That actually sounds like an interesting idea if we all have our npc groups. Make things more larger scale. Still whatever ideas we throw in the cauldron I think it's best to have a small/short plot. Something simple enough to keep the RP going.
I also have an interest in the Colonial Period....what RP ideas were thinking? There's plenty of themes/scenarios we can do from defending against native attacks to deep exploration and the such but I dunno what you fancy?