Sci-Fi Nation Roleplay - What would it take to hold your interest

[ScreenAcne]

@Darkraven

To seed a planet. Probably a couple of hundred of people on one large ship, realistically. With some escort ships of some sort out of pragmatism. How they live to their seeding point is many. From generation to simply using uploaded minds.

Earth currently is totally colonized and we barely have enough tech to peek outside our own tiny sol system. The empire assumes two things, one. The native planet is totally ruled by one faction, if so. That planet has a large amount of land and finally their original galaxy have many planets with a lot of land.

Maybe I confused star systems with galaxies. Which, would make sense. But I get what you are saying.

Finally. Seeding is not a one stop drop. It's much easier to have a set up crew- which would be a smaller force. Then gradually send more people over time in bulks. As only so many populations will move just to seed a new planet-

[Darkraven]

Maybe I confused star systems with galaxies. Which, would make sense. But I get what you are saying.

@ScreenAcne

Dude, there's a VERY, VERY, VERY^99999999999999999999999999999999999999999 big difference between a star system and a galaxy...

Finally. Seeding is not a one stop drop. It's much easier to have a set up crew- which would be a smaller force. Then gradually send more people over time in bulks. As only so many populations will move just to seed a new planet-

@ScreenAcne

If we're talking star systems here... Why should the homeworlds taken out of the picture?

What you're describing here seems to be a tiny part of an NRP set in space... Which is a subset of our discussion here.

But I think I kinda get what you're potentially saying... Kinda.

[ClocktowerEchos]

*feels like suggestion has been ignored :c*
feelsbadman

[ScreenAcne]

@Darkraven

Yeah. I know, my coal colored avian. Got to keep in mind that right now my brain is more flexed than an insecure body builder trying to show off right now.

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Home worlds aren't. The time taken to move even between star systems is massive, even if. By space standards it's only like 40 years. Lets assume, somehow. That is the case. A ship entering a galaxy has to prepare the trip 40 years in advanced. If someone wins the initial meet up Once that system is seeded it's going to need an over whelming, very, very fast force to take it out. Without ftl you got to rely on pure size.

Even if you have a thriving native planet empire. It's still sending ships and tech that will probably be out of date when it reaches. As e can probably assume that with laser tech or something we can send data-and thus the seeded city will be able to build up to date stuff on the stuff..or at least faster- Native planets are an equation, it's just...well..liek you said...without ftl drives....the distance sort of fuck their military planning alot.

But..I think we might be derailing the thread a little. With time included for distance, story wise for that war. The generation had won.

@ClocktowerEchos

Shit, brother. I like your brain goop.

[Darkraven]

Yeah. I know, my coal colored avian. Got to keep in mind that right now my brain is more flexed than an insecure body builder trying to show off right now.

@ScreenAcne

Caw! Caw! Nevermore!

Home worlds aren't. The time taken to move even between star systems is massive, even if. By space standards it's only like 40 years. Lets assume, somehow. That is the case. A ship entering a galaxy has to prepare the trip 40 years in advanced. If someone wins the initial meet up Once that system is seeded it's going to need an over whelming, very, very fast force to take it out. Without ftl you got to rely on pure size.

Even if you have a thriving native planet empire. It's still sending ships and tech that will probably be out of date when it reaches. As e can probably assume that with laser tech or something we can send data-and thus the seeded city will be able to build up to date stuff on the stuff..or at least faster- Native planets are an equation, it's just...well..liek you said...without ftl drives....the distance sort of fuck their military planning alot.

But..I think we might be derailing the thread a little. With time included for distance, story wise for that war. The generation had won

@ScreenAcne

Ah, now I see.

In that case, we'll have other problems to solve before the RP starts... How do we roleplay if time is measured by decades at one moment (journey between stars) and then seconds the next (actual politics/social exchange/war)?

But your original idea of scaling down to a planet system (or a few) might work, though not as an NRP set in space. That's not a bad idea, actually.

*feels like suggestion has been ignored :c*
feelsbadman

@ClocktowerEchos

Which is also your idea?

[ScreenAcne]

@Darkraven

Meh. I would just do something simple, like. Create a intro log that explains the launch date. Then just cut to them arriving at their galaxy they are meant to seed on the date. The rest happens on that date. The epilogue can be the empire-or the seeded cities- response to the outcome.

It's sort of NRP. It has factions. Ships, solders. Citizens, cultures and shit. It's just that. The seeding ship is the "capital" at least until it lands. Then the city it makes become the capital.

Thanks, brother.

@ClocktowerEchos

What about you, clock. I like your idea, any concept on how we're gonna point it and limit. Since we were talking about the issue of power gaming too much. Like, even we tech cap it.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Darkraven This

As a spin off to @ScreenAcne's idea, why not have it be like a cluster of virgin, gaia planets/systems, prime space real state, that we're all fighting over? Some of us could be in it just to colonize and expand, some just see the war as excellent practice for a highly martial culture, and for some, its literally their last hope for survival as they have no where else to go and their homeworld is destroyed or something.

In this way, we can have the mix of races/empires without having to be overly advanced but still have the colonization and all of the politics and warring involved!

@ClocktowerEchos

@ScreenAcne As for direction, I'd say it would have to be somewhat focused around colonization with a primary focus on said colonizing worlds. There could be a thing that each planet has a colonized bar and who ever controls the most/all of it ends up with that planet officially their's but a colony could try and gain independence at any time. This happens more when you have a larger amount on the colonizing bar and have other people actively encouraging and supplying rebels. If there's something like National Decisions, one of them could be to make it a penal colony which would dramatically increase the bar but also proportionally increase liberty desire.

As for keeping a cap on power gaming, I believe that a mix of GM intervention and collective agreement, it should work out. Everyone looks at each other's sheet and point out any glaring issues in the hopes that such a process will naturally create a tech cap that everyone agrees on and finds fair as they technically made it themselves. Its like democracy in a way although I'll admit this isn't a completely fool proof system, its still better than forcing all the work on the GM or letting everyone run wild with their flaming bastard swords of sci-fi skullfucking +99

[ScreenAcne]

@ClocktowerEchos

Works for me.

I suggest though that we move the concept to more abstract terms: Like civilization momentum. The longer a colony is on a planet- the higher its bar fills up. Representing general growth. It gets bigger faster for being in wars and taking land.

But you have a chance of being destroyed in a war as a side effect.

This way. We an play as weird races, like. Collective hive mind blobs. or normal humans. Without having to make special rules for their personal ecology and civil life cycle. That and we have incentives to do otherwise destructive things.

[Darkraven]

@ClocktowerEchos

Works for me.

I suggest though that we move the concept to more abstract terms: Like civilization momentum. The longer a colony is on a planet- the higher its bar fills up. Representing general growth. It gets bigger faster for being in wars and taking land.

But you have a chance of being destroyed in a war as a side effect.

This way. We an play as weird races, like. Collective hive mind blobs. or normal humans. Without having to make special rules for their personal ecology and civil life cycle. That and we have incentives to do otherwise destructive things.

@ScreenAcne

I would counsel against making RPs too 'gamey'.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@ScreenAcne Personally I would say that if we were to use this "growth bar", that actions like war wouldn't help it grow, but more damage anyone else and let you take over say... half their progress. If you and I were both on the planet notEarth and we both went to war having 10% on the bar each and you won, you would get 5% from me instead of just generating 5% from no where.

Now this means I would have only 5% left which draws me to my next idea of having a minimum limit on the bar that once you drop below a certain point, you're out of the planet and would have to try again from stratch or go somewhere else. Like, if you drop below 8%, you get the boot but your colony starts out with something like 20% ish (just throwing numbers out). If the GM/players are willing, there could also be random events that happens to everyone, picked from a player generated list of events with a dice roller/RNG that could provide buffs or debuffs which players would have to represent in their new posts.

Also like your special rules idea, sounds neat.

[Polymorpheus]

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[ClocktowerEchos]

<Snipped quote by ScreenAcne>

I would counsel against making RPs too 'gamey'.

@Darkraven

I say there needs to be a level of gamey-ness to it to help keep the RP afloat.
Otherwise you get a freeform NRP which don't tend to last long and people will also argue on their progress and such.
Personally I see no reason why you shouldn't use game-like concepts if they can work; there's a reason why strategy games exist and how some have become so famous, widespread and popular, no shaming in using some game concepts to improve and RP.
Its also not like we're asking people to play spread sheet simulator a la Aurora 4X style with heavy number crunching (and yes, I've been in those NRPs too)

[ScreenAcne]

@ClocktowerEchos

I think if we have it be too complex it will be confusing, when compiled with all the story and lore data. Multiple attempts would be aggravating. I think we should have a clear, decisive defeat or victory. If you're colony is booted. Your faction is defeated. What that defeat entails depends on the story line and choices. Same with victory.

Having a "capital" or a sort of seat of power that keeps the culture/faction organization alive that if it gets booted or destroyed is a good, simple way to deal with it. I like the idea of random events. That could be fun.

War tends to promote growth and progression as a whole. Due to the need to mobilize from a relaxed consumer economy to a industrial/ war one. That and most people tend to unite under the defense of a faction when lose entails loss of freedom, family or lives.

How about this:

If we have growth min and max points...say...0-100. 0 is an outpost. 100 is a sprawling metropolis. We can still go with all the other stuff. Maybe destroying or taking land starts to take away points entirely and make it go backwards. I dunno.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@ScreenAcne I'd say change it so that an outpost would be a 1 and have 0 be your defeated stated. But on defeated states, are we dealing with one planet or several? Since if there's multiples, then perhaps you could have something like everyone has an outpost on all of the planets but will have to prioritize certain ones and let others die. Another idea is to have like 5 planets but only allow people to claim outposts on 3 and have one planet be your main seat where you start with like 10 on the bar or something as to mix things up.

I still think that the amount lost by the enemy on the bar would be the same amount you gain, how exactly that works will need more thought and coffee (which I lack atm), unless you have your own idea.

[Darkraven]

Well, this is where I fly off. I've delivered what I want to say in the beginning.

You guys can hash out the 'gameyness' of the RP. Good luck!

[ScreenAcne]

I still think that the amount lost by the enemy on the bar would be the same amount you gain, how exactly that works will need more thought and coffee (which I lack atm), unless you have your own idea.

@ClocktowerEchos

My main concern is that, from what I've seen. NRP quickly devolve into never ending post fests. We should have a clear end in site, and the best way to ensure that every post gets us closer to end, without devaluing the posts themselves is to incentive actions in universe that may lead to a possible defeat/victory.

War, diplomatic, sabotage or even just cultural growth are all viable. In short, we want content packed but fast moving accounts of actions.

I purpose thus:

We have one seeded planet-OR- a seeded planet but with sections of "space" in the system. Those can't be colonized, but exists as stations or capital ships. Literally if you're ship is forced out of the system or destroyed after being up rooted from the planet. You're faction has lost.

In space as a station, you have a lower cap on how big you can get due to resource limits. Some places add a little bonus-including other types of bonus- like asteroids but that's it.

In space, it's all fleet on fleet combat. Politics. You can't produce alot due to limited resources (maybe having actual fighting units costs growth points or have growth requirements- on land. It can be a battle of who grows more. Once you reach you're cap. Any growth points beyond that starts to "take" another bar. or you can just fight or hire spies and shit.

effectively. you're growing beyond your own borders and culturally/media wise dominating another faction mentally.

Politics is politics. If your faction does leave the universe. The obvious benefit is that all the people will be saved from conflict.

[Zetsuko]

@ScreenAcne@ClocktowerEchos

I don't know if it's just the way you guys wrote it or just me or something, but this is sounding really complicated, terrifyingly so

I'd offer my thoughts but i'm not sure I understand what's been said so far...

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Zetsuko Yeah... I kinda realized I might have gone a bit overboard last night ^^;
Kinda recommend people start a new conversation instead of trying to tact on to the one prior tbh.
Still amazed I got that much written out considering I'm still unsure if I'll be joining.

[ScreenAcne]

@ClocktowerEchos@Zetsuko

It just sounds complicated because it's all rough.

Basically. What we said is.

Have clear win/lose conditions in sight.

The longer someone is on a planet the more points they get. Certain things like losing wars, having less land/resources, bad events, espionage ectr cause you to lose points. If points reach 0 faction is forced off planet. If both people have lots of points and aren't losing them for any reason.

Then once past 100. You're basically "taking" points from another, closest faction. Effectively. You're literally growing over them. Think of it like..if france was growing so much in media/culture/power that it basically started to dominate and over take..say..England Culture. Effectively replacing it.

So prospering or decaying as a nation. The story is always leading to a power imbalance in factions and thus their inevitable victories or demises. So, you know. We won't have a world of factions that exist for eternity no matter what.

[Polybius]

I think it would be beneficial to the whole NRP sub-forum community to develop some sort of 'universal' nation stat system that could be easily adapted to different genres/eras etc. Would any of you guys be up for working on something like that? (OP: sorry about derailing your thread further my friend!)