1.) As you are aware I did read the OP and don't wish to start with any unfair advantages. On the other hand I am a thinker and like to use technology in a savvy way which is plausible yet not your standard faire.
2.) I don't wish to change the single system rule. Rather the opposite. I know the Luxons are fine but I need more past adversaries to make my backstory work. The prates/raiders would have been a civilization whose homeworld got destroyed in the Kilonova Disaster. They would be reoccouring opponents in the past until the Morte pushed them out of the system. After that their fate could remain uncertain. If you don't wish to deal with them, just pretend they went away somewhere and never be heard of again. Writing a story has many conveniences.
3.) Where would it improve from here? Only the sky is the limit. There are so many applications for sci-fi technology fields that we can list it all day. I agree that gravity manipulation is versatile but that's what you get with broad definitions. Regardless that's what you get when FTL is involved since spatial manipulation goes in hand with gravity. That and without some artificial gravity tech things could get really strange. Anyways, as I said my only objection is with artifical gravity not allowing gravity based accelerators like my Grailguns. I don't mind the grav lances since they are indeed OP for now (it's also a show what you can do with improved gravity tech). Also gravity-based shields are quite a bit more basic than the typical sci-fi energy shields. These are the reasons why I am surprised you don't wish to allow them. That's almost like banning guns while nuclear ICBMs are allowed.
4.) I do recognize your authority in this game and that's why I wish to discuss things. If you feel this is an attack then there's something wrong in our communication. On the other hand GMs using their position of power instead talking things out is a good way of chasing me away. In that case you'd be right I signed up for the wrong game.
5.) I repeat, I don't wish to make my nation too powerful, either. A few tech which I noted are overboard already and I work on to balance them out. On the other hand I don't agree with your assessment on certain advancements which is why I am trying to continue the disxussion. Battlestar Galactica, huh? They are pretty hard to rank in tech but generally they are considered on par with Mass Effect sans the numbers. Personally the thing I had in mind is Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
OK, so I decided to cap technology level at antimatter after all. I'll give you the anti-star since you ditched the relic option despite me wondering just how catastrophic would solar wind be on contact with the atmosphere of the planet.
The tech... there are so many little hitches that by the time they're all ironed out it's going to look nothing like the original. I want everything above antimatter to be the occasional irregularity, in a sense that you got it to work, you are not exactly sure how and if your theories are even correct and you are drawing blanks on how to make them better. I'll give you using gravity fields to generate thrust, inertial dampening and gravity for crew; shielding and weapons not that much. I am not banning more advanced tech, but I want to have technological progress on that level to happen IC, whether with relic assistance if you're lucky or on your own.
From what I read on the sites you linked, it seems like the biology, mentality, gov, history, ... of the empire will be fine once the fact that they didn't meet any aliens yet is taken into account.
If you feel like those are too drastic changes I ask of you, then I'd bid you to reconsider using this nation for this RP. I am adamant at everyone starting at more or less the same conditions - if you want to conquer others with superior technology then you're going to have to invent it, all you can do now is lay the ground work for the rapid progress which I think your people have in check.
Solar winds hit our planet semi-regularly and the reason why we are alive is Earth's magnetosphere. The same method would work regardless if the winds are made of matter or antimatter. Though interactions between the antimatter winds and the magnetosphere are part of the reason why radiation levels are so high. I don't really think having this weird star is an advantage beyond having an antimatter mine, especially while the rest of my civ suffers greatly.
As for gravity weapons and shields, it makes absolutely no sense to disallow them. They are all related. Unless you mean grav lances which I am okay banning as well as certain exotic methods. Really, I knew they are OP and plan to tone things down but first I wanted to create the new tech base which used the Morte tech and then mixed with my other NRP civs.
As for alien contact, can you reconsider it? I mean we can have factions with multiple races. I plan to have 2-3 alien races harassing them in the past. One of them were the Luxans from the neighboring Planet Lux and then I at least plan to have conflicts with nomadic space pirates and similar visitors who were gradually pushed out of the system. Morteans are no conquerors, though. They might be xenophobic but they are very willing to negotiate. Especially since their situation is desperate what with living a century without wars and the population boom threatening to leave them with no habitable area left.
Official Name: Das Grösses Mortereich aller Todestern (Gothic Standard), Imperium Magni Morte (High Gothic) Common Name: Morte Empire, the Morte Imperium (for those pretending to be smart) Government: Elected Centralized Totalitarian Monarchy Insignia: A decorated large red "I" symbol with a skull motif in the center. I equates for Imperium meaning the empire in the archaic/ceremonious High Gothic. Political Description: TBA
Home System
System Name: Todestern (also the name of their star) Todestern is a death world located within the Stormlosweg sector. It used to be a plentiful system with a luminous yellow dwarf star. Then the terrible Kilonova Disaster happened. A relativistic neutron star fragment hit their own star, drastically altering it during the process. It changed and shifted adopting a sickly greenish hue while emitting highly dangerous radiation. During this time it also gained a new name, Todestern (literally meaning Death Star). Absorbing the energy of the neutron star fragment Todestern is an unique astronomical body with many strange and highly dangerous properties. Aside from its constant radiation hazard Toderstern is the most notable for its solar winds filled with antimatter.
Inhabited Planet(s): Mortis and Lux are the only habitable planets and just barely (see descriptions)
Homeworld: Mortis Mortis is the 3rd planet of the Todestern system. Before the Kilonova Disaster it was used to be Lieberland, a lush green planet. That was until VR220 (Vor dem Reich 220 - 220 years before the Empire) when a neutron star fragment impacted with their star Leichtstern and changed the fate of the system forever. The gravity of the star suddenly increased, shifting the planet's orbit thus promoting it to the third planet while the star underwent its slow and ugly transformation into Todestern. The planet was now known as Mortis, an irradiated death world with only minimal habitability. Yet the dwellers of this world prevailed and through the use of their technology this planet is the home of most Morteans.
Major System Assets: Todestern Ring Not quite a ring but a system of solar panels and mining bases surrounding their star thus providing much of the Empire's energy need both directly via solar power and indirectly via collecting antimatter from the solar winds. Permanent colonies are established in the Ring for the workforce, infamous for their poor living conditions. Aside from energy production some of the larger solar panels were also re-purposed to power orbital construction sites.
Lux Former homeworld of the Luxans. While situated further from the sun Todestern the fact Luxans made no preventive measures doomed the planet to the same state as Mortis. For centuries after the Kilonova Disaster this planet provided home for the crazed Luxan race. After the third Luxan War the planet turned to Morte custody but the Luxans never lived it down and in a few centuries they became extinct to the Morte's purging. Lux's position further away from Todestern made it safer for agriculture though radiation protection is still necessarily.
Brennenweg One of the two gas giants of the Todestern system and the primary location of the Morte space industry. The planet has a ring system and multiple moons as well as located in the vicinity of the asteroid belt between Lux and Brennenweg. Thanks to its rings Brennenweg can collect decent amount of antimatter which is then utilized for starting up atomic reactors for local use. Brennenweg is responsible for mining raw minerals and the main producer of advanced superdense materials essential for spaceships. Of course it's also the main location of the Morte warship production.
Silberdort A cluster of multiple large colonies established almost at the edge of the system, located at a spot safe from radiation. The original plan was to establish extra habitation for the Empire's growing population. But they soon realized the luxury in free air, decent greenery and the overall leisure of life made possible in Silberdort. Soon the colonies transformed to a place exclusive for the upper class while the rest of the Empire still struggles with overpopulation.
Outer Rim: Todestern like most star systems is surrounded by an asteroid belt. While not as prominent as Brennenweg these asteroids are also mined for minerals. In addition the Outer Rim is important for defense with warning buoys and paroling starships ensuring nobody penetrates the borders.
Racial Information
Species: Mortean Population: ~ 2 billion (overpopulated!) Morphology: Morteans are humanoid creatures with blueish skin, glowing eyes, sharp teeth and slightly pointed ears. They are at average shorter in stature (around 150 cm) due to malnutrition but at times they can grow above 2m in height. Due to the effects of radiation they have an alarmingly high percentage of mutations which is sometimes very visible. Unlike humans the Mortean blood is colored cyan.
Anatomy: Morteans have human-like body makeup but there are considerable differences in their chemical system. Mortean bones are made of various bio-steels, enhancing their durability and tolerance to radiation. Though its not so amazing side effect is that Morteans can get stuck to sufficiently strong magnets. Their sharp teeth are capable of chewing through many things and it isn't impossible for a Morteans to eat raw metals (though not the most nutritious choice for sure). Mortean stomachs are versatile and work by different reactions and this generally applies to their entire system. Toxins that could be lethal to humans may be even considered nutrients. In reverse the Morteans have a number of harmful and deadly toxins specific to their physiology. Biologically the Morteans can live for 200 years but in effect the mutations and awful living conditions reduce the average life expectancy to 40 years. Due to their relatively well-adopted physiology to their environment there's a popular theory that the Morteans were actually engineered this way. Though due to the lack of documentation from the Dark Ages and beyond it's currently impossible to determine.
Brief History
TBA
Cultural Information
TBA
Technological Information
Power generation: - Solar Power: Considerable portion of civilians use solar power mostly gathered from panels surrounding Todestern. This is stored in plasma cell batteries which then be centrally distributed to the population.
- Plasma Engines: Morte's equivalent of internal combustion engines. They use superheated plasma and electromagnetic fields to drive motors or provide power. They are common as emergency generators where nuclear power is not affordable as well as operating vehicles outside the power grid. Many surface military vehicles also use plasma engines.
- Atomic Reactors: Powerplants using various nuclear reactions to provide energy. They are usually catalyzed by the pair annihilation of small amounts of antimatter thus they can effectively use almost anything as fuel.
- Antimatter Reactors: Compact mechanisms using controlled pair annihilation to provide massive power. Antimatter reactors have the best power yield but providing them with sufficient antimatter for long term operation is nigh-impossible. As such they are only used for the most energy-intensive applications within the Empire.
Engineering/Fabrication: Having both time and abundant energy sources the Morte made great progress at the research of nanotechnology and metamaterials. They can alter atoms for special functions, create matter from more exotic particles (other than just electrons, protons and neutron), force matter into different grid structures or even compress either atoms or grids into a denser yet stable state. The simpler processes are long part of the industry while the most exotic means either rare or only studied in research labs. While this sounds impressive compared to modern material science the Morte are still far from being the masters of the field and depend on the same raw resources as everyone else.
While metamaterials opened up new possibilities industry was truly revolutionized by using nanotechnology. Nano-scale construction improved material quality and combined with the manipulation of electromagnetic waves introduced a whole new industrial method: Nanolathe. By spraying nano-scale particles on an electrical field it's possible to establish a "pattern" after which the constituent materials can be applied on the surface from layer to layer. The whole process can be described as a new and improved form of 3D printing which allows precise and relatively swift fabrication. More importantly nanolathes are versatile and aside from procuring the raw materials a factory line can quickly switch between products. One of the main drawbacks of nanolathes are their energy need which is why they are always located close to an abundant power source. Decent quality fabrication also requires a large area suspended in zero gravity and expensive equipment (though the versatility of nanolathes does compensate a lot).
Starship propulsion STL Propulsion - Magnetoplasmadynamic Drives A family of thrusters utilizing both heat and electromagnetic forces to turn inert propellant into plasma and expel it at great velocity. It's a variable and versatile system which can combine both high thrust and specific impulse. Also referred as Plasma Drives they practically can use almost anything as propellant. For longer treks it's preferable to burn less propellant while raising the exhaust velocity to maximum. For combat maneuvers it's advised to use more and denser propellant to attain higher thrust. The larger and more complex a plasma drive is the higher efficiency it could reach. A sizable portion of the Morte ships are nothing but their propulsion systems alone.
Intrasystem FTL - Foldspace Drive By manipulating and folding spacetime it's possible to cheat special relativity and effectively move the ship at superluminal speeds. Fold Drives are economical and dependable, capable of continuous operation so long the ship doesn't use power on much else. Compared to other races' intrasystem drives Warp is slower and requires the ship to navigate in normal space. The gravitational forces of the Foldwave Bubble(also called warp field) protects the ship from micrometeroid impacts but larger objects may burst the bubble and the fold/warp effect is suddenly gone, returning the ship to its real speed.
Interstellar FTL - Hyperdrive Technology partially built after decoded texts of the ancients. Hyperdrives punch holes in reality to access subspace. They allow quicker and effective travel to interstellar distances but consume massive amounts of energy. That and Hyperdrives are recent inventions which tend to have their own kinks and malfunctions. Considering this and that majority of the Morte fleet is reserved for home defense only a limited amount of warships are currently equipped by Hyperdrives.
Armor: Durachrome is the most popular family of armor materials within the Empire. It's classically created by fusing metal atoms until they reach an "island of stability" as well as compress the grid structure to the densest stable form. The end result is a metallic matter with great strength and density best identified for its brilliant reflection (hence its name). To ease production Durachrome is typically created within the intense pressure and massive gravity of the gas giant Brennenweg which thus became the industrial heart of the Morte Empire. Of course material strength is only one facet how Morte protect their ships as they employ composites, complex structures and patterns designed to better resist attacks. Morte use their armors as the chief form of defense and it often makes up 30-50% the mass of warships.
Shielding: Panzerbereich A shielding which uses electromagnetic fields to suspend and rapidly circulate fine metallic nanoparticles for protection. This sphere of particles is generally raised at a standoff distance, roughly around 10 times the ship's length in radius. Panzerbereich are chiefly used as radiation protection as well as converter to channel the trapped surplus energies back to the ship's reserves. During space combat its main purpose is to serve as light standoff protection. It can disperse energy weapons, break fragile kinetic penetrators or pre-detonate thinly skinned missiles. Of course the Empire's ships can't shoot through the shields without the same disadvantages either thus they momentarily open holes in the field to send out signals, attacks or launch fighters. The rate of making these holes and closing them is exponentially longer with size. Thus opening tiny holes for comm signals or radar scans may take an instant, holes for weapons to fire through can take few moments but to open a hole for the fighter bay and then closing it might take a considerable time which makes them the most vulnerable.
Sensors: - Standard sensors: A category used to describe typical slower than light sensing and detection equipment like radars, telescopes and so on.
- Hypersensors: A category of superluminal forms of sensing and detection. They are typically active detection like foldspace radars but there are tachyon imagery methods which passively gathers background tachyonic shadows of objects. Tachyonic sensors are crude and require digital enhancement by combining it with other sensory data to be more reliable.
Communications: Foldwave radio is a superluminal communication method replacing nearly all standard methods. They are fast, precise and more resistant to interference. Quantum Link is an older superluminal mechanism which was used to disprove past skepticism about faster than light travel. It uses quantum entanglement to resonate between two attuned devices thus effectively achieve instant communication regardless of the distance. While it has considerable potential they can be only used between two matching pairs of communicators specifically created that way.
Computation: Quantum computing is widely utilized in Morte systems. Unlike semiconductor type deterministic computers a quantum computer works by probability and uses various quantum mechanisms. Quantum computers store data in qubits and these systems are inherently not compatible with normal computers. Quantum computers don't inherently offer greater computation speed but their mechanics allow mathematical formulas which speed up probability calculations massively. You could say that quantum computers are made for quantum mechanics, a field of science important to understand particles and nanotechnology. Military-grade quantum computers operate at extreme temperatures and use warp fields to minimize quantum decoherence. This allows them to operate at much higher performance in return for considerable power drain. In addition when a military grade quantum power loses power or has a warp field malfunction it instantly turns toast. To prevent the worst case scenario starships also have backup systems storing most data in case of emergencies.
Weapons: - Plasma Railguns: Railgun systems that use plasma armature to electromagnetically launch matter at hypervelocity. Plasma armatures don't degrade from the strain and recycle the waste heat back into the power reserves. Plasma Railguns can either shoot solid projectiles or small packets of matter at far greater velocities (thus behaving like energy weapons).
- PPE: Pressed Particle Emitter. Not quite an unique weapon but a mechanism. It accelerates tiny amounts of flash-compressed matter in an extremely thin stream of great density. Since the particle mix is unstable it violently explodes but before that it will likely penetrate the hull. The effectiveness of the PPE degrades with range thus they are most commonly used at shorter distances.
- Missiles, Torpedoes: Best interpreted as AI/telemetry guided tiny spacecraft these weapons are used for long range warhead delivery. Depending on their design and loadout they can fill out many roles. Missiles are usually described as the smaller type used for long range interception or light ordnance unleashed en-masse. Torpedoes are much larger and generally fielded against enemy warships. Torpedo launchers are classically found at the front since they tend to be shot via electromagnetic catapults to give them a speed boost.
None yet. The Morte system only contained a chache of ancient records which they used to decode some of the language (thus they speak the common tongue... or at least their archeologists do).
My faction profile. Still work in progress. I think I will also change up a few things later but I don't have the time right now. I feel some of the categories miss a few essential elements so I think I will use a modded version of the NS scheme to account for those.
I will have to think on the use of antimatter further - when I'm not as tired as right now. I may develop a sort of "tech scale" and put a general stop at some point, right now I am thinking
I am just not sure whether for the cap to be right short of antimatter usage or subatomic particles - the latter is a no go that's for sure.
Point is, civs in this RP are still very young. It took humans 250 000 years to go form fire to very basic space program, and here you are reaching for the stars in just 10 000, likely because of the 'libraries' found on each of the homeworlds (I may have to edit that timeframe yet).
As far as the warp drive goes, I guess it depends on one thing: What happens when an object using it DOES crash into something? Because you don't have to be mounting it on just ships.
FTL sensors are good, just remember though that using any active sensors is basically yelling "I AM HERE SHOOT ME".
Now, i seriously need to sleep xD
I don't know to whom you addressed the first part of yor reply and assume it's not me.
As for warp drive they are surrounded in a sorts of gravity bubble which repels smaller impacts (depending on the power of the warp drive) and anything stronger than that essentially bursts the bubble and cancels warp travel so it would impact like normal. There are many alternative mechanisms but this is the one I'll plan to be using. Otherwise Warp Drives might be indeed effective to punch the target with its own density so I suppose in that sense they could be good FTLKKVs. But nah, I'd rather make it so that the mechanics themselves would prevent such abuse.
Well, there could be passive FTL sensors using some tachyonic mechanics. For example I wish to have tachyonic cameras. I nearly always use them in space NRPs. Basically it makes images by gathering tachyonic rays. It's an explanation behind the common sci-fi trope where ships can watch camera images in real time in spite of the target is light-seconds away or so. I think such device is another necessity for interstellar NRPs because otherwise you'd technically need to account for light-lag from even mundaneish distances (thousands of kilometers).
Ok, let me say no to normal space FTL straight away. That is a potential relativistic weapon right there, and I'm having none of that, not even speeds like in stargate where ships clocked at 0.6c. If somebody wants to render a planet uninhabitable, they're going to have to put effort and risk into it, not just send a comet at light speed at anyone they don't like.
As I said, the relic to start with is not necessary and you can ask for something else or nothing at all, my folks are at disadvantage by design too. I just don't recommend continuing down that road with the relics you discover afterwards, that's a shortcut to getting extinct xP
Just because something travels at FTL speeds in "normal space" doesn't mean it would have the same energy (hell, given relativity that's an oxymoron). Warp drives either warp space or manipulate mass to mess with relativity. Either way they can't be used to make RKKVs because they essentially cheat exactly that. In case of the former the ship is actually well below the speed of light but warping space acts like a multiplier. In case of the latter your ship has no mass to speak of so it cannot impact with any force. Either way once the FTL effect is off the ship would return to the level of speed its normal parameters would demand. I don't like the Mass Effet interpretation (and it'd also lead to abuses in other ways) so I would stick with the classic space warping effect. That's roughly the same method you can use other FTL methods to. Just without accessing another dimension.
On the other hand like it or not RKKVs are damn easy in any such setting. Just attach a cheap engine on the asteroid and wait till it gradually speeds up. Though I don't say they are truly effective means of warfare here. Intercepting them would be child's play.
Also I hope you have nothing against FTL sensors because they are very essential for any interstellar NRP. Not as much as FTL comms but close. This is something not all people realize.
@ForsytheCan you read the military and tech sections in these links? tales-of-andromeda.wikia.com/wiki/The_.. roleplayerguild.com/topics/74392-from-.. roleplayerguild.com/topics/80178-stell.. Tell me if there are any details you don't like. Would help a great deal to mold my new version of Morte the way it fits this game. For the record they are mostly the same in all 3 links so after reading the first you can just skim the rest and check for differences. Again, you only need to check for technology and military sections. The rest are nice but not relevant for game rules or balance. Thank you in advance!
I am going to use warp drives akin to Star Trek. Basically I am traveling faster than light in real space and have similarly designed comms and sensors to keep up. The warp fields may handle micro meteorites but for other obstacles I would gotta maneuver my ship. Warp drives are slow compared to other methods but they have the advantage of lower energy drain thus effectively no downtime. Even then warp drives usually take longer to reach a target even accounting for the limited range and downtime of other designs. Alternatively I can have a subspace drive for longer treks as per the rules state. But I don't mind if I get the disadvantage of being slower than the rest, either.
I don't see any list of ancient techs here. Also I think the GM said they are supposed to be random. Personally I don't want any relic at the beginning. My nation is the ultimate hardworker type. Make your own destiny!
Also, if you would like to call dibs on your relics, do so asap - first come first served basis, and no, no two races will start with the same thing - at best I might accept one of you keeping an artifact and the other reverse-engineering it, that would depend on the artifact in question.
Then I just make it the Morte reverse engineering the aliens' FTL a while before the start of this game. Would that be alright?
That system is something along the lines I was thinkign at. I already tried the idea similar to the warp ghates, but it was crashing too much with the relics being thrown into the mix.
As for the territory, the relics take care of that - if you settle systems without those, you will be left hopelessly behind and ready for others to tear you apart. As far as fleet movements go, sure you can stage your task group in a different system, but that would leave you a few ships short on defense - it just isn't practical.
And yes, that is a problem unless those species are within the same star system. I want everyone to start off on relatively equal footing, realism has to make way for gameplay in that regard. You could go that way, or have two sapient species evolve on one planet to fight like the Centauri from B5. Or maybe jsut have your people born with different colors of skin and have them go on a genocidal rampage like we humans like to do
I see. Well, the point would be exactly that these aliens would strike from other star systems or be nomad/pirate factions that ravaged their civilization for centuries. Morte would've eventually repelled these enemies through attrition and heavy defense. They would only develop FTL technology after they find a relic in their home system. Up to that point the Morte thought FTL travel is impossible and the fact their enemies didn't line up for a second invasion kinda confirmed their views (those aliens may or may not had FTL prior).
Anyways, I have a faction which is similar to the Morte but being assholes without alien invasion. They are called the Galaxian Empire (or at this point they're rather the Terran Empire). They think humans are God's creation and they have the right to eventually control the stars. Think of a less grimdark version of the Imperium from Warhammer 40000. As for what would humans do here when the said race is extinct. Parallel development theory. Basically the assumption that in a similar environment it's highly likely that a similar race with eerily similar culture may develop. Of course this is BS kinda abused by Star Trek but that's a reason enough to have "humans" here.
As for the detailed version on the two-phase turn system: forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/.. It also includes a bunch of other mechanics so if you don't wish to read it all go down near the bottom of the first post. You can also check the IC thread to see this in action: forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/.. Go till you find something with the strategic turns.
@Forsythe Copy-pasting this so you don't need to zig-zag between two threads. And if I am at it...
Examples of the Morte from previous NRPs. Although I plan to rework them considerably. Another option could be the Martians but they work the best when: - they have other races to manipulate - The setting has humans to whom they have hateful ancient history So that kinda rules out this game. I have other options but somehow I wish the Morte be in for this mess.
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salamimike
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