For most of the previous two decades all out war has raged between the two major powers of the human galaxy, the Ptaran League and the Ilosian Federation. After years of continual conflict both major powers have exhausted themselves, the cost to commerce and the normal business of governance having come close to ruining both sides.
With the major issues of hegemony unresolved, both sides have, none the less, agreed to peace to forestall mutual collapse. With hostilities concluded, both sides are engaged in reducing rebellious allies to restore the status quo ante. Both sides have an interest in supporting rebellions and fostering discord in their former enemies ranks.
It is a time of great uncertainty as the drawdown in fleets and armies floods the galaxy with cheap ships, weapons, and battle hardened and unemployed veterans. Behind the scenes unhappy allies, ambitious regional powers and factions in both major powers work to further their own schemes, and in some cases, renew the war.
Far from the cosmopolitan centres of Empire a small naval detachment struggles to deal with the day to day problems of colonial administration. Ambitious locals, half civilized barbarians, pirates, privateers, revolutions, shipwrecks and a thousand other tasks conspire to make a hardship posting even harder. Life in a galactic backwater isn’t easy, but it can always get a good deal worse…
Welcome to my first attempt at a group roleplay! This will tell the story of the crew of a small naval vessel serving far from home in a time of relative peace. They serve in an exotic backwater of limited strategic importance, dealing with the minutia of Imperial rule on a shoestring budget. Players will mostly be officer and petty officers.
This will be a small group RP because I don't want to create a huge bloated cast that will collapse the whole thing under its own weight. I also want players to contribute to the plot and to world building which I think will work better with a smaller stable.
Inspirations:
The primary inspiration for this RP is history, particularly the Peloponnesian War, the British Empire post 1815, and the Bolivarian period of South American history. Ideally this will all blend together nicely.
Horatio Hornblower meets Patrick O’Brien
Tech Level:
Halfway between Alien and Mass Effect. Everything is dirty and dangerous. I’m looking for collaboration here but ultra fancy AI’s ect wont exist.
Character Guidelines:
All characters will be members of the Ilosian Navy, crewing a small warship. It isn’t an absolutely prohibition but if you want to be something else you will need to convince me.
Be human! Aliens exist in the universe but by and large their metabolic requirements are so different that it makes interaction rare and conflict even rarer.
Be open to having backstory connections with other characters. Unless you are part of draft of replacements you will likely have been serving with at least some of the crew for some time.
Expectations:
Be reasonably active
Be interested in world building
Be mature
Notes on a Space Navy:
This RP takes place in a military setting. I’m not a veteran and I’m not going to want perfect communication protocol or whatever. You might occasionally be given an order by another PC that you might need to obey. The nature of space travel is very egalitarian however. Officers who give stupid or malicious commands often find themselves encountering ‘accidents’ so it behooves those in positions of authority not to abuse their office.
The Nature of Empire:
Time delays due to FTL flight mean that administrative units as we understand them are difficult to maintain. Close to the capital worlds of both powers tight control is possible because travel times are short. The further you move away from the center however the more difficult administration becomes.
Rather than deal with this both major powers maintain leagues similar to the Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian league, enrolling various regional powers into their alliances. Often times these allies are none too happy with bigger foreign powers controlling them. There are usually embassies or advisors that provide ‘policy advice’ to quasi independent polities.
