Welcome, arena-goers! This is an old new game called When Nations Collide. Basically it's a wargame RP where two players and their chosen nations duke it out. As such the conditions are quite different from the usual arena match. Few people may remember my previous attempt at this game. And while that one didn't work out due to both of our busy schedules the idea remained.
So without much further ado allow me to introduce our combatants


A technomagical race of ascended beings seeking perfection and the knowledge of the universe. They exist as a single gestalt consciousness free from emotions with the only exception being the Builder.
@Mikellh Dejax
Link: roleplayerguild.com/posts/2352046

VERSUS

The Federation is an alliance of all human nations within the Solar System and beyond. The Federation is extremely advanced and believe there's nothing they cannot solve with technology.
Link: roleplayerguild.com/posts/3419300

Backstory

TBA

Conditions

This is a wargame RP. The circumstances of the war and the size of the forces are all discussed within the OOC. Because of the nature of this game T1 rules do not apply here. Conditions can be discussed before the IC starts. Also since the game is still in the testing phase there's no need for a judge yet. It might change in the future.

@Willy Vereb Alright, I'm here. Do you have ideas how our races start a war? It'd be pretty difficult, since both of our species don't like warmongering, the Star Federation has a military, but only for defense purposes and they dislike war because of the Last Great War (from what I read), and the Congregation and the Builder try to avoid wars as much as possible, seeking only to trade with the rest of the sapient species in the universe. Maybe it starts by accident perhaps?

@Willy Vereb Alright, I'm here. Do you have ideas how our races start a war? It'd be pretty difficult, since both of our species don't like warmongering, the Star Federation has a military, but only for defense purposes and they dislike war because of the Last Great War (from what I read), and the Congregation and the Builder try to avoid wars as much as possible, seeking only to trade with the rest of the sapient species in the universe. Maybe it starts by accident perhaps?

In all likelihood that's what'd happen.
Albeit keep in mind that the Star Federation is corrupt as hell under the surface and their anti-war doctrine is closer to a PR move. Certainly they avoid being associated with things related to the Last Great War but they found plenty of workarounds. Once you peel away their anti-war and friendship crap they are a greedy hyper-capitalist system.
I basically made them as a more realistic foil to the typical sci-fi Federations, in particular the UFP from Star Trek.

I see. How should first contact go about? And should the SF be the ones who actually fire first?

I see. How should first contact go about? And should the SF be the ones who actually fire first?

I think it's more fun if it's left ambiguous.
From general SF point of view you'd be violent invaders who suddenly appeared at our borders and kept murdering humans unprovoked.
From your point of view you made first contact with one of the Starfleet's ships prior which either offended you deeply and/or stole something precious to you.
As such you're out to get back at those people and also to recover whatever was stolen. The rest of the humans are merely in just your way.
How does it sound?

The Congregation doesn't actually have very tangible things that can get stolen, even the hardlight ships either dematerialize after use, or cannot be operated by corporeal species.

What about the Congregation and the Builder arrive at an outer rim colony world and then ask the planet for knowledge and trade, but the SF military freaks out and attacks them first?

The Congregation doesn't actually have very tangible things that can get stolen, even the hardlight ships either dematerialize after use, or cannot be operated by corporeal species.

What about the Congregation and the Builder arrive at an outer rim colony world and then ask the planet for knowledge and trade, but the SF military freaks out and attacks them first?

Like I said, either offend you or steal something.
If you don't think there's anything valuable they just take away (keep in mind their tech can deal with non-corporeals to an extend so taking something borderline conceptual is also plausible) then just assume they did something bad to you otherwise and now those people are hiding somewhere deep within the Federation.

Granted, Starfleet or especially local border patrols panicking and firing at you out of reflex is indeed possible. But I don't feel that'd be even remotely enough to bother you.

<Snipped quote by Mikellh Dejax>Like I said, either offend you or steal something.
If you don't think there's anything valuable they just take away (keep in mind their tech can deal with non-corporeals to an extend so taking something borderline conceptual is also plausible) then just assume they did something bad to you otherwise and now those people are hiding somewhere deep within the Federation.

Granted, Starfleet or especially local border patrols panicking and firing at you out of reflex is indeed possible. But I don't feel that'd be even remotely enough to bother you.

What if they managed to destroy the Builder's suit? It'd be enough to have the Congregation see the SF as a threat, and since they've already tried to use a diplomatic approach and failed, they'd resolve that the only course of action would be war.

<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

What if they managed to destroy the Builder's suit? It'd be enough to have the Congregation see the SF as a threat, and since they've already tried to use a diplomatic approach and failed, they'd resolve that the only course of action would be war.

Can work, especially if the Builder is not there to give a moral/emotional view on things nor to communicate with SF. Thus things get nasty.

Alright cool. The way I see it right now, The Congregation and the Builder come out of slipspace and into SF territory, the Builder tries to create the Xurs (guardianships) to guard the Congregation while they communicate with the Federation, but the SF pick up the hardlight manipulation before the Xurs actually form, with their advanced sensors and fire at the Builder, destroying his suit (though his consciousness is still in tact), The Congregation retreats a few AU away from the planet, recreate the Builder's suit, and comes back to invade the SF's outer rim of planets.

Sound good? :D

@Mikellh DejaxSounds good to me of course.
You can work on your army profile.

BTW, how large of a military force should we muster? Do you want only space battles or also wish to try fighting on planets?

@Mikellh DejaxSounds good to me of course.
You can work on your army profile.

BTW, how large of a military force should we muster? Do you want only space battles or also wish to try fighting on planets?

Let's go with our full military might, so both of us can use our space, sea, air, and ground forces if we have them.

<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

Let's go with our full military might, so both of us can use our space, sea, air, and ground forces if we have them.

Pardon for the delay I am kind of occupied with things so I neglected you without really intending it.
All of them is kind of given. But the point is that such terms are way vague. How large battles you wish to fight?
Technically since starships are so OP you only need a couple of them for almost any job so even when there's a large-scale battle you'd most likely only see dozens of them or so. Albeit there might be lower tier ships operated by the local forces.
Sounds okay with you?

How about ground battles? Federation in general doesn't fight in massed warfare and rather they utilize smaller but well-trained and extremely well equipped soldiers on the surface.
In contrast I suppose you can just spam large armies of those creatures and be fine.

Anyways, for better clarity please write for them a profile in the characters section.
Here's a few examples what I am talking about:
roleplayerguild.com/topics/93165-when-..
roleplayerguild.com/topics/87051-when-..

<Snipped quote by Mikellh Dejax>Pardon for the delay I am kind of occupied with things so I neglected you without really intending it.
All of them is kind of given. But the point is that such terms are way vague. How large battles you wish to fight?
Technically since starships are so OP you only need a couple of them for almost any job so even when there's a large-scale battle you'd most likely only see dozens of them or so. Albeit there might be lower tier ships operated by the local forces.
Sounds okay with you?

How about ground battles? Federation in general doesn't fight in massed warfare and rather they utilize smaller but well-trained and extremely well equipped soldiers on the surface.
In contrast I suppose you can just spam large armies of those creatures and be fine.

Anyways, for better clarity please write for them a profile in the characters section.
Here's a few examples what I am talking about:
roleplayerguild.com/topics/93165-when-..
roleplayerguild.com/topics/87051-when-..

It's no problem.

And I can see the Congregation trying to fight their way to the heart of the Federation, they'll try their best in taking planets from you, so we'll have orbital battles (or deep space battles), and ground battles, though I'm not sure how many planets we'd fight on before ending the war, I guess we'll decide as we go?

And I'll make the CS soon.

I'll let you post IC first.

I'll let you post IC first.

.
How do you like my profile I posted in the character page here?
I have yet to add other spaceships to the list but I expanded on the units a bit. For example adding TOAST to the mix.
Seriously, those things are space fighters/shuttles, atmospheric craft, transport/troop carrier and battle tanks all at once.
Think of it like how technological advancements made it possible to make a tank which both great speed, firepower and mobility all at once thus making obsolete the old light, medium, heavy tank classifications. It's kind of the same expect turned up to eleven.

It's pretty cool also, I can see you like using acronyms a lot XD

From what I've seen of your army, your navy has a flagship class (the Vega), and two corvettes/fighters (the FINDER and TOAST), did I miss anything there?

It's pretty cool also, I can see you like using acronyms a lot XD

From what I've seen of your army, your navy has a flagship class (the Vega), and two corvettes/fighters (the FINDER and TOAST), did I miss anything there?

You may want to read it over.
FINDER is more like small or medium sized drones that fly in the skies usually for scouting or search&destroy missions. There are of course space-capable drones but those are usually called by other acronyms.
TOAST is basically a do it all space shuttle. You may call it a fighter but in general you don't really need dedicated fighters in the Federation to begin with. While Q-Box are less efficient than what they could achieve with actual dedicated weapons it allows such versatility that pretty much the only way to fight a starship to match one of similar power against it. There are room for tactics for sure but in general the formula is simple as that. Massed waves of fighters usually only invite a massacre without doing much to the starship. Again, there are exceptions with the use of good tactics, mind games or abusing technology in unexpected ways but the standard formula makes fighters in the Federation without any use. Besides fighters are another Last Great War term which nobody uses nor anyone designs vehicles with that purpose to avoid negative rep.

<Snipped quote by Mikellh Dejax>You may want to read it over.
FINDER is more like small or medium sized drones that fly in the skies usually for scouting or search&destroy missions. There are of course space-capable drones but those are usually called by other acronyms.
TOAST is basically a do it all space shuttle. You may call it a fighter but in general you don't really need dedicated fighters in the Federation to begin with. While Q-Box are less efficient than what they could achieve with actual dedicated weapons it allows such versatility that pretty much the only way to fight a starship to match one of similar power against it. There are room for tactics for sure but in general the formula is simple as that. Massed waves of fighters usually only invite a massacre without doing much to the starship. Again, there are exceptions with the use of good tactics, mind games or abusing technology in unexpected ways but the standard formula makes fighters in the Federation without any use. Besides fighters are another Last Great War term which nobody uses nor anyone designs vehicles with that purpose to avoid negative rep.

That makes sense. How many Vega's are in their navy?

<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

That makes sense. How many Vega's are in their navy?

I haven't decided yet.
They are developed just a decade or two ago so I figure there's only a limited number of them. Granted, Federation's rate of production and development is crazy compared to our conceptions so as you can expect they are already working on a replacement of the Vega while these ships have yet to fill in the numbers.

As another note the negative stigma of the Last Great War had grown to such extend pretty much mentioning anything war related is like a swear word in the Federation. Especially when associated with someone. The fact alone you have warships and waging war on us is enough to turn the public opinion in Starfleet's favor regardless what we did. Because you're crazy warmongers while Starfleet is apparently better.