with whatever alliances are relying on our science/exploratory vessel's findings but would aid in getting her voice off-ship if we run into any other world life.

Kessa, I'm going to be the 'swain of the boat, pretty much the guy in charge of everyone's safety on landing-parties and when things go bad. Since I'm good with that; usually.

In short, I'm.. an overglorified security-guard/janitor/cook.

I've mentioned I can cook, right?

It's always great detecting new life, and finding out if it's sapient enough to hold a conversation with, but the burning question in most everyone's mind is: "Does it taste good with a bit of salt and pepper?"

Dude. Our characters will get along fine. Be sure to scrub Jorj's prompt. We're looking for the psychological aspect with science/tech brought in. We'd love to have you join us in the IRC room, too. Pop into the main and ask Jorj for the room name. I forget it unless I look in my history. (We're all heading to bed now, though.) Looks like the frequency of posting will be expected once to twice a week when it gets rolling. Looks like it'll be up mid this week (maybe). I'll begin participating the Monday after this.

So you can shoot/taze/know martial arts/can use handcuffs, eh? :3

Scrub? Read thoroughly? Seemed legit when I first posted it. x: Lol.

Don't forget that the ship is heavy with automatons and robotics in the background, Foster. The majority of the ship's workings are done by such, especially the heavy/menial stuff. The kind of work that is traditionally attributed to the engineer/mechanic is taken care of by the machines.

Its important that you make sure to read the prompts above for what is truly wanted. oh, and if you contact us on IRC or something like that, we can link ya to the character concept we've written for ours, Foster.

Jorj: We think it might be possible to get at least one or two more when the RP goes to OoC.

Yes, interested parties are welcome to join #threads on the irc home server of the rpguild's main room.

As far as number of personnel, my absolute max is 7, but to keep everything moving smoothly/quickly, 5 is optimal.

Well, I can play Engineer or Pilot if you need or will have me.