I was thinking about antimatter some more, and combined with how "squishy" the science is in many of these franchises *coughStargatecough*, I think a couple of guideline is in order. The first being - fights will be narratively-decided, not physics number-crunching. If you're going up against a single enemy frigate - say, an Al'Kesh - with a fleet, then you'll probably win, no problem. If you're going up against a named bad guy, then you should probably be in peril at least once, unless I've RP'd the bad guy that... badly. If your fleet is up against another fleet, then the outcome should legitimately be in question.
Unless, of course, you've taken the time to narratively establish why your ships have been put into a position of superiority. If there isn't evidence in the RP that would explain why your ships can dominate enemy ships in a particular context, then you should have to work for it.
Of course, at the beginning, when nobody knows anyone else's capabilities and adapted for them, you'll be able to exploit the element of surprise... and have it exploited on you.
Below is a list of everyone who's responded to the interest checks or this thread, just for my own organizational needs. If you aren't on this list, I don't know you exist, and you should speak up!
I've been working on the first IC post; it should go up on Wednesday, May 16th. If your sheet isn't ready by then, don't worry, you can finish up after the 15th. However,
I would like all sheets to be finished on Friday, May 18th, at the latest.
Working on Sheet: Burning Kitty - Star Trek - Obviously and definitively not asassains Dnafein - Babylon 5 - White Star eemmtt - n/a - n/a Lmpkio - Godzilla? Star Wars? OC? - n/a Flamelord - n/a - Probably not a capship?
There's a lot of antimatter missiles floating about, which is interesting. I guess a lot of sci-fi series use them.
@Queen Raidne OK I will think of some, but I figured it being unarmed except for escort craft was a significant disadvantage.
...true. I hadn't thought of that. Okay then, your sheet is good in theory, except I notice you haven't filled out the crew section yet. @Mataus Looks great! Go ahead and post that in the characters section.
You know which ships I've never seen in one of these? Things from Freelancer. Or Elite. @MatausI love that image. I've added it to the first post. @CaptainSully Not as-is, no.
To quote a answer from Quora:
Warhammer revels in its absurdity. It is something of an agreement that everything about Warhammer 40K is over the top, excessive and all-round gratuitous. It is a universe where shit like planet-cracking or engulfing entire solar systems in demonic energy is considered standard fare.
My counter-question is: what do you want from W40K? Fanatical spess marines? WAAAGGHH!!? The Warp drive? Figure that out, and then I can see a few options. You could make a suspiciously-similar OC universe without all of the ridiculously powerful weaponry and hordes of soldiers and uber survivability, but retains the thing you want. You could severely limit your ship choice - it's actively falling apart, or there's only a literal handful of people that arrive - whithout changing lore. Or, you could do something weird, like, it's W40K, except scaled to the size of the tabletop miniatures.
TL;DR: It'd be much easier to do something else, but I'm a sucker for W40K lore. Especially the narrative possibilities of the Warp. @Thecrash20 Accepted! Go ahead and post your sheet in the Characters tab. @Sophrus That looks pretty reasonable, so far. I would recommend giving your ship a couple of disadvantages, though, as it's fairly large.
I just realized I'd never included a description field, so I updated that.
@Lmpkio I had no idea that God of War was so damn well-acted!
1) I've claimed Emperor Palpatine. An Emperor Palpatine? Whichever. Please don't use Palpatine. Beyond him, I'd rather players weren't in league with the enemy, at least not yet. It's open world, but games like this tend to fall apart a bit when you split the party.
2) OC's are absolutely welcome!
3) Don't break the game, and try not to make other players redundant. I put some general guidelines in "How to Apply: 0. A note on power balance"; best practice: if you feel like something might be overpowered, balance it out with a disadvantage.
In a past life, I participated in a similar RP that died because someone started arguing vehemently against the feasibility of transforming mechs vs role-specialized fighters. It's not a winnable argument from either position. Anyway, to avoid a repeat of that debacle, I'm going to say, ahead of time, mechs are jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. Can a mech mount missiles and also attach itself to something to use a giant sword? Yes. Will the mech carry as many missiles of the same caliber when compared to a dedicated missile fighter? No.
TL;DR: sure, mechs can be a thing, but they won't be as good at any individual task as a dedicated fighter
Useless fluff is definitely optional. Everything is optional except for the section labeled "REQUIRED:"
Role is exactly that.
Yep - the individual character sheets are shorter since you also have to fill out an entire ship's sheet. Don't let that limit you if you'd like to add more detail, though.
To respond to your question (drat, a double post, already!), I don't have a conceptual problem with multiple-universe crews, but... how?! I also warn you against making the ability to travel "home" too easily-achieved. I think that might break the game.
@NanoFreakV2 Why, what did you have in mind? I'm not strictly opposed, but I would like to limit the number of ships per player due to concerns about balance and workload. If you want to have, like, six space shuttles or something, I guess that's fine?
As for tech disparity, the guidelines are: don't break the game, and don't make other players useless. One of the fun tropes of this genre, however, is combining unlike techs, so I don't want everyone to have the exact same stuff. That'd be like a party of only fighters in Dungeons and Dragons.
@Sophrus See the second paragraph of my reply to NanoFreak. Difficulty dealing with/overcoming technological barriers is part of the game.
@Thecrash20 Bioships are fine with me. Just don't break the game or render other players useless. I prefer under 1km for ship size, but it's a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule.
"Oma, I am not from your universe, therefore, your rules do not apply." "I've kept your existence from the Others, and I will continue to do so as long as you remain quiet. Once you act, however-" "I'll only need one action. Well. Several, depending on your view of relative trans-universal simultaneity. Different paradigms have different answers." "I won't be able to protect you anymore, Janus." "Ascended or not, I was never really one for following rules."
A series of bright white flashes resolved into the outline of ships foreign to this universe. Janus had carefully selected each to alter the path the galaxy was traveling down. Together, the crews of the motley collection of ships could ensure victory against the Goa'uld and their partially-ascended leader. Separately, each ship represented a high degree of potential change and a collection of free wills and strange philosophies.
Lightyears away, a massive, partially-reconstructed mothership traveled en route to the point of emergence. Anubis settled contentedly into his throne - Oma was hardly as stealthy as she'd thought she was, and Anubis had taken advantage of Janus's interdimensional rifts to drag a prize into this universe. A fraction of a moment later - nearly simultaneous with Janus's interdimensional rifts - a final white flash appeared, smaller than the others. From it emerged a gray, three-finned shuttle with a slanted cockpit. Beneath the forward window, in black paint, lay the Imperial crest.
What is This?
Pick a spaceship, any spaceship. Now imagine it and its crew dropped into the Stargate verse, surrounded by fellow ships plucked from the multiverse. What happens when a cylon basestar, a CR90 corvette, a Donnager-class battleship, a Geth dreadnought, and a Galaxy-class starship meet? What about when they, shortly thereafter, encounter a new Goa'uld mothership?
You will be roleplaying the crew of a spaceship in a "party" of spaceships. You will navigate the Stargate verse, changing the timeline for better or worse. This will be run fairly open-world - the party can go wherever in the universe, but Anubis will be actively exploiting the situation for his own evil ends!
Co-GM: NanoFreakV2
How to Apply:
0. A note on power balance:
People want their ships to feel necessary, but limited. Other people want their ships to have maximum effectiveness and utility. These two types of players are not immediately compatible - so, know which type you are, and acknowledge that the other type exists. For instance: is there a way to let your ship make a bad choice that's in character yet allows another ship to shine? Or, is there a way to maximize the effectiveness of the fleet via the actions of your ship alone - aka, buffing?
Series are set in wildly different eras and contexts. This leads to a disparity between, say, W40k (with planet glassing) and The Expanse (which doesn't even have an FTL drive). Please follow these guidelines when considering which ship to choose:
Try not to break the game. The game is only fun if Anubis is still a threat. Techs that instantly neutralize him would be a problem. That's not to say that Anubis won't adapt to new and exciting technologies, but it's a bit pointless if your infinite improbability drive turns him into a whale and a pot of petunias on post two.
Be aware of your ship's power relative to players. If your ship is more powerful, take disadvantages, like low fuel, broken parts, insufficient crew, mass amnesia, etc. If it's less powerful, expect to be forced to ally with someone very quickly.
These are untested, and therefore subject to change. Additionally, if you think of an equivalent disadvantage, go for it.
For every advantage (+), take a disadvantage (-) of equal strength: Strength 1: +Size more than 1km +Psychics +Intergalactic FTL -Personnel shortages -Low resources (fuel, ammo, etc) -Crew exhaustion
Strength 3: +Planet-destroying tech -Ship is actively falling apart
1. Fill out this character/ship sheet!
The point of this sheet is two-fold: 1) to act as a quick reference for yourself and other players when we're in the middle of the rp and forget what the other players' ships/characters are. 2) let me or the co-gm decide whether your ship/crew will fit in the game without breaking it (or, equivalently, without breaking everyone's fun). The point is, outside of the required categories,
I've also included a "fluff" category to give some ideas for what sort of situation your crew might find themselves in. The sooner the party is in helpful contact, the better. Don't feel compelled to use all the fluff options.
REQUIRED: Name of Ship: Imperial Shuttle Home Universe/Name of Franchise: Star Wars Role: Transport Physical Description/Image:
Physical Size (roughly): 20m/the size of a yacht Armament/Complement (roughly): Forward-facing laser cannons (4), one rear-facing lasercannon History of the Ship: Commissioned as Emperor Palpatine's personal shuttle, the one distinguishing feature of the ship from its mass-produced brethren is a gray stripe down the nose. Notable Crew:
Crew Name: Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious Crew Role: Passenger Crew Description: A powerful sith lord skilled in the art of manipulation and use of the Force who serves as the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He is obsessed with finding power, weilding power, and controlling power; he's particularly good at controlling power. Rather old.
Crew Name: Captain Jo Bonma Crew Role: Pilot Crew Description: A "lucky" Captain of the Imperial Navy who landed the job of personal pilot to the Emperor. He's shockingly short for the Empire, and regrets not taking part in the politics that came with his rank - otherwise, he might be anywhere else, with a hope of promotion.
Optional, but helpful: Unique Technology: Hyperdrive - Hurls ship into hyperspace to go FTL Laser Cannons - Big ol' laser guns, but not particularly powerful, easily-aimed, or really useful beyond as an emergency weapon Force User - space magic! Primarily telepathic and telekinetic powers Crew Size: Normally: 6 Crew, consisting of two pilots, a gunner, a flight engineer, and two mechanics; 6 elite honor guard, 1 emperor However, in this instance: 4 crew - two pilots and two mechanics, 1 emperor Class: Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Faction/Operator/Owner: The Galactic Empire
Completely useless, but fun, fluff Last meal served: None Last mechanical failure: Top navlight would not turn on Fuel reserves (roughly): 80% Motto: None Weird error that's always just unimportant enough to never fix: The ramp judders as it lowers Last Shore Leave Incident: One of the former pilots was late in reporting back to the ship. Last two crewmembers romantically involved: None Last two crewmembers to get in a fight: A late pilot and the Emperor. It didn't end well for the pilot. Alcohol reserves (or local equivalent): A flask hidden behind a maintenence panel, and a fully-stocked dry bar. Major religion: None, unless you count Sithness Last incident of racial tension: None Power behind the Captain: Emperor Palpatine calls the shots, no matter the formal precedent of Captain Bonma Captain's rival: Emperor Palpatine - although this "rivalry" is far bigger in Captain Bonma's head than Palpatine's Snark reserves (roughly): 0. There is no snarkiness aboard the Emperor's shuttle. History concerning the existence of AI: Droids are sentient, and have been so for a very long time. Culture regarding the existence of aliens: Aliens are everywhere and are no big deal Last horror movie trope experienced: Jump Scare, as the Emperor unexpectedly caught the former pilot drinking from a former second flask. Crew jumpiness from 1-10, with 1 being a beach vacation and 10 being any part of the movie Alien right before it attacks:
REQUIRED: Name of Ship: Home Universe/Name of Franchise: Role: Physical Description/Image: Physical Size (roughly): Armament/Complement (roughly): History of the Ship: Notable Crew:
Crew Name: Crew Role: Crew Description:
Optional, but helpful: Unique Technology: Crew Size: Class: Faction/Operator/Owner:
Last meal served: Last mechanical failure: Fuel reserves (roughly): Motto: Weird error that's always just unimportant enough to never fix: Last Shore Leave Incident: Last two crewmembers romantically involved: Last two crewmembers to get in a fight: Alcohol reserves (or local equivalent): Major religion: Last incident of racial tension: Power behind the Captain: Captain's rival: Snark reserves (roughly): History concerning the existence of AI: Culture regarding the existence of aliens: Last horror movie trope experienced: Crew jumpiness from 1-10, with 1 being a beach vacation and 10 being any part of the movie Alien right before it attacks:
Where: -This is set in the Milky Way galaxy. Millions of years ago, a precursor race known as the Ancients did some things, leaving behind technological ruins, like the stargates. 10,000 years ago, the Goa'uld discovered humans on Earth and kidnapped people through the gate network to serve as hosts and slaves. 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians rebelled, threw off the Goa'uld Ra, and buried Earth's stargate, sealing the planet off from the galaxy.
When: -The year 2004 CE. That's season 7 of Stargate SG-1 and just before Stargate Atlantis, for those who care.
What: -Stargates are 6.7m wide rings that can establish wormholes between each other, allowing practically instant transport between planets. -Hyperdrives allow travel between star systems for sufficiently advanced aliens. -Naquadah: Highly-conductive mineral with high potential energy. The unobtanium necessary for much of the advanced technology in the galaxy.
Who: -Tau'ri: People of Earth. Earth is in the dark about the existence of aliens or the Stargate program, which is run in secret by the United States government. The program is overseen by the International Oversight Advisory, consisting of Great Britain, France, Russia, USA, and China. They possess one interstellar ship, the Prometheus, with another under construction. -Goa'uld: Evil mind-controlling snake-shaped parasites. Possession allows rapid healing, glowy eyes, a deep voice, and control of naquadah-based technology. They use stolen technology to pose as gods and control massive slave empires.
-Anubis: Current "emperor" of the Goa'uld "empire". Really just the currently-most-powerful amongst the many System Lords constantly vying for control. Pissed off at Earth, but has bigger problems to deal with for now. Partially-ascended due to the interference of Oma Desala.
-Ba'al: Leads the United Alliance of the System Lords - a fragile coalition of System Lords who oppose Anubis. Ba'al was responsible (along with the Tau'ri) for knocking Anubis down a notch, thus creating the power vacuum which Ba'al now occupies. For now.
-Ancients: Precursor civilization that (after some shuffling between galaxies) eventually ascended to a higher plane of existence and live as powerful, omniscient, energy beings. They have a rule that no ascended being should interfere with the lower planes. Their governing body, as much as they have one, is known as "the Others".
-Oma Desala: An ancient who walks the line of noninterference. Generally, she tries to help worthy individuals ascend, which backfired when Anubis tricked her. -Janus: An ancient from an alternate universe. Something of a defiant tinkerer, he has created time travel and an alternate-universe-traveling "Quantum Mirror", much to the consternation of the Others. He's escaped his universe and now wants to try and "fix" this one.
-Tok'Ra: A branch of the Goa'uld that aren't evil, and rather than take over their hosts, they blend with them, allowing each personality to take control whenever they wish. With limited numbers and long lifespans, they plot, spy, and sabotage over a period of hundreds of years, hoping to destroy the Goa'uld. Reluctantly allied with the Tau'ri -Asgard: Little grey aliens with impressive intellect forced to clone themselves due to unstable genetic modification. While their technology is far superior to the Goa'uld - whom they have protected several Milky Way planets against - the Asgard are busy fighting a massive war in their home galaxy. Allied with the Tau'ri. -Jaffa Rebellion: The Jaffa are humans modified to incubate the Goa'uld young. They have superior health in exchange for total dependence on Goa'uld larva, although, being slaves, the Jaffa never really had a choice. However, the chaos caused by the Tau'ri has enabled pockets of Jaffa to exist free of their masters.
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