Dark Space ~ A Cosmic Horror of Exploration and Survival (Open)

[BlackBishop]

Welcome to Dark Space, a sci-fi cosmic horror game of exploration and survival. Fulfill the role of the intrepid crew of the U.N.S. Erebus, a deep space exploration vessel tasked with charting unknown space.

At long last mankind has discovered the key to unlocking faster than light travel. The UNS Erebus and the UNS Challenger are the first crafts of their kind to be outfitted with an FTL drive and are now tasked with being flung into deep space to unlock the mysteries that lay beyond our solar system.

How to Play

As I wrote above, you play as an officer on the Erebus, each player is in charge of a certain subsystem of the ship. You should act as you deem reasonable for your character, and just so you know, you are mortal. Some of you, if not all, will die. Once your character perishes that’s it. You’re out of the game. So do try not to be too reckless.

Over the course of the game, I will pose different crises that your characters must respond to. They can range from minor technical issues to deadly encounters. The crew must decide how best to overcome each crisis, with the senior officer getting the final say.

The Erebus

The Erebus is an exploration craft crewed by eighty brave souls. As well as an FTL drive, which is a considerable drain on the ship’s fuel reserves, the ship is equipped with impluse drive for fast, interplanetary travel. The ship has two fuel sources, both solar power and tillium ore.

Solar energy is harvested by sails that are activated at the ship’s aft, while tillium typically found in asteroid fields and is harvested through mining crafts deployed from the ship. The theory is that between these two fuel sources the Erebus will always be within reach of replenishing its fuel.

The ship uses recycled oxygen to sustain life support with human waste being recycled as well for water and fertilizer. A greenhouse is used to keep a supply of nutrient rich food with a pantry keeping a stock of non perishables.

The Erebus is specifically designed to be a self contained environment to allow for space exploration with minimal use of resources. However, in times of strain, the ship is equipped with cryogenic freezing pods to allow a skeleton crew to maintain the ship with less expenditure of resources.

The Crew

There is a crew of eighty on the Erebus. You will fill the role of the officers, each of you in charge of a ship subsystem and a staff of junior officers.

Captain - Overall commanding officer of the ship.

Commander - Second in command, often charged with leading away missions.

Chief Engineer - Lead officer pertaining to the ship’s technological systems.

Chief Navigations Officer - In short, they fly the ship.

Chief Medical Officer - Oversees the medical care of the crew.

Chief Science Officer - Lead adviser regarding scientific discoveries of deep space.

Chief Security Officer - Charged with maintaining safety and security of the ship and crew.

Signing Up

If you’re interested, feel free to fill out a Character Sheet using the template below. Shoot for the position you want. After couple of days I will announce the final roster.

[Portrait]

Name:

Biological Age:

Nationality:

Preferred Position:

Bio:

[iAmAnEnemy]

This IS right up my alley (really wanting a proper survival experience), but how does selection work? Seems it's not entirely first come, first served. Interest does exist though. Sci-Fi and survival are two genres I find interest in. Especially when you throw in some good old exploration and adventure.

[DX3214]

I majority of times don't hang around here but I feel interested in this but tell me how horror this will be its gonna be HP. Lovecraft horror or another thing entirely

[Starboard Watch]

I'm certainly interested. I'm in the Navy myself and have experience in the whole way shipboard experience works. Just want to say that the Nav isn't really the one that pilots the ship - that would be the helmsman. He issues course corrections and in the event of some critical evolution, is the only person that the helmsman would listen to. Most of the time, though, that job is done by the XO or any Junior Officer in the pilot house.

[BlackBishop]

@DX3214 I intend this to be a Lovecraftian horror.

@Starboard Watch Pardon my oversimplification - The NAV officer will direct the helmsmen, plot courses, and have indirect control of the Erebus.

[BlackBishop]

@iAmAnEnemy Post for your desired position. I will take a look at the applications and decide among them who may be the best fit for the game. Should I like your bio, but feel someone else would be better to field your desired position, I may ask you to make some changes if I want you in the game.

On the other hand maybe we won't have a lot of applicants and you'll all get your pick.

[Starboard Watch]

What is Earth and the human systems like? Like the background world that we live in?

[BlackBishop]

What is Earth and the human systems like? Like the background world that we live in?

@Starboard Watch

I imagine we're about 500-1000 years into the future. Our solar system is populated with colonies and space stations across the system - however the vastness between stars has stunted further expansion. With the invention of FTL, mankind can at last break out beyond their own solar system - only to discover the horrors that lay beyond.

Over the centuries, the UN has gained greater controls over the nations they encompass. Sovereignty of nations is now largely minimal, with the UN assembly, security council, and the secretary-general dictating policy.

Space is controlled by a multinational effort with the United Nations. War, much like today, is constant on human occupied worlds. Colonists begrudge earth control of their settlements, and some fight for independence - a losing battle thus far. As far as space, weaponized systems have proven unreliable in the vacuum, resulting in a series of disasters and malfunctions, and limiting warfare to terrestrial efforts for the most part.

We will not be traversing the void of space in a warship. Quite the contrary. Expect to be vulnerable. Expect to die.

[DX3214]

So basically that means that you can choose even to be a colonial?

[BlackBishop]

@DX3214 You may.

[BlackBishop]

On Mother...

Both the Erebus and Challenger are equipped with a state of the art artificial intelligence called Mother; whether that is a name born out of affection or cold irony it is unclear. Mother is tasked with assisting the crew with logistics over the course of their expedition. You can count on her to provide pertinent details during a crisis to make an informed decision.


The AI Core aboard the Erebus; Mother.

[circadian]

Count me in, I've done a crap-ton of starship role-playing in the past and I'd love to have some stakes in it for once. And would you like for that character sheet to be in private messages, or right here? I'm not too sure what is completely normal around here yet.

[BlackBishop]

Count me in, I've done a crap-ton of starship role-playing in the past and I'd love to have some stakes in it for once. And would you like for that character sheet to be in private messages, or right here? I'm not too sure what is completely normal around here yet.

@circadian

Feel free to post your CS here. We can always develop our sheets alongside the game before we start.

[iAmAnEnemy]

So basically that means that you can choose even to be a colonial?

@DX3214

Just one problem with that . . .

SPACE BELONGS TO THE SPACENOIDS!

@BlackBishop: In all seriousness, Bishop, I'm getting a Traveller vibe from this. For once, there seems to be prime real estate for a space/planet-hopper RP that has legitimate danger and requires some brainpower to last a while in. I find scifi to be at its peak when it treats space the way it is--a vast, empty frontier that hasn't been fully explored. If it even CAN be. This is one of the few RPs that I can say has more than my average level of interest. The struggle with joining this RP remains. Good on you so far, effort. A good effort.

@Starboard Watch: Pick your rate; pick your fate. Am I right?

[Starboard Watch]

@Starboard Watch: Pick your rate; pick your fate. Am I right?

@iAmAnEnemy

Thankfully I picked a good one. And could probably do the job of half the Navy too.

[BlackBishop]

On the HUD...

Here we have the interstellar map, a rough draft of what you can expect to see in the game. We have the closest stars on display, as well as the light years between them. To the top left you will see a readout of the Erebus' resources. Keep a close eye on these as the game progresses.

Solar Cells: The remaining power of the ship's batteries. Can be replenished by deploying the ship's solar sails near a star.
T. Fuel: The percentage of tillium fuel remaining in the tank. Replenished by mining tillium from asteroids.
Rations: The amount non-perishable food available. The greenhouse keeps a constant supply of nutritious food, but rations offer a morale boosting taste of home.
Morale: The overall morale of the crew. The lower the morale, the greater the risk of mutiny.

Every action the ship takes consumes fuel and depletes cells. Traveling between stars consumes cells/fuel at a rate of 10 x light years. The captain can decide whether to prioritize the consumption of solar cells, or tillium. For example, travel to Alpha Centauri consumes fuel at a rate of 4.7 x 10 = 47% of fuel/cells.

Failing crises drops morale, but can be replenished with issuing rations or making breakthrough discoveries. Rations are displayed as the time remaining if consumed exclusively by the crew for three square meals a day. FTL jumps between start systems seems nearly instantaneous by the crew, but traversing within star systems takes time, and they will need to stay fed during these interplanetary times of discovery.

[BlackBishop]

On the UNS Erebus...



The Erebus, along with its sister ship, The Challenger, represent the pinnacle of human engineering. They are the first ships to harness the power of FTL, giving them the capability to travel between stars. The Erebus is specifically designed for interstellar flight, and to withstand years in deep space.

The Bridge - Where the flight controls and nav computers are located, overseen by the chief nav officer.

CIC - Command in Control is where the Captain maintain his vigilant command over the ship, views situational reports, and relays orders.

Officer's Galley - Where the officers eat, relax, and mingle.

Officer Quarters - The personal cabins of the Erebus' officers.

Sensor Array - The discharge station of neutrinos that gives the Erebus "sight" in deep space.

Greenhouse - The immense food processing plant that supplies the crew with nutritious food.

Pantry - The storage facility of the ship's non-perishable food.

Cryo Bank - The cryogenic freezing facility that houses cryo pods for prolonged cryosleep.

Tillium Refinery - The industrial facility that refines tillium ore into fuel.

Docking Bay - The landing and housing unit of the ship's mining vessels and atmospheric shuttles.

FTL Drive - The FTL Drive core - the workings of which are a closely guarded UN secret.

Impulse Drive - The deuterium reactor that propels the Erebus below the speed of light.

Fuel Tank - The storage facility for the ship's tillium fuel.

Solar Sail Array - The apparatus, that when activated, spans out beyond the starboard and port sides of the ship to catches solar energy.

Solar Cells - The ship's solar charged batteries that power the ship.

[DX3214]

How big is this ship to accommodate everything?

[BlackBishop]

How big is this ship to accommodate everything?

@DX3214

It is an immense ship, utilizing tram cars and lifts to speed the crew to their destinations. It runs at 1400 meters long, by 550 wide, by 600 meters tall.

[circadian]

No longer interested -- leaving RPG.