In the year 3248 interstellar space travel was commonplace, not only among humans, but countless other races from all corners of the galaxy. Hundreds of species ascended to the stars and conflict was inevitable. In 3273 the first galaxy conflict emerged over issues on colonization rights, 27 years and millions of dead later, a truce was struck. In the year 3329 the second galactic conflict came to fruition over cultural ideas, 106 years and countless casualties later, another truce was stuck. In 3437 the third galactic war erupted over territorial disputes, lasting 22 years.
Tired of all the senseless conflict; in the year 3462, several influential species banded together to form an interspecies coalition later called the Alliance. With this new coalition, a form of galactic government was made. Laws were made, treatises were formed, and peace finally came to a young galaxy. Now, in the year 3483, the Federation has 247 species and a fighting military force unrivaled by any other known threat. However, with a galaxy expanding new threats are opening up on all fronts, new races of war ascending to conquer worlds and systems, vagabonds taking to raids and assaults, and dangerous worlds needing to be colonized for a growing civil universe.
In the face of these new threats, the Alliance developed a special project of elite teams. Four experimental ships were commissioned to house teams comprised of the best of the best from all known races. Among these ships was the Argent Dawn, the fastest frigate ever constructed; specifically designed to evade any enemy powerful enough to destroy her and strong enough to destroy any ship able to catch her.
The objective of these ships was to scour the galaxy and face any threat to the Alliance and it’s people. And knowing how dangerous the universe could be, each ship was given the order, “You serve the law, by working above the law.” Each ship was given reign to be judge, jury, and executioner of all forms of threat.
The ship was given rule to handle any threat that would arise. Without proper representation the ship’s crew members have the best interests in mind, seeking to save the galaxy and as many of it’s inhabitants as possible. Should an error occur and innocent blood be spilled, the Alliance takes blame. This causes ripples in the hierarchy, but in the grand scheme of things, the ratio of good to evil keeps the public off of the crews. Should enough offenses be sustained though, the law would turn to seek out and dispose of the ship, crew, and any record of the two.
Aboard the Argent Dawn is where the story truly begins. Will the crew rise to the challenges this young galaxy has on the horizon?
My intent is to have this be almost like a D&D session or a video game. Very class based on what you can do, but also without the dice and chance involved in D&D. Now this system is only for determining what would happen in certain circumstances, like combat and medical treatment, which is only a small part of this RP. I encourage the players to bring possible mission to the attention of the Captain, but at the same time, at least 50% of this RP would be non-combat. Whether drinking and partying at shore leave, or just talking and bonding with fellow crewmembers.
Similarly, I would be posing situations on these missions that the players (I hope) would solve in creative and fun ways. I will also be introducing over arcing stories, that would take IC months or even years to solve and I encourage suggestions as well, I don't know everything so I'd be needing your help!
Finally, This is an RP where time passes quickly, you may leave for a mission and it may only be a total of 100 posts, but I'll say it took 4 days for the planning, execution, etc.
To make a crewmember of the Argent Dawn there are several things that need to be considered. One is that while the crew is the best of the best, they are not unstoppable or perfect. Each member is part of a team to make the entire crew nye unstoppable. To better explain with an analogy, think Spartans, one is powerful, but 10 are incredulous. Knowing this there are several factors to use to make your character, first is what your character is.
To make a character several questions must be answered…
Name:
Gender:
Class:
Role:
Race:
Race Description:
Breathes: (Default or Something Else)
Background:
Personality:
Character Description:
Proficiencies:
Then when your character is made, you must make what they are. This world is almost like a video game in that there are classes and roles that must be filled to make your member a true character. The first step is to select your class…
Soldier - the main fighting man/woman of the universe. Trained in a variety of firearms, close quarters weapons, and fighting styles. The meat and potatoes of any good crew.
Medic - Better trained in the medicinal arts than those of weapons or technology. Able to perform complex procedures to save the lives of the valiant crew.
Engineer - The technical experts, able to fix, repair, or build anything that gets damaged or broken.
Guardian - Men and women who dawn massive suits of power armor, equipped with massive kinetic shields and massive weapons such as rocket pods or chain guns. Able to take a beating and keep on kicking.
Technician - Much like the Engineer this class is tech savvy, but in a more malicious sense. Using their technological expertise this class hacks and splices into enemy systems gaining access with extreme efficiency.
Infiltrator - The sneaky, sneaky spy of the class system. Their cunning and stealth make them lethal assassins and support shooters able to take heads from hundreds of yards out.
Now with your class chosen, you must pick your role. Some classes must have certain places, like Soldiers and Guardians are always Ground-Team, but other classes like Engineer and Medic can choose between Ground-Team and Crewmember. The difference? A Ground-Team Medic would strive to heal up his fellow team members as injuries are sustained or move to stabilize critically wounded members. Similarly a Crewmember Medic would stay on the ship, have access to better equipment and be able to better heal and fix up wounded team members. Both are needed, but each has a different role to play. So to give an example…
Class: Engineer
Role: Ground-Team
The next thing is that each character needs to have certain proficiencies. One man can’t be fully trained in everything so I ask that you use your better judgement to divvy up what your character is good at and what he/she isn’t. To explain, I’d rather not have a solider be perfectly trained in all forms of firearms, and know how to fly, and know how to train creatures. I’d say give a character an average of 5 things to be “proficient” in. Example…
My character [Soldier #2] is proficient in using pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, creature training, and CQC Training.
My character [Engineer #12] is proficient in piloting, equipment repair, ship repair, pistols and xeno-translation.
To help with a few things to have as proficiencies…
Xeno-Translation
Creature Training/Handling
Piloting
Repair (Equipment)
Repair (Ship Tech)
Weapon Training (E.G. Pistol training, assualt rifle training, shotgun training, etc.)
Heavy Weapons Specialization
Close Quarters Combat Training (CQC Training)
Hacking
Stealth
Healing
Healing (Critical)
Finally, there are rules and guidelines to this RP. Not many mind you, but some that are very important. First off, I’m going to be running this RP kinda like a D&D story, meaning I’ll make adventures and I’ll need able bodies to help get them done in creative ways. Knowing this, I will put the players into many different kinds of situations. This is where the first and biggest rule comes from… I reserve the right to kill or maim characters. Now I know what you're thinking, “Oh that’s not fair, you’ll kill us as soon as you don’t like us!” No, no I won’t. The only reason I reserve this right is when I made a scenario like… “The team approaches the heavily fortified gate of the stronghold, what do you do?” And your answer is something stupid like, “I charge in alone flailing my guns and shooting randomly into the air.” I will literally say, “[Enter character’s name here] got mowed down by gunfire and died. start making a new character.” Everything I put the players into is doable, but if you act stupid or go into a situation that is clearly going to kill you, IT WILL KILL YOU!
Next, fighting is kind of an issue when you don’t use dice and trust the players, so how this will be done. Everything will be put up in the air. Nobody will say, “I shoot this guy and it hits him in his head.” Instead things like, “I take aim at this guy’s head and shoot, hoping to end the fight quickly.” This relies on the players being willing to act fairly, maybe taking a hit or two every so often. Your character doesn’t need to die mind you, and I sure hope you don’t kill them, but remember, while you may be an elite soldier, you're not unhittable. Take a bullet to the arm and when it heals, go to the bar and show off the scars to the ladies, who knows maybe you’ll find a nice girl?
Lastly, don’t be mean. Respect your fellow players to the best of your abilities. It’s kind of self explanatory, I know, but still. It must be said.
And that’s it! Your character is made! All you have to do now is contact me on how you would like to have your character introduced to the crew!
Similarly, if you have anything to say, suggest, or ask, just say it, suggest it, or ask it. I'd like to think this world is almost as much your's as it is mine.
Now to give an example of a full character, here is mine...
Name: Varus Than
Gender: Male
Class: Infiltrator
Role: Captain
Race: Litharian
Race Description: The Litharian race is reptilian in genis, having a low digigrade form of legs with a soft spike coming off of each joint, like knee and heel plates. Their feet are a form of two toed, clawed foot that has a sort of natural back appendage that acts as a heel. The torso is covered in chitin plates that form a sort of natural armor in the form of overlapping “Vs”. The arms follow the same suit of chitin plates that move to form a standard set. The hands are very human-like in the respect of how they have four fingers and a thumb with the same knuckle count, only each finger is tipped with a pointed claw. The head of this race has a scaled set of lips that are rather rigid and form a staggered mouth line. The chin forms a rather defined jaw line that wraps around to the nonexistent ears. The eyes are normally reptilian that can range from white to red to green to blue to orange to black in color scheme. The “hair” of this race is a form of horns or head spikes or tuffs that can take hundreds of different forms from fins down the back to horns that curl back around to give bull points.
As for their culture, the Litharian race has been centered around a sort of hunting culture, granted easily by the native wonders on their homeworld of Havatk. A place where a lush jungle over 400 feet high could exist right next to a frozen wasteland. This unpredictable and harsh world shaped the Litharians into tenacious hunters. One who seeks the wildest of game is the bravest of the people, and there is no shortage of game on any world the Litharians colonize. Individual hunts are thought of as great shows of prowess, but not all hunts involve danger. More often than not, friends would spend days in silence, stalking their prey and slowing learning more about each other through body language and silent gestures.
Racial Overview:
Plated and scaled skin
Dense muscle structure, mostly in the legs
Vulnerable to quick temperature changes
Enhanced sense of smell
Breathes: Default
Background: Varus was always an adventurous kid, always climbing trees or hunting something back on his native world. Both of his parents were military and when the third galactic war drew them to the stars, he was made an orphan. Living off his childhood tenacity he grew to a ripe age to join the military himself. His career came easy, his whole life had been either hunting or running and still bothered by the recent deaths of both parents he was determined to rise to any challenge. Basic was a breeze and when he decided to continue up the ranks he was not swayed. As the years went by, he grew into the special operations division of the newly formed Alliance military. His efficiency making him stand out among the rest of his peers. While not as effective at head-on warfare, his stealth and accuracy made him a frightful force. When the special project to form elite teams, he grew up the ranks and was chosen to be Captain of The Argent Dawn.
Personality: Varus has almost a split personality, one is his off duty side. This side would rather joke, drink, and relax in the luxury that is the crew and the Argent Dawn. Casual conversation to skirt actual duty is more than common for this side. That doesn’t mean he is all smiles and sunshine though; Varus has a strict policy of “You don’t mess with me, I don’t mess with you.” Beyond that, his crew is his family. If something were to happen, you’d best believe he’d be the first there to help, defend, or protect them. Then the other side is on duty Varus. This side is almost a polar opposite. He loses all need to talk and often turns into a brutally effective hunter, willing to kill or dispose of any threat or obstacle that stand in the way of the missions objective.
Character Description: Varus is rather fit, even for his kind. His scale color is an ash grey with black and white highlights and inner colors. His eyes are a thick blue that make a good stand out on his face. His “hair” pattern is a set of horns that grow almost straight back from his head about nine inches, making a “pitchfork” like pattern with one in the middle and a slightly curved one on the right and left. Some of the plates on his left side chest and arm have gashes from blades and claws, as well as a hefty gash on the right side of his chest that wraps around from his mid spine to his would be “belly button” if the Litharians had belly buttons. The skin healed, but the chitin plate is slow to heal and could take more than his lifetime to fully hide them.
Proficiencies: -Weapon Training - Snipers
-Weapon Training - Pistols
-Stealth Training
-CQC Training
-Pilot