While I find the idea quite amusing, why they do what they do isn't really relevant. I'll never write out their internal though processes or anything. And they themselves are important only in how they affect the civilization I'll be playing as.

>Not exploring the internal thought process and opinions of characters to flesh out their personality.

wot

Imagine if you, a genocidal hivemind with daddy issues.

Mind that duck might decide to want to do more with them given that they'll be NPCs.

All the more reason to let their actions do all of the talking.

I know they're NPCs and all, but other people will likely still be interacting with them. If duck is going to do what I think he might they better be more interesting than a large mass of monolithic, mindless killing machines.

And how will they only be important to your civilization if their goal is to cleanse the Galaxy?

1) Don't assume just because you have access to their thought processes that they will somehow magically be more interesting. You are assuming that they will think in a fashion that would be intelligible to use, which doesn't necessarily have to be the case. Also relying on inner thought to portray personality and goals of an entity can be something of a lazy method in some cases. What's more interesting: writing a character *think* about how he likes a girl or having him *DO* things that illustrates that he likes a girl? And on top of all this you have to keep in mind that if I do decide to write the inner thought processes of this entity we are likely to be put in a situation where we will be limited in what we can do with them. For instance if at one point I write about one of these entities thinking about how its motivation for everything is to just hug people then that means that Duck CANNOT have that same entity have a motivation that does not involve hugging people.

2) I never said their goal was to cleanse the galaxy. Their goal was to wipe out other civilizations to make space for another civilization. Think smaller in scale. MUCH MUCH smaller. These guys only exist in a small region of the galaxy, probably some isolated corner.

Though to be honest I haven't finalized my thoughts in regards to this entity, so its all subject to change at this point. But for now I'm going to treat them more as a force of nature than a civilization.

I don't think any of what you said excuses them being a mindless entity. Their actions if interesting imply some thought process. If they carry out ritual or such and behave in unique ways, go for it by all means. Physical expressions and behaviors can be very interesting. But so far it doesn't sound like they're going to do much other than be basically a weapon for another civ.

If their sole purpose is to be invaders, why does it have to be a NPC? Surely someone here has a alien species that would be more than happy to invade you.

But really my concerns is that their status may be elevated and that they'll not be the regional issue you envisioned them as. Since if that's the case than they need to be more interesting than what you intend them to be. If not, than I apologize for all this scrutiny. I just don't want this to be a shooting a RP where all everyone can do without dying is shooting bugs in space.

The Reapers were mindless, the Zerg were(mostly) mindless, yet does that make them not interesting?

When it comes to mindless entities, their thought processes do not need to be interesting. The interest that comes from these types of entities is not in why they do what they do, but the danger and threat they pose to the galaxy at large. I did not care that the Zerg or Reapers had a purpose beyond their actions, only that their actions could lead to the destruction of the galaxy. It creates a interesting threat that can help create conflict not just in battling the entity, but in the conflict that can rise as refugees and such as they flee the entity.

Just because a entity is mindless, does not mean it is not interesting.

I don't think the reapers were mindless, there was different individuals and they did directly speak to you at various points in the trilogy be it soverign or harbringer.

However on second thought there could be some interesting ways to indirectly use them to one's own ends if they're a unthinking force of nature. If their creators are still alive, they might have some personality through them anyways (like what the hell is going through their heads to justify making a galaxy wiping weapon). It seems I got too caught up thinking of them as a civilization as opposed to a organic berserker drone force.

Like using them as a weapon for your own ends or something like that.

But I still wonder why they are needed if their only purpose is to invade darkspleen's civ. I

Wait...

What if darkspleen's civ is the creators?!

I don't ever recall specifically stating that they were mindless. They aren't, clearly, as they have objectives. I've simply stated that I don't intend to put their thoughts into writing AND that even if I did it wouldn't necessarily make sense to you or I.

Also I think you are blowing them out of proportion. Are they a threat to my civilization? Yes. Does that necessarily mean they are a threat to any other given civilization? No. The reason being is that my civilization isn't going to be as developed as everyone else's.

My concerns stem from some comments on Duck thinking of elevating them to something more than the regional threat to your civ you want them to be.

If that's not the case than I really have no scruples left if duck is fine with them.

Either way I anticipate your civ mainly since if i'm not mistaken, their likely plan is to reach out to other more advanced societies for help. How that will play out will be interesting.

You mentioned them being underdeveloped, does this mean they're very recently space faring?

I haven't really gotten a feel for the average development level in the RP yet, but that is a distinct possibility. I intend to be a couple of steps below the average civ.

And I'll be discussing the zerg-like entity (for lack of a better term) in the near future and we'll get all that straightened out. If Duck wants something different I'll work with him on it, but as things stand right now what I said before is what I'm planning for them.

I think at least 3-4 more civs are needed for me to start trying to work out any contact histories since with humans there's unsorted history with the Glorth that may need to be taken into account and my civ is not a fan of machines. So they I don't really plan to have diplomatic ties with the synchronicity.

@Silvan Haven How's progress on your civ?

It's coming. I have to retrofit a Human civ I already had worked out. Add in magic, rework the government, fiddle with some of the technology, stuff like that.

It's not exactly at the top of my to-do list but it's getting done.

Dark, how is your civilization culturally?

(Do they worship the sun?)

Interactions and relations with humans is always interesting.

(Aaron, what would your humans make of the League of Wisdom anyways?)

Dark, how is your civilization culturally?

(Do they worship the sun?)

Not quite ready to answer that question in full, but I can in part. Its not a homogeneous culture. There are three spiritual groups: atheists, paganism, and the Starborne faith. None of these groups specifically worship the sun, though if you had a really open interpretation of sun worship I suppose you could argue that the Starborne faith does worship stars in a sense.

@Alfhedil Beat me to it >:I

I should note that other species are like cousins to the Zedevic, contact to them is like meeting a lost cousin as opposed to encountering a alien entity.

A Zedevic may even 'recognize' another member from an alien species as a reincarnation of a dead Zedevic they once knew well. (Oh how you've changed Nelon...)

Just a couple things to have in mind.

(Aaron, what would your humans make of the League of Wisdom anyways?)

They would be most intriqued.