Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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This story is about a war between two spacefaring nations: the Crescent Empire vs the Collective. The Crescent Empire is a federation of self-governing worlds spanning across the entire Milky Way. Rising from the ashes of the free western nations of Earth (most notably the United States; it's a long story), the Empire was founded to be a safe haven of freedom for the beleaguered peoples of the universe. Like most human societies, it's not perfect, and has its own collection of skeletons in its closet, but it is by and large a nation of good people and governed reasonably well, all things considered. While the entire galaxy isn't theirs yet, the vast majority of it is. A fraction of territory in the spiral arm is governed by the United Nations Interstellar Command (or U.N.I.C.), a tyrannical communist state that overtook the planet Earth several centuries ago.

The Empire could theoretically squash them like a bug, but they tolerate them like the real-life U.S. tolerates North Korea - reluctantly, out of pity for its citizens. And the occupation would be a monumental pain in the butt. No, it's not the UNIC that's the Empire's greatest threat. That honor goes to the Collective, an ancient race of shapeshifters genetically related to humans who appeared through mystic portals on planet Aion and threatened to take over. Once a Type III civilization able to harness the power of galaxies, black holes, and psychic magics, their species unfortunately lived long enough to witness the looming heat death of their universe, and the resulting decline of their race drove them to seek refuge in a younger parallel universe: ours.

One would normally think that, given the Collective's dire straits, some sort of agreement could be reached peacefully to allow both races to coexist. A few rational minds within the Collective thought so, as did several members of leadership within the Empire, but the rest of the Collective had other plans. Preaching humanity to be an inferior and unclean race, the populists stirred up pre-existing tensions between the races to incite a full-on war of subjugation. Among the populists were two major factions: the Purifiers and the Preservers. The Purifiers sought the genocide of the human race, considering them a filthy stain on their environment and wholly unfit to live alongside the Collective. The Preservers sought instead to enslave the human race, since they could still be useful despite their inferiority.

Thus began the bloodbath that was the Crescent-Collective War.
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Before I conclude this interest check, I have a confession to make: I have never hosted a sci-fi RP before. It's my native setting, one I've created countless mental worlds in, but high fantasy has always been my go-to setting for RP until now, so let me be the first to admit I barely know what I'm doing here. But this constipated tale has waited literally decades to come out of my head and desperately needs its airtime, so here we are. Should I allow players to sign up for either side of the conflict, or just one side? Are we doing a nation RP, adventure RP, or maybe something more meditative along the lines of Arrival? I could use everyone's input to decide what kind of RP we should run with this story. Let me know in the comments whether you're interested at all and what kind of story piques your interest in this setting.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by ANYM
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>While I'm not interested in joining another RP at the moment, I do have a bit of advice. I recommend you avoid making this a nation RP as those are generally about players making their own factions that then interact with each other in a giant sandbox, sometimes with an end goal and other times not. And even then there's exceptions to this, but last I recall those don't typically last too long, if at all. That and with only two to three major factions as the main focus, it doesn't really seem to gel with what NRP is about. I definitely think that for your first foray into sci-fi you should keep it focused, and an adventure RP would certainly fit the bill.

>Plus, this takes inspiration from Star Trek, and that was all about the interpersonal relationships of those aboard the Enterprise as they explored the final frontier. Other than that, remember not to let the science take precedence over your story. 'Tis an endeavor to write something enjoyable and fun, not to be the next Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke.

>Oh and if you feel you're up for mediating PVP when players do inevitably clash, then definitely let people play both sides of the conflict. It'd open more opportunities and hooks for those looking to play the morally gray or profiteer type character.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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I appreciate the feedback! I agree that a nation RP sounds unwise for what I have planned here. I also wholeheartedly agree that the science should not take precedence over the story. It's cool and all, but it's the people that make the story go. But I am prone to focusing on the fun science stuff, so I will certainly take your advice to heart.

You made a good point about PvP. I'll have to mull over how to mediate that.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by ANYM
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I appreciate the feedback! I agree that a nation RP sounds unwise for what I have planned here. I also wholeheartedly agree that the science should not take precedence over the story. It's cool and all, but it's the people that make the story go. But I am prone to focusing on the fun science stuff, so I will certainly take your advice to heart.

You made a good point about PvP. I'll have to mull over how to mediate that.


>You're welcome! Although on the last point if I might offer another suggestion, the best way might be to just have players plan out pivotal confrontations with one another and yourself, then have them write a collab scene or some such. That way all parties are aware of what's going to occur, and no one gets taken by surprise in the flow of combat.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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@Zyx A collab scene? I hadn't thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. Battle scenes in literature require short, snappy writing to convey speed, which is surprisingly difficult to pull off in our line of work. RP encourages big posts, not quick, punchy ones. So collab is a great way to close the gap. I'll have to link a Google Docs page for that stuff.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by ANYM
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>Mhm. Beyond that I'm not entirely sure what else could be done. I'd say make a Discord, but that generally takes attention away from a roleplay's OOC section - which if the posting is slow by nature - makes the RP seem dead. Granted, a Discord also means faster communication, so it's a tradeoff only you can decide.

>Otherwise, there's not much more I can think of to add. Other than that the best way to see what works, ultimately, is to throw the RP out and see what sticks. It's only after contact with the players that the strengths and weaknesses of a roleplay become apparent, after all.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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@Zyx I'm honestly torn over whether to incorporate a chat server. A dedicated chat server can make OOC business snappier to resolve, but getting everyone to sign on and use it can be a real hassle, I've found. Using the forum's OOC section is certainly easier, but slower, and can be difficult to scroll through when necessary. For now, I'm thinking I should only use a chat server if there's ample demand for it.

Thank you again for the advice, Zyx. I needed that.
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@Zyx I'm honestly torn over whether to incorporate a chat server. A dedicated chat server can make OOC business snappier to resolve, but getting everyone to sign on and use it can be a real hassle, I've found. Using the forum's OOC section is certainly easier, but slower, and can be difficult to scroll through when necessary. For now, I'm thinking I should only use a chat server if there's ample demand for it.

Thank you again for the advice, Zyx. I needed that.


>No problem. 👍
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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Onto story business!

While the premise of this RP is ostensibly battle action, the true themes are more along the lines of cross-cultural interactions. Both sides are studying one another intently, to the point of laboratory experiments and dissection, and characters from both sides will have to observe the other side to learn their traits, weaknesses, and habits. Their languages and modes of communication differ too, and if one side wants to acquire intel on the other, someone's going to have to learn their language. The resulting intrigue is what I hope defines the RP. And when communications and intrigue break down, the guns come out, and the fighting begins anew. Whether peace can be achieved will depend on the choices made by the people on each side of the conflict.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by trenenp
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trenenp The Microwaved

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Interested
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by OddnessApproved
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OddnessApproved I'm passionate about hating people.

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I'll keep an eye on this.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Dark Cloud
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Dark Cloud 💀Vibin' beyond the Veil💀

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as will I.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Thinslayer
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I'mma give this a bump. I would like to see one or two additional players before starting (though we could theoretically start with the three we have now).

What kinds of characters are y'all keen to play?
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