Helix Nebula
Three fries short of a happy meal: WHACKO!!
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Astrum: Heavens
It is the not-too-distant future, and many events have been written on the pages of history; Evolution, invention of fire and the first tools, wars, plagues, alliances- Creation and destruction, rise and fall of empires, valiant deeds and atrocious crimes. As chaotic as the books of history may seem at times, through all these events- good and bad -your people have evolved and learned from their pasts. Now, it is time for them to turn a new, blank page as they set out together, on a path to new discoveries, hardships and victories. It is time for them to rise up into the heavens, and enter the final frontier to any civilization.
Space in it's vastness, is truly the 'Final Frontier'; The last unexplored realm, with billions of stars most of which all have unique planets circling around them, in orbit. Some of these planets may be gas giants, some are barren wastelands of ice, molten rock and deserts and others are inhabited by various lifeforms ranging from bacteria to plant- and animal-life - But only a handful have been blessed by evolution, enough to develop intelligent creatures, that over time have each developed into grand societies and civilizations spanning their entire planets. Each of these races are unique, with different physiology, cultures, histories and governments - And yet, they each share one thing: Space. Simply by looking up at night, they can see the plentiful stars of the Milky Way and though they may not know of one another, they are all striving for the same thing: Exploration of this vast, frontier of unknown challenges and nearly infinite possibilities. Though separated by many light years, they are all wondering; "What will we find out there? Will we encounter new races, or prove that we are alone in the Galaxy? Will we meet new friends, or only new enemies and other obstacles to overcome?"
Imagine, if you were given the opportunity to discover the answers to those questions. And if you were, would you do so as the leader of your entire people? Dealing with internal affairs, politics and such, while commanding teams of explorers 'out there' - Investigating nearby planets and star systems, and acting as the voice of your government and nation, if they met new peoples. Or perhaps, you would take a risk and sit in the chair of an Admiral, ready to give the order to spin up your ship's freshly designed Faster-Than-Light -drives, as you plunged yourselves into hyperspace- Ready to face whatever was waiting on the other end; New minerals? Communications with unknown beings, or maybe even a battle with a hostile race?
Astrum, is a Sci-Fi roleplay about exploring the Milky Way, that has both Nation-Building and Character Roleplay. Nation-Players, would have the chance to claim an entire solar system and create their own space-faring civilization there; Their own race, culture, government, history and all the other usual aspects - As well as, their own spacecraft unique to their civilization. Players new and interested in the nation-building genre, but not quite cut out to create an entire nation- Could become Admirals or Commanders of a fleet, and conduct missions, battles and exploration- Either under the banner of a player nation, or then independently as a nomadic culture of people. And 'Character Only' players, could join as diplomats, agents, soldiers or possibly even crew members for nations/fleets, and participate in missions, which would be carried out through traditional roleplaying.
Nations: Nations in Astrum, would play out very much like they do in every other Nation-Builder, except that now each nation could send out and direct missions into unexplored solar systems- Closest to the 'borders' of their civilization. The purpose of these missions could be to simply see what was on the other side of that void, separating one solar system from the next- To investigate other planets and possibly colonize them- To search for new minerals and energy sources or to search for new life in the galaxy. Obviously, diplomacy wouldn't be too big of an aspect until one player met another; But that moment of tension would certainly be interesting, as one fleet jumps into a system and discovers alien ships already there- "Who are they? Should we engage? Will they attack if we prepare for battle, even if only "just in case"?" - Now, there would of course be some form of "interstellar dialect" represented by English for simplicity's sake.. Unless, of course, players themselves decide they want to take the harder route, when making first contact with other players.
As each nation (including some NPCs at some point) expanded their empires, by colonizing new planets, more and more new aspects would be introduced to the gameplay; Interstellar diplomacy, colonial affairs in statecraft and of course; War between civilizations.
Fleets: Fleets in Astrum (I am hoping), would act as a way to introduce some aspects of NBRPs to players new to that genre, by giving them control of a smaller group of people to administer. Statecraft would be replaced by issues, one could encounter on ships- especially if they were on a long journey out in the galaxy, without a place to rest in: Supply shortages, sabotage, engine failures and other minor issues. Fleets and Admirals, also wouldn't have the perhaps, "more difficult" Nation Template to fill out- But rather a familiar character template for their Admiral character, to which a small portion would be added, describing the fleet they were given (also allowing them to customize ship names, crews and other aspects). Roleplaying as an Admiral, would be very different as well, and much more focused on traditional character RPing, without the player having to worry about ordering 'so and so' many troops, or issuing 'this and that' reforms.
The purpose of Fleets owned by a nation, would be to carry out missions given to them by either the nation's player, or the storyteller. These missions would most of the time, be carried out via traditional roleplay, ("Admiral Hudson yawned, as he sat down in the CO's chair, in the middle of the USS Dandelion's bridge. He then looked to his right, "Ensign Barnes, status report"..." etc.) When encountering new civilizations, Fleets would act as sort of "intermediaries" as it most likely, would fall upon the Admiral to choose how to make contact; "Phasers to obliterate" or "Send a data burst"? Of course the player of an Admiral could discuss the "protocol" with the nation's player, but ultimately it was up to them to judge the situation, and make the call.
Nomadic Fleets, that were independent from any nation- Would play out much like normal fleets, except that they would require a little more attention; 'National Fleets' would usually consist of only warships, while Nomads would have both warships as well as civilian ships; Mobile refineries, agricultural plants, floating dry docs and such. Nomadic Fleets could either be peaceful, or then hostile space pirates, raiding planets and attacking alien ships for supplies and resources. They wouldn't have a single stationary home (unless they chose to settle a planet, becoming Nations) and instead would be able to move across the Galaxy Map, from one sector to another.
Others: Players not interested in either nations or fleets- Could also join up as diplomats, agents, soldiers and other minor characters (even crew members for fleets). They could then participate in various threads, depending on their character's professions and such; Diplomats would handle diplomacy and soldiers could play out exploratory missions to new planets.
Requirements
Oh, and it's a definite bonus if you have a love for Sci-Fi or the possibility to explore a mostly unknown Galaxy!
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Astrum: Heavens
The Setting
It is the not-too-distant future, and many events have been written on the pages of history; Evolution, invention of fire and the first tools, wars, plagues, alliances- Creation and destruction, rise and fall of empires, valiant deeds and atrocious crimes. As chaotic as the books of history may seem at times, through all these events- good and bad -your people have evolved and learned from their pasts. Now, it is time for them to turn a new, blank page as they set out together, on a path to new discoveries, hardships and victories. It is time for them to rise up into the heavens, and enter the final frontier to any civilization.
Space in it's vastness, is truly the 'Final Frontier'; The last unexplored realm, with billions of stars most of which all have unique planets circling around them, in orbit. Some of these planets may be gas giants, some are barren wastelands of ice, molten rock and deserts and others are inhabited by various lifeforms ranging from bacteria to plant- and animal-life - But only a handful have been blessed by evolution, enough to develop intelligent creatures, that over time have each developed into grand societies and civilizations spanning their entire planets. Each of these races are unique, with different physiology, cultures, histories and governments - And yet, they each share one thing: Space. Simply by looking up at night, they can see the plentiful stars of the Milky Way and though they may not know of one another, they are all striving for the same thing: Exploration of this vast, frontier of unknown challenges and nearly infinite possibilities. Though separated by many light years, they are all wondering; "What will we find out there? Will we encounter new races, or prove that we are alone in the Galaxy? Will we meet new friends, or only new enemies and other obstacles to overcome?"
Imagine, if you were given the opportunity to discover the answers to those questions. And if you were, would you do so as the leader of your entire people? Dealing with internal affairs, politics and such, while commanding teams of explorers 'out there' - Investigating nearby planets and star systems, and acting as the voice of your government and nation, if they met new peoples. Or perhaps, you would take a risk and sit in the chair of an Admiral, ready to give the order to spin up your ship's freshly designed Faster-Than-Light -drives, as you plunged yourselves into hyperspace- Ready to face whatever was waiting on the other end; New minerals? Communications with unknown beings, or maybe even a battle with a hostile race?
The Gameplay
Astrum, is a Sci-Fi roleplay about exploring the Milky Way, that has both Nation-Building and Character Roleplay. Nation-Players, would have the chance to claim an entire solar system and create their own space-faring civilization there; Their own race, culture, government, history and all the other usual aspects - As well as, their own spacecraft unique to their civilization. Players new and interested in the nation-building genre, but not quite cut out to create an entire nation- Could become Admirals or Commanders of a fleet, and conduct missions, battles and exploration- Either under the banner of a player nation, or then independently as a nomadic culture of people. And 'Character Only' players, could join as diplomats, agents, soldiers or possibly even crew members for nations/fleets, and participate in missions, which would be carried out through traditional roleplaying.
Nations: Nations in Astrum, would play out very much like they do in every other Nation-Builder, except that now each nation could send out and direct missions into unexplored solar systems- Closest to the 'borders' of their civilization. The purpose of these missions could be to simply see what was on the other side of that void, separating one solar system from the next- To investigate other planets and possibly colonize them- To search for new minerals and energy sources or to search for new life in the galaxy. Obviously, diplomacy wouldn't be too big of an aspect until one player met another; But that moment of tension would certainly be interesting, as one fleet jumps into a system and discovers alien ships already there- "Who are they? Should we engage? Will they attack if we prepare for battle, even if only "just in case"?" - Now, there would of course be some form of "interstellar dialect" represented by English for simplicity's sake.. Unless, of course, players themselves decide they want to take the harder route, when making first contact with other players.
As each nation (including some NPCs at some point) expanded their empires, by colonizing new planets, more and more new aspects would be introduced to the gameplay; Interstellar diplomacy, colonial affairs in statecraft and of course; War between civilizations.
Fleets: Fleets in Astrum (I am hoping), would act as a way to introduce some aspects of NBRPs to players new to that genre, by giving them control of a smaller group of people to administer. Statecraft would be replaced by issues, one could encounter on ships- especially if they were on a long journey out in the galaxy, without a place to rest in: Supply shortages, sabotage, engine failures and other minor issues. Fleets and Admirals, also wouldn't have the perhaps, "more difficult" Nation Template to fill out- But rather a familiar character template for their Admiral character, to which a small portion would be added, describing the fleet they were given (also allowing them to customize ship names, crews and other aspects). Roleplaying as an Admiral, would be very different as well, and much more focused on traditional character RPing, without the player having to worry about ordering 'so and so' many troops, or issuing 'this and that' reforms.
The purpose of Fleets owned by a nation, would be to carry out missions given to them by either the nation's player, or the storyteller. These missions would most of the time, be carried out via traditional roleplay, ("Admiral Hudson yawned, as he sat down in the CO's chair, in the middle of the USS Dandelion's bridge. He then looked to his right, "Ensign Barnes, status report"..." etc.) When encountering new civilizations, Fleets would act as sort of "intermediaries" as it most likely, would fall upon the Admiral to choose how to make contact; "Phasers to obliterate" or "Send a data burst"? Of course the player of an Admiral could discuss the "protocol" with the nation's player, but ultimately it was up to them to judge the situation, and make the call.
Nomadic Fleets, that were independent from any nation- Would play out much like normal fleets, except that they would require a little more attention; 'National Fleets' would usually consist of only warships, while Nomads would have both warships as well as civilian ships; Mobile refineries, agricultural plants, floating dry docs and such. Nomadic Fleets could either be peaceful, or then hostile space pirates, raiding planets and attacking alien ships for supplies and resources. They wouldn't have a single stationary home (unless they chose to settle a planet, becoming Nations) and instead would be able to move across the Galaxy Map, from one sector to another.
Others: Players not interested in either nations or fleets- Could also join up as diplomats, agents, soldiers and other minor characters (even crew members for fleets). They could then participate in various threads, depending on their character's professions and such; Diplomats would handle diplomacy and soldiers could play out exploratory missions to new planets.
Requirements
- Imagination for one, and open mindedness. Some things you'd discover in the galaxy might seem "unrealistic" or "impossible" but let's face it- How do you know? Have you been outside the Sol system? An open mind with at least a hint of imagination, is definitely a good thing to have if one is joining Astrum.
- The ability to write out a basic character profile; If written well, I can approve profiles with just one paragraph of history (Nations will most likely require a minimum of two).
- Patience; Not all things will happen instantly! 1,000 Soldiers won't magically appear in your army bases by the snap of your fingers. Now, I'm not saying things will take months and months and years of real time, but I am saying that you shouldn't expect to be King (or Queen) of the Universe, in two days! (Besides, nothing worth having comes easy!)
- Willing to accept defeat, let's face it- Everyone can't win all the time, otherwise what would be the point of a challenging battle, or a catastrophic event in statecraft? Some things in Astrum will be hard, some challenges you can overcome, but there will be those that are out of your league - However, if you lose, don't come screaming and yelling at me; Instead dust it off and learn from your mistakes/experience, so that next time you'll be ready!
- Common sense, at least during the times it is needed the most.
Oh, and it's a definite bonus if you have a love for Sci-Fi or the possibility to explore a mostly unknown Galaxy!
- Heh, "Sapient Trees" just makes me imagine an Ent in a spaceship, that looks like a giant flying tree. Didn't even think of beings like the Delvians (mostly because I didn't know about them- Haven't watched Farscape) but that'd definitely be a viable (and quite interesting) possibility. :eek:
... Yes, I've seen the original trilogy several times- But I didn't know squat about Prometheus' plot as I've (yet) not seen it myself. I only know what (very) little I've read and heard when I had a quick glance at a review!