@UltraCraftGamesQuel'Thalas maybe, if you can make up a reason why you followed Rommath and his Sunfury comrades back to Silvermoon. Illidari have many Draenei and ex-Legion members so you could do that.
Alternatively you can be an Eredar commander dispatched by the Burning Legion to oversee a portion of the Scourge... or just being active in that region for other purposes.
Official Name: Quel'Thalas Dominant Species Sin'dorei (blood elves) Capital City: Silvermoon Government Type: Regency (effectively closer to a meritocratic oligarchy) Governing Body: Silvermoon Council Head of the State: Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron (in the name of Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider)
Remnants of the once glorious kingdom of Quel'Thalas the blood elves give their all for survival and to avenge their fallen. They desperately fight off the Scourge, fully willing to show no restraint in their once conservative use of magic to accomplish this. At the same time they suffer symptoms of mana addiction, requiring to siphon magic just to sustain themselves. During these dire times their Prince is on a journey searching for their salvation, taking the best of their kin with him. Those who have remained are struggling to keep their lands from the constant onslaughts yet at the same time they dream of returning to the glory days, the restoration of their might and status. Only time could tell if they succeed.
Recent History
After the conclusion of the Second War the elves considered their debt being paid off and left the Alliance. When the Scourge threatened Lordaeron they locked themselves up in Quel'Thalas save for a token assistance of priests and mages (though the latter came from Dalaran). They were not ignorant to the plight of others but didn't go out of their way to help the struggling Alliance, many humans taking this as an act of betrayal. After the fall of Lordaeron the Scourge headed directly towards Quel'Thalas. Greatly outnumbered the elves chose scorched earth tactics to delay the undead, in the region now referred as the Ghostlands. The Farstriders and the Thalassian Army commanded by Sylvanas Windrunner protected their home valiantly yet for some reason the Scourge knew exactly how to dismantle their defenses. After Sylvanas' death the Scourge had a clear path towards Silvermoon. Evacuations immediately began through portals to Sunstrider Isle yet they were short on time and more than half of the citizens couldn't escape the Lich King's wrath. Meanwhile the Conclave along with King Anasterian chose to make the final stand at the Sunwell Plateau but mysteriously high ranking Magisters died, one after another. They had a traitor among their ranks, the powerhungry Dar'Khan Drathir. He nominally pledged allegiance to the Scourge yet in truth he only wanted the Sunwell for himself. His plans were thwarted but not before he manages the fiddle with the well, denying its blessings to the elves. Weakened and low on numbers subsequently the high elven resistance is brutally massacred, King Anasterian and all members of the Conclave killed. Arthas reaches the Sunwell and uses its boundless energies to resurrect the necromancer Kel'Thuzad, turning him into a lich. With his duty fulfilled Arthas' main force leaves the country, marching towards Dalaran. [to be continued...]
Controlled Territory
Quel'Thalas is the northernmost edge of Lordaeron, founded at the intersection of multiple ley lines along with a major nexus of arcane energy at the isle of Quel'Danas. Thanks to this and the arcane knowledge of the elves Quel'Thalas enjoys permanent springtime which let them prosper for millennia. Yet the recent rampage of the Scourge left a mark on the country. Also called the Dead Scar this blighted path leads straight through Eversong Woods, splitting the former expanse of Silvermoon in half, ending at the former site of the Sunwell. With heroic effort most undead were driven out of Eversong Woods yet half of the Kingdom is still under the Scourge's control (now referred as Ghostlands).
Culture
Blood elves are the surviving members of Quel'Thalas, named as such in honor of those who had fallen to the Scourge. In many aspects blood elves are the continuation of the Highborne culture, yet taking it even further. While the Highborne pursued magic they retained the faith of Elune and harmonious relationship with nature. High elves broke away from this practice yet still tried to retain balance with the environment. Blood elves on the other hand are all about domination. They desire control and consider themselves masters of their nature. Taboos are broken, magical experiments previously unthinkable are in full swing. Warlocks and the research on demonology is in full swing. Elves in the past refused technology, believing it to be savage and destructive. With survival of their entire species at stake the blood elves no longer have any qualms about technological inventions, even willing to merge them with magic research. Overall this behavior had a major impact on their culture, valuing innovation and progressive views above outdated traditions. Revolution is in full swing. Blood elves strive to regain their former glory but they do not intend to just stop there. Like their new national symbol the Phoenix they intend to rise again and become something even greater. It comes as no surprise that such change came in hand with a moral crisis. High Elves used to be strong supporters of the Light yet during their darkest day it abandoned them. Even a good number of priests had abandoned their faith and sought power and vengeance. While some blood elves remained faithful to the religion, they quickly became the minority and occasionally they face discrimination or actions from their own government to remove them. Within just a short two years since losing the Sunwell blood elven society collectively turned their back to the light.
With the literal extermination of the Conclave it was inevitable to establish a new form of government. As the last known surviving descendant of the Sunstriders prince Kael'thas naturally became the next ruler. Yet he refused coronation and retained his prince title, devoting his all to fighting the Scourge. Lor'themar became the Regent Lord in his absence though he didn't strive for absolute power. Instead he formed the new Silvermoon Council with the leaders of each influential circle. Farstriders representing the military, Silver Wheel representing the merchants, Dawn Library representing the clergy and the reformed Magistrate representing the mages. In total though the Magistrate has disproportionate influence which is also shown in them having more than twice as many representatives in the Council than any other organization. Elves suffer trying times and this calls for desperate measures. The power of the Council is absolute and disagreeing with them equals treason. It isn't unheard of for dissenters to have a mysterious change of heart after a member of the Magistrate visits them. Groups that didn't agree with the changes in Quel'Thalas were soon exiled. The leadership is willing to use every tool in their repertoire to keep their society united through these hardships, no matter the cost.
Blood Elves are the remnants of the high elven race, named in honor of their fallen. They have slender builds, pointed ears and caucasian facial features. In terms of height they are as tall as humans but remarkably shorter than night elves or trolls (if they stand straight). As descendants of the Highborne and basking in the Sunwell's mana for thousands of years it isn't surprising that they are highly gifted in the arts of arcane, spellcasting being almost like a second nature to them. Slowly but surely the blood elven society diverges from their predecessors but some scholars believe there's much more than that. High elves are gradually changing, becoming something else. The first sign is the glowing green eyes, some associating it with the corruption of fel. Yet most elves never make contact with fel and newborn also sport similar eyes, implying its genetic nature. Perhaps in a few hundred years the blood elves transform into something entirely else, just as the Highborne turned into the high elves.
After the loss of Sunwell they began to suffer from mana addiction, feeling weak without a supply of magic power which could eventually result in death. To alleviate this the blood elves learned the art of siphoning mana, be it any source. Mana crystals, magical creatures, anything. Some begrudingly accepted the practice that is very close to vampirism while others embraced this freedom entirely, becoming stronger than ever. Yet overall mana addiction is something their race wants to get rid off. Worse, overindulgence in arcane magic could have dramatic effects, turning them into the foul Wretched. The exact conditions for this transformation are unknown, some could avoid it while taking in high amounts of magic daily while for others even a single slip could lead to becoming one of the creatures. So far nobody found a method to turn Wretched back into proper elves. Of course with mana tapping techniques being relatively new it also means the amount of Wretched are somewhat low, yet it is nonetheless an alarming occurrence.
Technology
Just as their predecessors the blood elves are masters of magic, arcane powers are almost a second nature to them. Spellcasting is widespread even if the average elf is no match for most apprentice mages. Elven enchantments are well-known and recently the recklessness of the blood elves pushed this even further. Every elven item is enchanted to some degree, be it apparent like an autonomous broom for cleaning rooms or subtle like their linen enchanted to feel softer. Mana crystals are also widespread with huge specimens often floating around settlements. Before their fall the crystals served as collectors for the Sunwell's energies to be utilized for special purposes. Nowadays they are direct mana batteries that sustain their society. After the expedition to Outland, the Sunfury returnees provided Quel'Thalas with a new influx of crystals of various origin. Fel crystals from the Burning Legion were the most common and their energies helped to raise portion of the city back into working order. Aside from that they also stole and currently analyze Naaru crystals and technology based on them. Thanks to the arrival of Mo'arg engineers the blood elves also turned the ruins of the North Sanctum into a mana forge, siphoning arcane energies directly from the leylines. While the long term effects of such method are questionable this method alleviates some of the troubles at finding a source for the blood elves to feed on. Back to the mana crystals, aside from them being repainted to the now customary blood red they also received various upgrades. Their capacity was pushed to the limit while enchantments enabled the crystal to have functions like erecting barriers or throwing arcane bolts at invaders. Said barriers function somewhat similar to the legendary Ban'Dinoriel in the fact they mask the usage of arcane magic, keeping them safer from the demons.
Military
The Scourge overall murdered 75% of the Thalassian elves yet their army suffered far worse. Be it the elite troops who made desperate last stands or the rank and file who faced brutal attrition, the high elven military was virtually annihilated. The mana addiction also decimated the elvish forces who realized their dependence on magic abilities while suffering from deprivation is a curse. The only reliable force in Quel'Thalas were Farstrider Lodge who quickly rose from border guards to the chief military organization of the elves. This situation was intended to be temporary as with the return of Prince Kael'thas and his elites from Dalaran the majority of the undead were expelled from Eversong Woods. Yet with the prince's departure to assist all those who suffer from the Scourge returned this duty to the rangers. As such currently the Farstriders represent the military force of Quel'Thalas once again. With the main front pushed away from their borders their duties mostly consists of patrols and policing yet their limited numbers made these duties quite a challenge. Training new rangers could've taken decades as such Lor'themar issued the creation of a new volunteer militia, the Scout Brigade. Unlike rangers who were masterful foresting archers the Scout Brigade is a mass army trained only in the essentials. Breaking away from their archery customs this force relies on enchanted guns in combat which shortens training to only a couple of months. Another benefit of guns was related to the blood elves curse. Archers regularly imbued their arrows with magic properties to compete against various powerful creatures. While this practice was far less taxing than attacking through spells it regardless was a luxury not everyone could afford. The newly created elvish guns are powered by enchanted powder and mana crystals, taking away the taxation from the user. In addition mana crystals supplied for the guns can be also tapped by the users when their addiction gets too strong.
While the Scout Brigade provides the bulk of the Farstriders, they are far from the only asset. Arcane artillery reverse engineered from Mo'arg constructs are also found use. In addition after centuries of ban by King Anasterian the blood elves reactivated their Arcane Golems, featuring various improvements and providing shock troops for the frail elves. A limited number of the elites also remained in Silvermoon under the title Dawnguards who feature powerful warriors, battle magi like Spellbreakers and some of the only surviving squadrons of Dragonhawk Knights. Naturally their affliction keeps their activity limited and usually constrain them to patrol Silvermoon but they can be an impactful group in the right hands. Another emerging elite is the Blood Knights. After the catastrophic Scourge invasion most elves lost their connection to the light yet the Magistrate found a new way wielding it. Using the imprisoned Naaru gifted by Kael'thas from Outland they directly leech the energies of the Light from the entity for their own purposes, using it as a battery for their own twisted version of the paladins. For the time being Blood Knights are a recent phenomenon and they have limited impact yet they have a promising future. Aside from them the blood elves can also rely on their own spellcasters even if their best are currently fighting at the side of their prince. Overall, Quel'Thalas is in a desperate condition yet working at a lightning pace to regain its former military might (if not even surpass that).
Notable Characters
Class: Ranger
Allies
- Sunreavers: The primary elven faction within Dalaran are those under the wing of archmage Aethas Sunreaver. As member of the Council of Six he has considerable influence yet recently he's in a precarious situation. Dalaran directly assisted Garithos' imprisonment of his kind which infuriated elves while also rose the anti-elvish sentiments among humans. Aethas is intent on supporting his misfortune country yet he cannot risk the uneasy peace within Dalaran. As for personal beliefs Aethas fully embraces the change which blood elven society embodies, although not to the same fanaticism as Rommath who openly allows warlocks and demons within the city.
Non-Lordaeron Allies: These allies exist for lore reasons but them lending direct support to Quel'Thalas is unlikely.
- Sunfury Expedition: Kael'thas gathered the best of the blood elves and ventured for Outland, hoping to find a cure for his people and discover means of restoring the glory of Quel'Thalas. Back at home the Sunfury are hailed as heroes and everyone puts high hopes in their success. More recently the Sunfury set forth to Northrend, intent to destroy the Lich King and put Arthas to justice.
- Illidari: The followers of Illidan who are willing to use extreme measures to protect Azzeroth. While in the past elves would've never sided with monsters not to mention demons their present plight and the ensuring willingness to go for the extremes brought the blood elves to a common ground, even if relations are far from optimal. The fact Kael'thas trusts the Illidan if not outright reveres him does help easing the hostilities but the common elf is still distrustful to them. More recently the elves managed to create a portal leading to the Black Temple of Outland, albeit it only allows very limited traffic.
Enemies
- The Scourge: Despoiler of their lands and responsible for murdering most of their brethren the blood elves feel seething fury towards all undead. Even after retaking Silvermoon and liberating most of Eversong Woods they are at a constant war with the Scourge. While outbreak of undead can happen anywhere the most common fronts are the Dead Scar and Ghostlands. Aware of the ties between the Scourge and the Burning Legion, this hatred of course extends to the Legion's demons, too.
@ArawakI know this is a prototype sheet of yours so I take what I see with a grain of salt. Still, there are a few things I'd point out for your full sheet to consider. I begin with the style, while I don't enforce the format outlined in the guide for the sake of easier navigation I'd prefer if you'd use these categories: General Information, Society, Technology and Military. Again, for the ease of leaders you could also make the titles of the categories stand out by using h1 or h2 tags for header sized text. Now back to the categories and this could be perhaps my second point. You need some sorts of general introduction to your faction so even after reading a short paragraph people understand the core concept of your race. History can be also included as a subcategory of general information but it isn't necessary. Next is Social and you did write the most about this (both Beliefs and Structure belong here). Although you might wish to restructure this to a clearer form because currently when I want to know something about your society, I have to fish out the details through several paragraphs to just get an idea. Social classes in particular should be listed or at least organized in order so people can get that. Tech might need some expansion upon and of course you also need to fill in stuff for the military. Combat in these games is relatively common thus it is recommended that people get a general idea how you fight.
@DisturbedSpecAs I said before, try making the titles for categories stand out by using the header text (h1 or h2). You find guides for this below the text box you write your hosts in named "Formatting Cheatsheet" and a "Toggle" button next to it. Alright, moving on. You are a human faction and as such you'd need to discuss few details with other human factions like Arawak and Star Lord, if you haven't already. As posthumans though you'd need to write some detail about your various sapient species. We aren't expecting much, often even one or two sentences are enough. Just give some food for players who wish to describe their first impressions when meeting your races. I know that your sheet is still incomplete so I don't talk about the rest.
@thedmanHmm, I say you have all the neccessities for a fully functional nationsheet. Slightly on the brief side but even then you included the essentials for others to know about your faction. I might expand the notable technologies portion a bit to mention your energy production (if unique) and FTL drives but even that wouldn't be that important. As such I say your sheet is approved.
@BrithwyrLooking good, your sheet is of course incomplete and some categories need extensions but so far it's fine. If I have one suggestion it's that maybe you can own multiple gates. With seven system even the possession of 2-3 gates would be not out of question. Of course with hypernodes it is possible to extend your territory so even one gate can make sense. It is up to you.
Entirely doable. Or you can have dwarves settling the recently depopulated lands in a semi-AU fashion. You can also be dwarves from Aerie Peak. There are numerous options for dwarves.
@ProductI meant as coloring your text in the NS. Picking a player color can be helpful, especially if you engage in map painting. BTW, there are better maps for Lordaeon we could use. For example this:
@BrithwyrLooking fine. Although I'd prefer if you'd move this sheet to the recently made OOC thread: roleplayerguild.com/topics/174221-end… @ArawakSame for you, preferably an updated version you might have written since.
BTW, as I said, you don't need to fill out every sub category. If some of those are irrelevant to your factions (and or included in the description of other subcategory) or you just don't feel like adding things to that it's fine. The primary aim is to let other players know the essentials of your faction.
@ProductSeems okay, although I'd skip the color tags and the use of code format because it feels a bit jarring. Colors were always optional (but I always used them) and most people learned to quote posts to get the bbcode of the CS scheme so the code tags are unnecessary.
BTW, given your example does it mean we can invent new tribes that don't have anything sourcing back to the lore? I mean we'd still use the same species and such but seems we can do fundamental changes so long it doesn't severely impact the overall story? I have no opposition to either approach, just asking for confirmation.
Another note, for a while now it is preferred that nationgames (and probably most roleplays) have a Discord chat server to facilitate more interaction. This isn't neccessary and there is a minority of people who think Discord servers distract people from the roleplay but just something I forgot to mention.
For ease of finding it I repost the sheet creation guide.
(SYMBOL/FLAG OF YOUR CIV - OPTIONAL)
YOUR CIVILIZATION'S NAME
GENERAL INFORMATION
Faction Overview
(Describe your faction in one or a few paragraphs. If you want you could also make an infosheet about the basic stats. Some examples: name, government type, capital, population, number of star systems owned, etc.)
Territory Overview
(You can describe your holdings here, what are the most notable locations in your empire? Also you could pick a code for identifying your Hypergate which has one letter followed by 3 numbers, example: A101.)
History
(Of course you can also tell the history of your civilization. It doesn't need to be novel length or I'd say this is even optional but eh, most players love to do this.)
SOCIETY INFORMATION
Demographics
(This is basically where you can describe your race(s). If there are more than one notable species or ethnicity you can of course talk about their ratios and overall relations to each other.
Cultural Overview
(The overall culture and mentality of your civilization. Are they pacifists? A warrior society? Perhaps they wish to preserve the environment? Feel free to introduce us to how your civilization thinks.)
Government Overview
(Of course you can't really forget the Big G here. How's your nation governed? Are there any unique elements to this? Who are the ones in power?)
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
Tech Overview
(Basically you describe your civilization's tech here. You can mention their overall development, which fields they excel in and which fields are weak.)
Notable Technologies
(If you have unique pieces of technology this is the place where you can talk about them.)
Industrial Overview
(Basically you can describe your industry here. Chief technologies employed, most important industrial areas. Strengths and weaknesses in the industry. Etcetera. I predict this subcategory is going to be ignored the most.)
MILITARY INFORMATION
Military Overview
(Basically this is where you can talk about your military in general. Use this as a sorts of intro and if you have things to say that don't belong purely to army/navy. Ignore this otherwise)
Army Overview
(Describe your army here, surface combatants, infantry, combat vehicles, atmospheric fighters, etc.)
Navy Overview
(Lastly your space navy, your ships and space combat doctrine. You aleady know what to do here.)
Use it as you want. I might also make this a faction index in the future for quick access.
"Space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people or a select group of astronauts. That's our new frontier out there, and it's everybody's business to know about space."
Welcome to Endless Horizon, the newest iteration of Guild's known brand of space nationgames. Create your civilization, explore space, meet others and strive for superiority. This simple concept what defines these games to which Endless Horizon is no exception. You start as a civilization relatively fresh to the stars wishing to expand to the other corners of the galaxy. To achieve this you'll need to develop your FTL infrastructure and to do so you'd require the unique material Eltreum. As a rare resource sought by everyone this quest could easily turn into conflict and this is before all the other aims and ideological differences. Wars are on the horizon before we could achieve true galactic peace.
Endless Horizon is a freeform and primarily narrative based nationgame. It emphatizes player interaction and pure roleplaying elements while eschews game mechanics. To join technically all you need just to post a nation sheet (see bellow) and have it approved by me or any of my co-GMs. In effect this means trying to insert a faction into this world that fits and potentially leads to interesting plotlines. Forum roleplaying is basically writing a collaborative story and there is a sorts of "honor system" in place of hard rules to keep this enjoyable for all parties involved. The end goal is to write a mutually engaging story rather than competing with each other for the first place.
As for the setting itself, in Endless Horizon you are supposed to be rising space nation still in process of exploring the Milky Way. Unlike most space opera worlds FTL travel is limited to between hypergates and the region covered by hyperfields. You have means of expanding the reach of your hyperfields but only through spending Eltreum which inspire you to further explorations. As outlined in the intro your civilization is supposed to be relatively "new" to interstellar travel. Galactic community has yet to be established and most players are going to be initially strangers to each other. First contact encounters will be fairly common. That doesn't mean you are forbidden to have relations with other players, just to a limited extent. Endless Horizon is a nationgame inspired by classic sci-fi shows and space opera. Rigid adherence to science is thrown out in favor of more exciting storytelling. That being said in a sense this game's take on sci-fi can be considered "low end". Firepower is more restricted (with planet razing and planetary destruction both being rare occurrences if any), more overpowered technologies are banned to prevent cheap abuses, space empires rarely exceed 10 systems in size and so forth. This is done in an effort to give more gravitas to your actions and overall enhance the feeling of the game while closing off a few classical plot holes. That being said the setting overall has a few unique quirks, starting from the FTL. Because of this maps are not neccessary and probably for the better as the Milky Way is too gigantic to accurately portray our tiny holdings. As for what else you should know I complied a list of lore posts you could read below (grabbed off Discord).
Official Lore Issue #1 --- FTL Travel Our universe somewhat overlaps with another, more chaotic world called the "hyperspace". This is represented in the appearance of the hyperspace rifts that connect the two realms. The universe normally does not allow faster than light travel of any kind but through manipulating the rifts it is possible to generate something called the hyperfield. Faster than light drives only work in space that is under the influence of hyperfield, no exceptions. Hyperfields themselves are mostly generated by the secondary function of hypergates, huge constructs made to exploit hyperspace rifts. Hypergates also allow near instantenous travel between each other. The galaxy is big, enough so that it takes an eternity to cross it without the use of FTL measures. As hyperfields only exist around hypergates it means interstellar civilizations only formed under their influence and the overwhelming majority of the Milky Way Galaxy is still unexplored. FTL mechanisms that coast in zones influenced by hyperfields are called hyperdrives. There are many popular methods of FTL travel with their own unique mechanisms, advantages and drawbacks. Some examples are: jumpdrives, warp drives, slingshot drives, submarine drives, etc.
Official Lore Issue #2 --- Hypergates Huge constructs built on hyperspace rifts made to exploit its features and facilitate FTL travel. Most hypergates were made by the Builders, an ancient race thought to be long extinct. Hypergates have two main functions. Upon activation they can generate hyperfields which allow FTL drives to function under its influence. Its second and perhaps chief function is to allow near-instantaneous travel between other hypergates. This function consumes Eltreum a strange and extremely rare substance thought to originate from hyperspace. Due to the additional difficulties most civilizations don't unlock the hypergate's travel functions until decades if not centuries, a period during which they develop their own local FTL travel measures. Whether this is intentional design by the Builders or just pure coincidence is unclear. Hypergates can connect to other hypergates for instant travel. Yet even if the transit is instant the establishment of the connection takes time, depending on the amount of mass transported. Large amount of ships take longer to send out than a few freighters. When two gates are connected no other gate systems can access these two. In addition when properly operated the staff serving the gate could both detect incoming connections and can measure the amount of mass and energy about to be transported, along with some other nuances. A skilled staff can easily determine if the incoming mass is a freighter fleet or a force of enemy warships. If threatened the hypergate has the ability to cut connection, preventing the enemy from using your own gate. Although it can not completely destroy the corridor and even if with some extra delay a channel opens to a section close to the outer bounds of your hyperfield. Meaning if the enemy is determined they could appear at your borders. Although given the delay most defense fleets have sufficient time to prepare against the enemy invasion. Currently the overwhelming majority of the ancient hypergate network are still dormant. In order to activate them you have two means. The easiest one is to discover a gate and have it manually activated on site. This naturally have problems when trying to reach distant gates. The second method involves lot of experimentation and cracking codes in order to remotely command another hypergate to open. This is rare and usually happens after analyzing ancient Builder ruins. Even so there aren't many civilizations that can claim they activated more than one hypergate on their own.
Official Lore Issue #3 --- Hypernodes As soon as hypergates were discovered most civilizations launch an effort to copy them. This is at times further assisted by archeological finds on Builder records but some reverse engineer gate technology on their own. Hypergates can be only established on hyperspace rifts, of course. Yet reusing the same technology offers an alternative: hypernodes. These "sub-gates" are smaller in scale and act as "boosters" to the hypergate's own field, expanding its range. Of course hypernodes are also effectively small hypergates and though to a limited extend but can transport ships between other gates. Yet their primary function is to expand the reach of the owner, allowing faster than light travel on a wider area. In addition they reinforce the field at the (former) outskirts, pushing the "border" that is in immediate danger of enemy attacks. Hypernodes do have a few issues, though. First, their construction and function requires a rare material called Eltreum. You can't have many hypernodes without a constant flow of Eltreum. Second issue is that hypernodes can't generate hyperfields on their own and rather amplify the one surging forth from the hypergate. If cut off from the hypergate the node is soon rendered useless. Large hypernodes used as the empire's infrastructure also require to be put on stable orbit in order to reduce errors and lessen the strain. Small node devices might be made mobile although with considerably reduced reach.
Official Lore Issue #4 --- Eltreum Strange material and principal resource for FTL technology. Eltreum can take many forms including minerals, liquid, gas or even plasma. That is because Eltreum refers to the material which traps "hyperspace energy" seeping into our world. Hyperspace is a realm without any of our conventional laws of physics. As such energy originating from hyperspace is imaginary, less like something measured in joules and more like a phenomena. Eltreum is the only way hyperspace energy can be acquired which is essential for technologies pertaining to hyperfields, especially for traversing gates and maintaining the node network. Eltreum can be effectively mined and while rare it tends to accumulate in specific deposits. The proper conditions that make a zone ideal for trapping hyperspace energy is unclear and still at the beginning of its research. After mining it the raw Eltreum is usually "refined" into more usable forms. Some may have even developed special condensers to store the extracted hyperspace energy. Conversely less technologically advanced civilizations might use Eltreum as it is without any refining process.
Official Lore Issue #5 --- Interstellar Warfare 101 Space is perilous and only thin slivers of the galaxy allow FTL travel so one could even ask: How to wage war between distant star systems? A zone under the gate's hyperfield influence is essentially an island. In order to cross the void between these islands one must rely on hypergate travel. This requires establishing a stable corridor within the depths of hyperspace which does take time depending on the amount of mass and raw energy to be transported. A large warfleet is unmistakable from a freight caravan and as such attempts to just pass straight through the enemy's gate is promptly blocked. This can be compared to cutting the cord. Yet just as severed cords can still transmit electricity it is plausible to "re-attach" the cut off corridor to the edge of the enemy hyperfield. As such during invasions the enemy nearly always drops out at the border. This somewhat makes the invader exposed yet a definite threat to which the defenders must respond to immediately. The ultimate objective of such a campaign is of course the capture of the enemy hypergate but before that in order to have a safer foothold they have to either build or capture a sufficiently large hypernode that allows them safe two way passage. With a node of their own warfare gets simpler and not much unlike fighting at home. Also while it could be tempting to shut down hypernodes to deny the enemy's advance it rarely if ever works out. Most fleets have mobile hypernodes that might be unable to transport ships but can still provide hyperfields for the drives to work. Rather than that the common denial method is through hyperjammers. These provide waves that interfere with hyperfields and temporarily nullify them. This is used both defensively to prevent the enemy advancing too deep into one's territory and offensively to prevent using FTL to escape. Space warfare tend to be a little telegraphed. Gate activation can sends out an early warning, FTL activity is easy to detect and ships are mostly unable to use their FTL drives for interplanetary distances, reducing in-system travel to slower than light methods.
Official Lore Issue #6 --- The Builders Ancient civilization thought to be traveling the galaxy before the birth of the younger races. Also called the Gatebuilders they are responsible for making most of the currently existing hypergates. Builders are thought to be long extinct albeit some fringe theories say they must have left the galaxy or ascended to a higher plane of existence. Others even think that the Builders are alive but hidden, watching over the young races like gods. Nobody knows the truth since the only evidence for the Builders are ancient and at times millions of years old ruins of the once great galactic civilization. Due to the scarcity of information relics and archeological finds about the Builders are highly valued. Furthermore while heavily degraded it is possible to find logs and semi-functional devices that could help improve a nation's own efforts in science. Many believe that researching Builder artifacts could lead to the discovery of even more advanced measures of hyperspace travel. With the ongoing race for FTL development it also means a race for exploring Builder ruins, even if such ventures might be misguided.
This is a non-exhaustive list of things that you might be restricted to do or possess during this game. Most of these are for balance reasons and to keep the power creep low. A few are aesthetic choices that was voted by the community prior. You can talk with me if you have an idea that might require exception to these rules. I am considered a flexible and reasonable person so if your idea happens to be good and don't break the setting it indeed could get a pass. Also like I said this list is non-exhaustive which means there are items not specifically listed here that might be troublesome. I'll notify you if there is something that might require tweaking so don't worry. I work with you, not against your ideas.
Firepower is at the 'lower end" Many who aren't so engrossed in space opera settings might find this confusing so I clarify. In sci-fi you could have simple warships that can wipe out planetary populations, blow up planets and do other crazy feats. This isn't exactly such a setting. Ship firepowers are still in a range where nuclear devices could be considered a impressive (at least in pure energy output) and while orbital bombardment is devastating it does not invalidate ground invasion by regular troops (unless you are really willing to spend extreme amount of effort to raze the surface so it usually isn't practical). To some extend the same applies to ground combat, you really don't wish to make mushroom clouds the standard visuals after weapons fire. Possibly this limit on firepower can be also followed up by a general unwillingness to use weapons of mass destruction too liberally. Oh and naturally planetbusting superweapons are generally not something I'd allow for this game.
Rules on FTL Drives As said before you are free to invent whatever local FTL you use: warp drives, jump drives, anything. But your FTL drive can be only useful within the influence of hyperfields, no exceptions. Gate travel is utilized to travel between distant places. Another limitation is on the so-called "FTL combat". While micro jumps and similar maneuvers are fine they should have drawbacks. Casual short range or interplanetary FTL usage should be mostly absent. FTL weapons are also more of a curiosity than something you'd commonly rely on. Without these restrictions, space combat would be weird and not really what most players would want. And I repeat, no FTL drive usage outside of hyperfields. Without this some players would get a cheap edge at exploring the galaxy.
Only moderate supernatural elements are allowed Supernatural powers are surprisingly prevalent in sci-fi. You often have random psychic characters, mind reading aliens, borderline gods and so forth. Supernatural adds to mystery and can be valuable when the author wants to have religious themes. I can't ignore this trend but I can limit its problematic impact for the game. Psychic abilities are allowed but it must be relatively subdued. Mind control and such easily abusable abilities are not something you're supposed to be capable of. Telepathy is fine but don't think of it as a free pass at trying to communicate with others. And no matter how amazingly gifted your psychics are, their powers can't just outpace technology. Lastly as per sci-fi traditions even supernatural abilities are something that can be understood by sufficient science, devices to control it should be plausible. Psychic doomsday weapons that take over planets from a distance or anything similar? Yeah, you gotta nix that. Outright use of magic is also something that might irk people the wrong way so unless you have a really fitting idea, try to avoid that. This is still science fiction, not science fantasy.
Terraformation is heavily restricted Some science fiction settings (and especially 4X games) have incredible technologies that can quickly transform lifeless rocks into lush garden worlds. This obviously devalues planets and has strange implications on a civilization's industrial capabilities as a whole. To avoid this the only forms of terraformation allowed are slow and borderline realistic concepts. If you don't know much about those, google up topics about terraforming Mars as a starter. Of course the Milky Way as a whole has millions of potentially habitable planets but the number of those within the reach of your hyperfields is still very limited thus this renders planets a precious asset.
Godlike technological devices are banned Yeah, this is worded a bit nebulously so let me clarify. When a technology is "godlike" it tends to have terrifying potential that could be easily a game changer. Such techs are "get out of jail free cards" per storytelling or means to hijack the plot due to their sheer dominance. Examples include devices that rewrite reality, time machines, mega constructs of particular type, grey goo style self-replicating nanomachines, mass replicator machines and so forth. By their existence these can tip the balance of power and while a milder variation of these might be interesting for future plots, godlike technologies get overboard with it. As you can guess it is case sensitive what counts as "godlike" and I am willing to engage in a discussion about these. Of course as a GM I have the final say but as I told, I am a reasonable person.
Alright, so you are intrigued by this game. What to do? Well, two things. First, join our Discord chat (link) to better interact with players there. Second, your application is done through making a sheet for your dear faction.
(SYMBOL/FLAG OF YOUR CIV - OPTIONAL)
YOUR CIVILIZATION'S NAME
GENERAL INFORMATION
Faction Overview
(Describe your faction in one or a few paragraphs. If you want you could also make an infosheet about the basic stats. Some examples: name, government type, capital, population, number of star systems owned, etc.)
Territory Overview
(You can describe your holdings here, what are the most notable locations in your empire? Also you could pick a code for identifying your Hypergate which has one letter followed by 3 numbers, example: A101.)
History
(Of course you can also tell the history of your civilization. It doesn't need to be novel length or I'd say this is even optional but eh, most players love to do this.)
SOCIETY INFORMATION
Demographics
(This is basically where you can describe your race(s). If there are more than one notable species or ethnicity you can of course talk about their ratios and overall relations to each other.
Cultural Overview
(The overall culture and mentality of your civilization. Are they pacifists? A warrior society? Perhaps they wish to preserve the environment? Feel free to introduce us to how your civilization thinks.)
Government Overview
(Of course you can't really forget the Big G here. How's your nation governed? Are there any unique elements to this? Who are the ones in power?)
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
Tech Overview
(Basically you describe your civilization's tech here. You can mention their overall development, which fields they excel in and which fields are weak.)
Notable Technologies
(If you have unique pieces of technology this is the place where you can talk about them.)
Industrial Overview
(Basically you can describe your industry here. Chief technologies employed, most important industrial areas. Strengths and weaknesses in the industry. Etcetera. I predict this subcategory is going to be ignored the most.)
MILITARY INFORMATION
Military Overview
(Basically this is where you can talk about your military in general. Use this as a sorts of intro and if you have things to say that don't belong purely to army/navy. Ignore this otherwise)
Army Overview
(Describe your army here, surface combatants, infantry, combat vehicles, atmospheric fighters, etc.)
Navy Overview
(Lastly your space navy, your ships and space combat doctrine. You aleady know what to do here.)
You don't necessarily have to follow this. There are many styles to write a sheet like this and everyone has their favorites. I just find this form aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand your sheet need to describe the four key topics in a somewhat satisfying manner: general info, society overview (including race), tech overview and some information on your military. With this both me and other players can properly envision your faction which is important for roleplays. Once sufficient number of civilization/faction sheets are approved we can start the IC. I'll probably make the opening post there.
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