[center][h1]LORDS OF THE STARS[/h1] [img]http://orig15.deviantart.net/9e1f/f/2016/265/3/5/legend_of_galactic_heroes_by_hideyoshi-daihpha.jpg[/img] ℑ𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔶𝔢𝔞𝔯 5147, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔛𝔙𝔱𝔥 𝔜𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℑ𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔩 ℭ𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔞𝔯, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 230𝔱𝔥 𝔜𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔎𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 𝔈𝔯𝔞. [/center] One may say that Human history is war history. From the beginning of time, it was war which became the driving factor of the moulding of Human civilisation and the catalyst for progress. Even in the Sixth Millennium, war undisputedly remains a fact, and pacifism a mere unachievable ideal. When John Bellhouse rose in revolution more than a hundred years ago, it was believed that his little rebellion against the United Democratic Socialist Nations would last no more than a month. However, that little rebellion turned into a war between two superpowers. The Imperial Dominions and the UDSN, locked together in a bitter 115-year-long war against one another. The Imperial Dominion's territory spans from the Segmentum Solis, including the Sol System and stars 20 lightyears from Sol, to the ends of the Orion Arm; while the UDSN spans the Perseus and Sagittarius Arm. The Dominion remains a pragmatic meritocratic state ruled by a dynasty begun by Bellhouse, and the Internationale as a near-anarchic democratic state held together by the government and saved from itself by the peoples' general disregard about the corrupt system of governance. They were too busy enjoying their lives until the threat of the Dominion came. The democratic peoples, however, were awakened when Bellhouse, in his first year as Imperator, began his rapid and grand reconquest of the stars. This roused billions to arms. Since the beginning of year 114 of this new era, the Dominion has acquired a further 8 star systems from the Internationale. After a few months of Imperial rest and two months of relative peacefulness, the Internationale has declared a liberation campaign, believing the Dominion to be incapable of riposting. Months of careful planning followed, and the attack began, but even the Dominion expected some sort of trick. They, too, were prepared. It was said that conflict brings out the best in oneself. Indeed, it is true; the war has seen the rise and fall of many famous heroes. However, to see two stars pop up in a single era is rare, much less dozens. The esteemed Imperial Duke Charles of the Imperial Dominions, son of the Imperator, was appointed to lead the defence and subsequent counterattack of the Galactic South of the Orion Arm, and the venerable Democratic General William Cronus was elected to lead the attack from the Perseus Arm to the Imperial Segmentum Ceres, the Dominion's area of least resistance, where they outnumber the opposition 35:10. Two of the age's many great minds, clashing against one another in a great mind game with lives and fates of entire nations at stake. The initial sweep by Cronus' forces swept through five Segmentum Ceres planets with ease, for the planets had been abandoned by the military. These became their forward operating base, but Cronus himself saw through the obvious trap. It was a scorched earth strategy on the enemy's part, and they were overextending their supply lines. However, there was one more bustling system under the command of the Dominion just nearby with Imperial forces simply named Star System-056, which had one civilised planet and a further three agri-planets. Cronus, then, sent his officers to deal with the enemy and secure for them a stable supply depot capable of feeding all 35 million soldiers of the Cronus Theatre. The opening phase of the attack involved three thousand Internationale warships; two thousand cruisers, five hundred destroyers, two hundred battleships, and three hundred frigates. This, compared to the two hundred battleships, five hundred cruisers, and four hundred frigates of the Dominion, would have certainly spelled the doom of the Imperials. Yet, this was not to be. The first assault of the Internationale ended in failure with little losses to the Dominion. Little did they know that Duke Charles' cousin, the esteemed Black Duke Ravel, was the commander of the navy in SS-056, strictly ordered to defend. Cronus would have to either encircle SS-056, or defeat the garrison. The latter was proven to be impossible; almost half of the fleet Cronus sent was wiped out and forced to retreat. They had to resort to encircle SS-056. He had already taken control of five systems, all of which were barren with the scorched earth policy the Imperial troops had seemingly begun. The sixth system, however, was far off, but he had no choice. He would either face mutiny, or his soldiers would starve to death. The sixth system, SS-059, had one world: Agri-558, and as the name suggested, Agri-558 was a rich agricultural world with only minimal Imperial military presence. Hungry for both food and action Cronus' fleet charged without considering their superiors' warnings, over-stretching their lines, and nearly unprepared. Two million soldiers all in all charged into the planet, but luckily, before that, Cronus placed the esteemed 57th Mechanised Army at its vanguard. The hundred-thousand-man garrison at the planet was repelled and forced to escape. A massive feast began in celebration, with the citizens of Agri-558 treating the soldiers well. That was until midnight, when the citizens revealed to their guests that they were loyalists. By then, two hundred thousand Democratic soldiers were slaughtered in their beds by their hosts. They attempted to quell the rebellion, but they were too late. The supply and communication lines had been cut by the time the suppression campaign began. Cronus' gut was correct; this was a trap. A bombing campaign by the Imperial Navy and Aeronautic Branch soon followed. Two days later, the Imperial vanguard arrived, occupying unoccupied land and setting up its forward operating bases on the Eastern Hemisphere. At the Imperial Vanguard were the renowned 7000-man Legions VIII: the Palatine Guard of the Holy Temple in New Jerusalem, simply known as the Palatinus, IX: Dies Irae, and XX: Filii Nemeseos, and behind it followed Army Group A. The fate of the Dominion and the Internationale invasion force hangs in the balance. This campaign, now dubbed the Battle of Segmentum Ceres, could spell the end of the Internationale's dreams of liberating its lost colonies, or it could spell the end for the Dominion's dreams of spreading its rule to all the peoples of the galaxy. [hr] [h1][center]ORDER OF BATTLE[/center][/h1] [h2]DOMINION[/h2] The Imperial Milites; brave, proud, and incredibly disciplined. Honourable, but vastly inferior in numbers. However, their inferiority in number is made up by their technological superiority. [hider=CERES FRONT, GROUND FORCES] [list] [*]ARMY GROUPS A-J (9,000,000 Troops) [list] NOTABLE UNITS: [*]10th Tank Army (AG A): Known for punching holes in enemy lines and breaking through, exploiting the penetration points with great efficiency. [list] [*]7th Tank Division "Grey Lancers" (AG A): Despite being the 7th division, it is the most prominent for penetrating the deepest through enemy lines, notorious for over-stretching their supply lines and penetrating through 200 miles of ground in a single day. [/list] [*]1st Armoured Grenadier Division "Iron Vanguard" (AG B): A division notorious for its ferocity in battle, using tanks assisted by heavy motorised infantry to overwhelm or outmanoeuvre their opponents. [*]15th Motorised Infantry Division "Winged Hussars" (AG B): A motorised infantry division known for its bravery and unflinching obedience to Imperial High Command. [*]10th Storm Trooper Division (AG C): A storm trooper division known for its shock and awe and shock trooper tactics. In a previous campaign, it singlehandedly surrounded and made an entire Internationale army capitulate by itself. [*]12th Imperial Knights Legion "Teutonic Knights" (AG D): A Knight Legion feared for its usage of Imperial Rooks, as well as its strict discipline, with the Legion being able to deploy and retreat in a few moments without disorder breaking out amongst the ranks. [*]8th Engineer Corps (AG J): Known for their bravery in constructing much needed fortifications under fire, as well as destroying entire structures with high-yield explosives. [*]7th Cavalry Division "Black Hussars" (AG J): A renowned cavalry division known for its feigns. Outside Imperial Records, it is virtually unknown. [*]Orbital Drop Corps (Basically ODST): Formerly a subgroup of the Storm Troopers, the ODC has become its own separate unit with its own special doctrine of dropping in the middle of a fight or behind enemy lines in near-indestructible dropships. [/list] [*]VIII LEGION "Palatinus" (7000): A monastic order of Legionnaires formed and enhanced in the Grand Temple itself, sworn in to protect and conquer for the Dominion at all costs, known for its sheer precision in strategy and skill in combat. [*]IX LEGION "Dies Irae" (7000): A monastic order of Legionnaires known for its use of heavy artillery and bombardments, as well as scare tactics and psychological warfare. [*]XX LEGION "Filii Nemeseos" (7000): A monastic order of Legionnaires known for being ghostlike and inescapable, sometimes destroying entire enemy divisions before they even knew it. It is exceptionally well-known for the fury the Legionnaires show in combat. [list] [*]Ironclad Cohorts [*]Armoured Cohorts [*]Motorised Cohorts [*]Basic Battle Cohorts [/list] [*]ARMY GROUP RAVEL (1,000,000 Troops) [*]WHITE ARMY LIBERATION FRONT & PARTISANS (1,000,000 Volunteers): Internationale citizens and soldiers who defected to the Dominion. [/list] [/hider] [hider=CERES FRONT, NAVY & AERONAUTICA] [list] [*]WARFLEET RAVEL (1100 Ships, 1000 Spatial Fighters) [list] [*]200 Battleships [*]500 Cruisers [*]400 Frigates [/list] [*]WARFLEET CHARLEMAGNE (2303 Ships, 10000 Spatial Fighters) [list] [*]800 Battleships [*]1000 Cruisers [*]300 Frigates [*]200 Destroyers [*]3 Carriers [/list] [*]11th Commando Flotilla "Undecimus" (3000 Spacecraft, 12000 Commandos) [list] [*]500 Torpedo Ships [*]1500 Speedships [*]500 Mini-cruisers [/list] [*]CERES LEGIO AERONAUTICUS (20,000 Aircraft) [/list] [/hider] [h2]INTERNATIONALE[/h2] [i] Numerous, but not entirely comprised of the most self-controlled individuals. They are a brave bunch, but their weapons and vehicles, so overly massed-produced, are crude, but reliable enough. [/i] [hider=CRONUS THEATRE, GROUND FORCES] [list] [*]RED FRONTS(35,000,000 Troops) [list] NOTABLE UNITS: [*]57th Mechanised Army (100,000 Troops): The most renowned troops in the entire Theatre, the 57th is made of the toughest and quickest soldiers, with technology made to rival even the Legions. They are also known as the 'Heroes of Varkova' for repelling the Imperial invasion of Varkova in the year 5140 before being reduced to a mere division after the planet was eventually surrounded and scorched. However, they have since recovered. [*]8th Red Guard Rifle Division: A division not well known at first, but notable for capturing the central city of a heavily-guarded Imperial Planet by itself. [*]29th Tank Corps: A tank corps known for defeating three Imperial Tank Divisions singlehandedly with the sheer amount of tanks they had, encircling and cutting off the enemy ferociously. [*]1st-5th Mechanised Cavalry Corps [*]3rd Artillery Division [*]2nd Cavalry Corps [*]50th Armoured Walker Corps [*]20th Special Aviation Corps [/list] [*]PARTISANS (500,000 Troops) [/list][/hider] [hider=CRONUS THEATRE, NAVY AND AIR FORCE] [list] [*]3rd INCURSION FLEET (1550 Ships, 50 Spatial Fighters) [list] [*]1200 Cruisers [*]250 Destroyers [*]300 Battleships [/list] [*]CRONUS ADMIRALTY FLEET (5000 Ships, 15000 Spatial Fighters) [list] [*]2500 Cruisers [*]1000 Destroyers [*]1480 Battleships [*]20 Carriers [/list] [*]3rd AIR DIVISION (20,000 Aircraft) [/list] [/hider] [hr] Welcome to the Lords of the Stars. Here, you will be able to play either of the following roles: a military commander, or a regular soldier. You may play in either side of the faction. Here, the great minds of the age, Duke Charles and General Cronus, face off against one another, as the Internationale attempts to push through the Imperial point of least resistance with a massive Theatre of 35 million men. This point of least resistance is the point between the Perseus Arm and the Orion Arm called the Segmentum Ceres, made up mainly of seven stars, five of which are barren and under Internationale control. Of course, before each operation is undertaken, there must always be a planning stage, followed by the action stage. As in real warfare, entire armies may be defeated without any bloodshed. The character sheet draft will come if there is enough interest shown in this RP, along with a more detailed explanation of terrain. [center][h1]MILITARY ROLES[/h1][/center] [h2]Roles in the Ceres Front[/h2] [hider] [i]Despite being the weakest-guarded Segmentum in Imperial space, having only 10,000,000 soldiers in active duty, the men of the Ceres Front are one of the best-armed, fiercest, and most disciplined fronts in Imperial records. Though it is guarded only by 21,000 men from the elite Imperial Legions, they still prove to be a more-than-capable fighting force, fighting to keep the Dominion safe, and fighting to expand Imperial borders.[/i] [u]Staff Officers[/u] The staff officer is the strategist or the tactician, not very adept at fighting, and usually staying behind the frontline in safe camps, or staying in their flagships, planning for the next stroke. [Note: only colonels may [u]Commissars[/u] The commissar is the field officer, usually in charge of tactics instead of grand strategies. They are better fighters, but their ranks are lower than that of staff officers. [u]Rifleman[/u] The rifleman is the most basic of infantrymen. Armed with ballistic assault rifles, they're the most numerous and most easily-trained. Their assault rifles allow them to fire at enemies from mid- to close-range, but on occasion, the few riflemen armed with battle rifles can fire from a distance, laying down suppressive fire from afar. [u]Shock Troopers[/u] Shock troopers are important components of the Imperial army. They are subdivided into paratroopers, drop-pod shock troops, jump troopers, and strike force, and are meant as psychological and tactical weapons. [u]Grenadiers[/u] The Grenadier is armed like a rifleman, but they are armed with more explosive ordnances. They are also tasked with using mortars. [u]Armoured Grenadier/Specialist[/u] Armoured grenadiers/specialists are soldiers concerned with close-range, urban, and house-to-house warfare. They are armed occasionally with bullpup assault rifles, or more commonly, SMGs. Though they can be like regular infantrymen, they are mostly transported by armoured transports, with each squad supported by an IFV. They are also armed with weapons meant for taking out armoured vehicles. [u]Combat Engineers[/u] Combat engineers are armed with explosive ordnances. They are not as combat-oriented as grenadiers, but their explosives have a far higher yield than any grenadier unit. The famous 8th Engineer Corps is known for destroying and deploying pontoon bridges under fire, as well as being tasked with blowing up buildings that are heavily defended. [b]Machine Gunners[/b] Few and far between, there is only one machine gunner per squad, armed with either an LMG, MMG, or an HMG. Some machine gunners using HMGs, however, are usually transported via armoured weapons vehicles. [u]Snipers[/u] Though likened to riflemen, snipers are few and far between. All of them are armed with marksman rifles, usually scoped, with pistols for sidearms. They are known for keeping the enemy at bay, being one of the most dangerous elements in a unit in urban warfare. In an urban environment, they are always on the move, but they are also masters of patience, capable of staying still for four whole hours waiting for targets to cross and pinpoint. [u]Armoured Commander[/u] The armoured commander is the mind of a tank crew, armed mainly with an SMG and having a pistol as a sidearm. They are the kings of the battlefield, incredibly mobile; the infantry is their queen. Both must work side by side if they wish to accomplish victory. (Note: crews are made up of NPCs, unless you can convince me otherwise.) [u]Mobile Weapons Platform/Imperial Knight Commander[/u] The Mobile Weapons Platform/Imperial Knight is the younger brother of the tank. Though not as mobile, MWPs are generally more flexible in terms of armament and targeting. The commander is either solo, or supported by a crew. Unfortunately, their weight and 2-4 legs make them suitable only for urban combat. However, there are MWP superweapons as tall as towers meant to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy with dozens of crewmen and armed with hundreds of guns known as Imperial Rooks commanded only by the most esteemed noble warriors. Unfortunately, these Rooks are very slow, but they make up for it with the sheer range of their weaponry and visibility of their cameras. [Only 1 Rook spot open for now] [u]Artillery Crew[/u] Some of the most important components of any modern army, artillery crew are armed like riflemen, but they have long-range ordnances meant to deal heavy damage to the enemy ranks. Under the command of the artillery corps are self-propelled artillery. In the Ceres Front, there has been one superweapon deployed: a self-propelled railgun with a 2000mm calibre and also armed with a sonic blaster and multiple more armaments for taking out armoured vehicles and planes. Artillery crews are also in charge of anti-aircraft and anti-ship capabilities. [u]Scouts[/u] Scouts are the quickest units in the army, having armoured cars to transport troops, but occasionally making use of horses. They are lightly armed with only marksman/battle rifles and pistols, as they are only meant for skirmishing. They are also equipped with tools for better visibility, as well as drones. [u]Pilot[/u] Pilots are also important components, meant to destroy enemy forces from the skies. Their gunships are dangerous to both ground forces and capital ships, and their fighters can destroy bomber formations and strafe enemy infantry. [u]Ship Commanders[/u] Ship commanders are those in charge of spatial, and, on occasion, seaborne warfare. Imperial capital ship commanders are known for also commanding the small spatial fighter units stationed in the hangars of their ships. [u]Legionnaires[/u] The Legionnaires are the special forces of the Dominion, few and far between, with only 3,500,000 Legionnaires in the entire galaxy, 500 Legions (7000-man divisions), and only 21,000 personnel in the Segmentum Ceres. They are essentially supersoldiers, armed with the best weaponry and armour in the Dominion, and enhanced physically and mentally. They are tall, reaching average heights of 6 feet, and are equally massive. [indent][u]Ironclads[/u]-Legionnaires armed with Fortress Armour; not very mobile, and incapable of sprinting for more than 10 seconds. However, they are practically indestructible, but if disabled, then their enemies can easily bypass them.[/indent] [indent][u]Armoured[/u]-Legionnaires tasked with using armoured vehicles. They are tasked with using superheavy main battle tanks.[/indent] [indent][u]Motorised[/u]-The fastest of the Legionnaires. Not as heavily armoured as the basic cohorts, but they make up for it with the sheer speed of their rovers, carriers, dropships, and light tanks.[/indent] [/hider] [h2]Roles in the Cronus Theatre[/h2] [hider] [u]Staff Officer[/u] The staff officer is the strategist or the tactician, not very adept at fighting, and usually staying behind the frontline in safe camps, or staying in their flagships, planning for the next stroke. [u]Field Officer[/u] The field officer is in charge of maintaining the troops from the lines, usually even leading from the front. They have lower ranks than staff officers, and are more concerned with tactical strokes rather than strategic ones. [u]Infantry[/u] The regular infantry are not as subdivided like their Imperial counterparts. Rather, COs of squads are usually armed with SMGs while the rest are armed with rifles. The rifles are the standard assault rifle of the Democracy forces. [u]Paratrooper[/u] The paratroopers are infantry soldiers dropped from the skies; lightly-armoured, lightly-armed, but very much specialist. [u]Grenadiers[/u] Grenadiers, like their Imperial counterparts, are armed like the regular infantry, but with a wider selection of explosives; capable of taking out enemy armour. [u]Specialists[/u] Specialists are infantry supported by armoured cars and tanks, and specialising in raiding buildings. They are the main components of a cavalry unit. [u]Mechanised Infantry[/u] The mechanised infantry are the special forces of the Democracy, the most feared and disciplined armies in the entirety of the Internationale, made of the most intelligent and strongest soldiers. They are armed with the best weaponry, as well as the most advanced of armoured vehicles. They are similar to cavalry units, but they are more specialist, and have a wider range of combat capabilities, and are not limited to the ground. They are like shock troopers, descending on the enemy from the sea, from the land, from the air. [u]Machine Gunner[/u] Some of the most important members of the squad, the machine gunner holds a large portion of the firepower, meant as a suppressing tool. [u]Gunner[/u] Gunners are the generalised term for field gun and artillery crews. They have the important job of wreaking havoc from afar, and are some of the most important and numerous corps in the Internationale army. [u]Armoured Commander[/u] The armoured commander is the mind of an armoured crew, armed mainly with an SMG and having a pistol as a sidearm. They are the kings of the battlefield, incredibly mobile; the infantry is their queen. Both must work side by side if they wish to accomplish victory. The Internationale’s tanks are numerous, but unfortunately, they are more inferior and hastily-constructed than their Imperial counterparts. (Note: crews are made up of NPCs, unless you can convince me otherwise.) [u]Snipers[/u] The most feared snipers in the galaxy, Internationale snipers exhibit excellent sharpshooting skills, but not as disciplined as Imperial counterparts. They are all armed with marksman rifles, and are very light and mobile. [u]Scouts[/u] Scouts are the quickest units in the army, having armoured cars to transport troops, but occasionally making use of horses. They are lightly armed with only marksman/battle rifles and pistols, as they are only meant for skirmishing. They are also equipped with tools for better visibility, as well as drones. [u]Pilot[/u] Pilots are some of the more important parts of the Internationale. Despite this, they are few and far between, far fewer than the amount of fighters they actually have. [u]Ship Commander[/u] Ship commanders are those in charge of spatial, and, on occasion, seaborne warfare. [/hider] [h1]CHARACTER SHEET DRAFT 1[/h1] For the character sheet, I decided to have multiple extensions for the base character sheet. The extensions are for those who wish to create character that are any of the following: an armoured commander, a mobile weapons platform/walker (basically a mech) commander/pilot, a commander of a capital ship, or a spatial fighter/air force pilot. They're mostly there to be customised. Of course, there are limits as to the customisation of armoured vehicles like tanks and IFVs. Heck, an armoured commander player can even outright refuse to customise a tank, in which case, they simply need to pick a tank model and go with it. Ship commanders can also use pre-existing ship models, or have custom flagships and capital ships (but the latter has limitations). The pre-existing ship and armoured vehicle models, as well as weaponry and uniforms, will be released along with the actual RP. [hider=Character Sheet] [u][b]Name:[/b][/u] [u][b]Age:[/b][/u] [u][b]Gender:[/b][/u] [b][u]Unit:[/u][/b] [hr] [u][b]Rank:[/b][/u] Generals, privates, lieutenants, colonels, captains. It’s up to you. [u][b]Role:[/b][/u] [u][b]Allegiance:[/b][/u] [hr] [u][b]Equipment:[/b][/u] Include personal belongings, but most importantly, the 'uniform' that's going to be described in a future post released alongside the RP [list] [*] [/list] [hr] [u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] Describe what they look like, even more in detail if no photo is provided. [b][u]Personality:[/u][/b] [b][u]History:[/u][/b] [/hider] [hider=Ship and Fighter/Bomber Extension] [b][u]Name of Ship:[/u][/b] [u][b]Type:[/b][/u] Battleship, frigate, destroyer, cruiser. Can be either a flagship (for admirals only) or a simple capital ship, but state here which it is. [u][b]Class:[/b][/u] List will be released; if fully customised, or one of a kind, state it here in parentheses [b][u]Armaments:[/u][/b] Include firing rate, weapon types (ballistic, directed energy, missiles, etc.) [b][u]Crew:[/u][/b] [b][u]Appearance:[/u][/b] What does the ship look like? Its dimensions? [b][u]Specifications:[/u][/b] Full speed, cruising speed; armour; shielding; mass; etc. [/hider] [hider=Mobile Weapons Platform Extension] [b][u]Name/Callsign:[/u][/b] [b][u]Type:[/u][/b] Heavy types are 20-30 metres tall; medium 10-20m; light 3-10m. Imperial Rooks are 50-100m tall. [b][u]Armaments:[/u][/b] Include firing rate, weapon types (ballistic, directed energy, missiles, etc.) [b][u]Crew:[/u][/b] [b][u]Appearance:[/u][/b] What does your MWP/Walker look like? Its dimensions? [b][u]Specifications:[/u][/b] Walking speed, running speed; armour; shielding; mass; etc. [/hider]