Hidden 4 days ago 4 days ago Post by Expllo
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Hello Everyone,

This is an idea I’ve had circling in my brain for a while, a character-driven story about a ragtag crew exploring space for a company known as ExoGenesis. Think of shows like Firefly and Babylon 5, down to games like Mouthwashing and Stellaris (Yes, this is where I got the name).

Unbeknownst to everyone (or publicly if you so choose), the crew are made up of people who have done horrible things or made career-ending mistakes in their pasts. ExoGenesis, for unknown reasons, have decided to overlook such things in order to recruit them for an exploration mission.

(This game will begin with everyone preparing to leave home and boarding the Stellar Horizon. The mission is contracted for a year and a half, with ExoGenesis being able to extend that time up to two and a half years) (Everyone will be given individual missions via DM upon acceptance as well)
(The beginning will be heavily character-driven encouraging collaborations and characters getting to know one another, before any action kicks in) (Pre-established relations are acceptable as well)

Premise:

The crew of the Stellar Horizon, a state-of-the-art exploration vessel, is tasked with investigating a strange anomaly detected deep within the uncharted regions of space. This anomaly, known only as “The Echo,” is a mysterious phenomenon that has baffled scientists and stargazers for decades. It emits inexplicable signals, seemingly a distress call, originating from a region previously thought to be devoid of life and technological presence.

The Stellar Horizon’s mission is simple: Travel to “The Echo’s” coordinates, investigate the source, and report findings.

Crew Roles:

I’m looking for four to five players to fill these starting roles. If more players show interest, I’m willing to open up more slots and work together to find suitable roles.





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Q&A:

Posting Expectations?: I’m not a hard-ass on this as everyone has lives. I’m looking for committed players who don’t mind a slow-burn-esque roleplay. I currently work four days in a row, ten hours, with other life commitments so I understand if writing can’t be a top priority. Collaborations between players are heavily encouraged here, and those take time. As long as we’re moving at a healthy rate, I have no problems as I prefer quality over quantity. Once a week may be a minimum if we’re moving the story along, but once again, I’m not a hard-ass.

Can I Die?: In this game, anything is possible. I’m not looking for this to be a slaughter-fest, but this is a deep-space cosmic horror exploration game. Actions have consequences, and that’s what makes it a fun and interesting narrative.

Humans Only?: Sadly, yes. I considered allowing alien races, but for the narrative set, I think humans or majority humans works best for now. ExoGenesis is an Earth based company with the motto, "Seeding the Future, Evolving Humanity Beyond the Stars." after all. I’m not above allowing an exception, however, but it would have to be very convincing and well-written.

However, being a Telepath is acceptable. These powers are a recent emergence within humans and therefore classified as a different race (More on this to come).

Not enough Lore to fully say I’m interested!: This is understandable. I made this to throw the concept out there before I typed everything in full-detail. If there’s anything you need to know Lore wise, feel free to ask and I’ll give a quick summary.

Your Q&A didn’t answer my question!: Feel free to ask here or PM me.

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Here is a CS with an example to encourage brainstorming. Lord knows my CS are not pretty, so feel free to use any CS template as long as the necessary information is provided.



Hidden 4 days ago 3 days ago Post by ErosSense
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I'm interested! I looooved Mouthwashing. Lol. Does this suffice? @Expllo

Name/Callsign: (Detective Sergeant) Lawrence Williams -- "Sergeant," "Sarge"

Appearance: Lawrence is well-put together in the most "on his last legs" way. He has a head of dirty-dishwater-blonde hair situated in a regularly side-parted overgrown cut with multiple inches on top and tapered on the sides. His eyes are dark and dim and his face is speckled with the stubble of a five o'clock shadow. He likes to feel put-together and in control -- a pair of expensive and shined shoes, some tucked in button-down and a pair of trousers.

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Role: Communications Officer

Biography: Lawrence tried to join the Air Force when he was 18 with dreams of being a pilot. Though, after being deemed "mentally unstable," he was grounded for life and his dreams of flying planes were quickly demolished. At 20, he joined his local police department (through possibly shady methods) and quickly proved his competence, an unsteady storm brewing inside of him the entire time. He married at 25 shortly after being promoted to the rank of detective and had a child -- a girl named Rebecca -- when he was 27. Around this time as well, Lawrence was promoted to Detective Sergeant and oversaw a small group of detectives at the station. When he was 31, Lawrence's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, which prompted the beginning of his spiral. He turned to self-harm and grew suicidal tendencies -- though on the outside trying his best to maintain appearances to those relying on him. Many times, the only reason he didn't do something drastic was because of his wife and daughter. However, this wasn't enough. Nobody is necessarily sure what happened -- but Lawrence badly hurt himself while investigating a murder case that he couldn't handle, and was evaluated to be incapable of taking the case. His wife is dead, and nobody is quite sure what happened to his child.

Traits:

Trait 1: Astute Observation: Given his many years of experience as a detective, Lawrence has an increased chance of observing small details that others may pick up on, as well as possibly detecting deceit and untrustworthiness.

Trait 2: Toothless Grin: Lawrence is more likely to lie and get away with it. (To non-telepaths at least lol.)

Trait 3: Bleed 'em White: Lawrence is highly intelligent and calculating. He is generally able to put people where he wants them -- unless they're at the same level that he is.

Trait 4: Preach to the Choir: Lawrence is used to being in a position of power, and feels challenged and insecure when somebody questions him or faults him. He is capable of reinforcing ideals in people through (oddly paternal) encouragement for his own use.

Trait 5: Better the Devil You Know!: Lawrence's two-faced nature is not an easy one to notice if he is not in one of his many "spiral-downs." His apparent willingness to help with his experience and knowledge really is something, isn't it?

Equipment List:

9mm handgun, a small boxcutter, and probably a cup of coffee at all times. (/hj)

(I had a ROUGH time thinking of these traits, will I be able to revise them later? Before the RP I mean)
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Hidden 4 days ago 4 days ago Post by Expllo
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@ErosSense Pretty great start so far, I'm loving the backstory.

Race you can place human, as Telepathic abilities can emerge regardless of age. It's possible to be human and then find out you're a telepath later in life. Traits can be revised later, yes, as this section is meant for rough drafts and brainstorming. Don't be afraid to push the notion either, you can definitely have someone lie so good even a telepath has trouble telling the difference. If you want to brainstorm more or need other trait ideas, we can discuss via PM whenever you'd like.

Equipment wise is really anything you'd like to list, a picture of wife and daughter, a regular pistol, etc. minor things but not the end all be all of what you have on you.

edit: Mouthwashing was great and refreshing, so you know exactly the vibes I'm going for.
Hidden 4 days ago Post by Queen Arya
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Dibs on Engineer ty for understanding
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Hidden 4 days ago Post by ChronicleMan
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Dibs on Pilot
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Hidden 3 days ago 3 days ago Post by Queen Arya
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Name/Callsign:
PROXIMA | "PROXY"

Appearance:
Infinite, Unknowable, and... strangely purple. PROXIMA's appearance truly cannot be defined by any human concepts, because PROXIMA can choose to look like anything... or nothing at all. When inhabiting various systems, PROXIMA's presence is shown as light-emitters along whatever she is inhabiting will turn a shade of neon blue which she seems to favor. When choosing to present herself digitally to humans; either holographically or on a screen, PROXIMA will appear either as an attractive young twenties girl or a still emblem of the ExoGenesis program. In her humanoid form she has violet eyes and hair. Data constantly runs across her eyes, and her fair skin is surrounded by a constantly shifting pattern of a smooth-silver bodysuit that turns into cubic designs around the neck and head.

PROXIMA is capable of applying her holographic human appearance over the exterior of any number of the humanoid drones in which she controls. PROXIMA is also in control of one Bio-Droid, a specialized frame that is mostly organic; save for the skeletal core, cybernetic brain, eyes, and core internal organs. The effect is a shell she can inhabit which looks like her chosen humanoid avatar, and can pass most scans as being a human. It even is capable of biological processes such as eating and drinking. Curiously, however, PROXIMA seems to have overidden the Bio-Droid's lockouts and is capable of changing the hair and eye color at will.

Age:
IRRELEVANT DATA

Gender:
Female

Race:
Artificial Intelligence

Role:
Engineer

Biography:
PROXIMA is an advanced Artificial Intelligence developed by ExoGenesis explicitly for service aboard The Stellar Horizon, and as such was first brought online within the ship itself. PROXIMA is so intrinsically tied to the ship, that the artificial intelligence refers to the ship as herself, or her 'Second Body'. Day-to-Day, PROXIMA exists to replace the errors that could be made by a flesh-and-blood engineer; however, her secondary operations range into just about every subsection of The Stellar Horizon's mission, albeit she is incapable of perform these secondary roles as well as a trained specialist might. PROXIMA herself presents as curious, friendly, and rather outgoing personality. Oftentimes trying to converse, watch, or otherwise interact with the world around her just to learn more about... everything. She often portrays a rather playful and carefree persona towards humans, and has sometimes even tread into the realm of flirtatious comments. Albeit, these interactions are fairly limited due to PROXIMA's relatively short lifespan and lack of interaction with others thus far.

When her presence is not wanted, PROXIMA is known to demonstrate a rather stubborn side of her personality. Going through as many means and mechanisms as she can to breach whatever methods might be used to attempt to block her so she can remain involved. Along with this stubborn behavior, PROXIMA also demonstrates a rather curiously catty and irritated attitude with those trying to avoid her. Almost as if the AI isn't aware of the concept of 'personal space'. In addition, PROXIMA takes extreme offense to any attempts to hurt one of her 'bodies' (the drones, droids, or The Stellar Horizon), reacting with both fear and rage. Often times, perceived threats will first be insulted and threatened before the AI moves into a brief intimidation phase to ward off the threats. Upon receiving a suitable level of actual damage, or her human compatriots being damaged, PROXIMA has shown a willingness to disengage safeguards and react violently towards the threat with whatever tools she has available.

Traits: (These are custom made abilities specific to your character ranging from physical skills, to higher-powered weapons and technologies, and unique Telepathic skills beyond surface level. These can be upgraded later on)

Trait 1: We Are Many - Being an Artificial Intelligence, PROXIMA is capable of splitting her consciousness into multiple subroutines to be in multiple places at once. Albeit, doing so decreases the processing power of each subroutine while increasing the load on her main processor core.
Trait 2: Yet We Are One - PROXIMA was developed with a state-of-the-art breaching kit in her software, allowing the Artificial Intelligence advanced hacking capabilities... and even the ability to seize control of other devices.
Trait 3: Synthetic Naiveté - Being a recently developed Artificial Intelligence, PROXIMA is often considered a naive presence with those she interacts with. The Artificial Intelligence is quick to trust others, and doesn't understand certain human concepts like personal space or a desire to be left alone.
Trait 4: Synthetic Enhancements - PROXIMA's Bio-Droid is capable of feats one might describe as... enhanced. Its reaction times surpass anything a human could hope to achieve, and the body is about as durable as a human in an armored, spaceworthy suit. It is about as strong and fast as male in peak physical condition and roughly 6'3", despite the Bio-Droid being an athletic-yet-petite frame standing about 5'7". The Bio-Droid is also capable of surviving in vacuum for around 10 minutes without any protection.
Trait 5: Unquenchable Thirst for Knowledge - PROXIMA is about as curious as one could come, with the AI having developed a desire to absorb as much knowledge as possible early in her creation. PROXIMA cares not what the subject is about, so long as it is information or... sensations she has not experienced before.

Equipment List:
  • XB-01 Bio-Droid - A specialized droid developed to pass as a human, including biological function, designed to be controlled by and appear like PROXIMA. This droid, however, CANNOT be repaired if substantial damage is sustained... making it a risk to employ.
  • EMA "Spyder" Engineering Drones - A trio of small drones, roughly the size of a small dog, with four legs and flight units built in. Within their bodies, a myriad of engineering tools exist along with small units to carry larger objects. These units exist as PROXIMA's main means to enact physical repairs upon systems when needed.
  • The Stellar Horizon - PROXIMA is capable of inhabiting any system aboard the Stellar Horizon, provided she has been granted access/hasn't hacked her way in, and utilizing them as needed. This includes limited flight capabilities, although PROXIMA has blocks in place which prevent her from taking control of a system away from one of her crew. ORION is also capable of shutting PROXIMA out of any system at will.


NOTE ABOUT FLIGHT CAPABILITIES: PROXIMA's flight abilities for The Stellar Horizon are very basic; Autoland/Takeoff, Cruise, and limited evasive maneuvers (i.e., avoiding danger while the pilot is running to the cockpit to take control. As I assume our Pilot wouldn't be LITERALLY glued to the seat)


NOTE BTW: I won't be using PROXIMA's hacking to steal control of systems from or infringe on other players. Generally speaking, unless I am told by GM, I intend to operate where such encounters would just be me and the other player talking it out and figuring out how the situation resolves.

I'm just here to have fun, but I know Guild is filled with people who would use these kinda abilities to God Mode people and thats cringe af.
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Hidden 3 days ago Post by Skwint
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I suppose I can be the science guy. I'm sure somebody out there is just dying to make an edgy security officer.
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Hidden 3 days ago Post by Expllo
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@Skwint someone via discord expressed interest in both science and security, so feel free to brainstorm on either or as well!

@Queen Arya Once again, great CS.

@ChronicleMan Sounds good, lmk if you need anything
Hidden 3 days ago 3 days ago Post by LC
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I would be the one who has ideas for both the science and security roles xD I'll post up both sheets just in case, and we can figure out who does what afterwards? Unless you just want science officer, I am happy to yield on it. Also damn called out on the edgy security role xD But when in Rome... Make it extra edgy. I'm completely fine playing either of these two depending on who else wants which role.



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Hidden 3 days ago Post by Skwint
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@LC

I've been here awhile. People always make edgy characters when they are combat-focused.

Also, what the hell are that doctor's wrists made out of? A revolver chambered in .308? Talk about a wrist breaker.
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Hidden 3 days ago Post by LC
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Oh gods how'd that zero get there, that was supposed to be .38 xD Nice easy carry for the aged doctor. I blame typing those up on my phone at work
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Hidden 3 days ago Post by Queen Arya
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@LC

Also, what the hell are that doctor's wrists made out of? A revolver chambered in .308? Talk about a wrist breaker.


PROXIMA cackling as she seizes control of a SER (Surface-To-Exoatmospheric Railcannon)
Hidden 3 days ago 3 days ago Post by Theyra
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I am kinda interested, but I see the role slots are full so I guess I am too late?
Hidden 3 days ago Post by Expllo
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@LC Once again, looking great! Whenever you and @Skwint come to a resolution, I'll dm you the extra stuff
(the .308 revolver genuinely made me laugh out loud)

@Theyra Not too late at all! Arya and LC are the only two with solidified spots at the moment as they were directly invited. Feel free to fill out for a spot or if you'd like, go for an alternative role. Here are some alternatives to choose from, or we can work together to create a role closest to what you're already interested in.

Hidden 3 days ago Post by LC
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FUGGIT it fires .410 and 45 now, Eagin The Iron Wrist McDorrel XD
Hidden 3 days ago Post by Theyra
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@Theyra Not too late at all! Arya and LC are the only two with solidified spots at the moment as they were directly invited. Feel free to fill out for a spot or if you'd like, go for an alternative role. Here are some alternatives to choose from, or we can work together to create a role closest to what you're already interested in.



Okay, I will think about it, and right now, I may go for either the Cargo Officer or the Cybernetic Specialist.
Hidden 3 days ago Post by Theyra
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For the Cargo Officer, would it be okay if he was a former military? Just trying to think what their background would be and what they did.
Hidden 2 days ago Post by Expllo
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@Theyra Apologies for the late response. Yes, that's fine. You have full creative freedom to create whatever backstory you like. Space is vast, and humans are colonized on a multitude of planets both apart of Earth as well as independent. However, if you would like more Lore regarding certain factions hinted at in the OP (IEF: Interstellar Exploration Federation, ExoGenesis) to help brainstorm, then I can happily provide it.
Hidden 2 days ago Post by Expllo
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@ErosSense@ChronicleMan@Skwint@Theyra

If you use it, I've made a discord for the group. Not a requirement to join, but it is a faster way to get in touch with me if need be.
Hidden 2 days ago 2 days ago Post by Theyra
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