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Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars RPG - Game Development

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On 10/25/2020 at 11:36 AM, Kintobor said:

What I’d like to see for our galaxy is an inner and outer rim, sort of like Star Wars. The inner rim are worlds set in stone, a little bit. They have named major spaceports, ecosystems, and inhabitants, as well as culture laid out. These planets are designed to be open enough that game masters have enough liberty to explore these planets and the stories on them easily enough, while maintaining a consistency to them. If you’re familiar with Age of Sigmar, think of Inner Rim planets like that games Realms: defined enough so you get an idea of what the planet is like, but vague enough for there to be room to explore.

The Outer Rim is a space for game masters to go wild and design whatever they like. Over time I imagine the Inner Rim expanding to include planets from the Outer Rim. We can in game explain this as a wiping of records and space maps in a recent conflict by some hostile force, and now the planetary routes need to be charted again. :classic:

Nurglings got into the wiring, I don’t know. :laugh:

I think this is a great idea!  I think it would also allow more freedom for settings for future GMs as they can essentially create their own planet its many accommodations to fit their story.:thumbup:

Also my apologies for being inactive the past three weeks or so, I have been quite busy with things so I need to catch up with the recent discussions haha.

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Well I was thinking about we probably need someone to keep track of the "monsters" in the game and I thought of this...

stitch_one.png

Well hello there, I am Stellhorn. I maybe a simple clone but when I was researching my family tree, I found out that some people might consider "us" (my family and me) big trouble makers. But, I also found other trouble makers that could be considered just as troublesome as my family members, and I figured someone should help educate everyone on these potential threats. I eventually convince the "powers to be" to set up a database of these threats. And like any good evolving database it is open to new information. And if your information is considered good enough to be added (after approval) you can get a finder's fee. 

 

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Major Nation Lore

 

Spoiler

The League of Independent Planets

Liberty Begets Prosperity

Overview
  Rather than being a single nation, the League of Independent Planets is a loose confederation of smaller nations joined in a 'free association'.  Formed primarily from various Republics, Democracies, and Constitutional Monarchies, the League has been pervaded since its founding by an ethos of individual liberty, and seeks to spread that ethos throughout known space by whatsoever means necessary.  How free the nation truly is is a matter for debate however, as the largest founding nations and powerful multinational corporations hold outsize influence in the Grand Assembly.
  It was just two decades ago the League and its allies fought a major war against it's largest rival, the Pluravvian Empire.  The Five-Year War, as it would later be known, would become the defining event in modern astropolitics.  From the first many members of the League were against the war- sentiments that only grew as the tide turned against them.  But, unexpectedly, a reprieve came when the Pluravvian advance suddenly ground to a halt.  While there were those who wished to press this sudden advantage, the anti-war faction finally won out- especially once the Empire offered to sign a treaty with the League and end the war.  This treaty would become known as the Drandora Accords, and it soon grew from a treaty to end the war to a document to permanently secure peace in the Arm.  Following these negotiations however, over a third of the League's members chose to withdraw from the body, stating that the League's pursuit of such a violent, destructive conflict was unacceptable and that they no longer wished to remain associated with it.
  Now, with the League's Bicentennial fast approaching, they find themselves in an uncertain position.  The League is economically prosperous but politically divided, it's armies humiliated but still influential, it's members united even though many seats in the Chamber of the Grand Assembly remain unoccupied.  The League is in an era of growth, but many wonder how long the good times can last.

Government

Spoiler

  The central legislature of the League is a unicameral parliamentary body known as the Grand Assembly.  Directly elected from League member states in proportion to population, the Assembly is supposedly the highest level of League government.  They are responsible for managing foreign relations and drafting inter-member legislation that does not fall under the purview of more specialized bodies- which is very little in practice.  They also maintain the 'power of the purse', the legal authority to regulate League finance, which they have often used as leverage over other bodies in the League even when denied more explicit means of regulation or oversight.  The Leader of the Assembly, known as the Prime Minister, is selected from its members via sortition- a process some claim is designed to undermine the power of the Assembly, while others say it preserves the equality of its members.
  The next two bodies of the League government are the Unified High Command (UHC) and the Economic Oversight Committee (EOC).  Both share the same structure- members are appointed directly by sub-League governments to a fixed number of seats divided equally between those permanently assigned to the main founding nations and seats that cycle between the other League members every five years.  It is these bodies that possess the most power in League government, though they still require the Assembly's approval to enact any legislation.  They do however have the power of veto over any legislation that impinges their respective areas of concern.
 The UHC is responsible for coordinating between the various national militaries and intelligence agencies of the League, as well as operating a small fleet of warships donated by member states- in practice most of those warships are unofficially commissioned by the UHC beforehand- and the so-called 'New Model Army' comprised of volunteers from across the League.  Their duties normally consist of border patrols and pirate hunting, but in times of war they become the logistical center of one of the most diverse militaries in the Arm.
  The EOC on the other hand are responsible for the League's internal commercial activity.  In charge of the regulations on corporations, labor unions, customs, and civilian transportation throughout the League, the EOC is the beating heart of the bloodstream of League commerce.  They work closely with sub-League governments to ensure economic prosperity, and operate a number of think-tanks to devise more efficient methods of securing economic growth.
  In recent years both of these bodies have come under fire- the UHC for it's mishandling of the Five-Year War and perceived jingoism, the EOC for being overly favorable to rich corporate lobbies, and both for being effectively dominated by the interests of the founding nations- with their detractors wishing to devolve more power to the elected legislature.
 There have been occasional attempts to establish similar bodies to coordinate police forces and scientific research, but with the former now covered by the ITA and the latter not being very popular to begin with this is not likely to occur.

Society

Spoiler

  Most people would say that the League is a pretty good place to live.  While this is true, it's not all there is to the story.  The League has no single official language, no proscribed cultures, and no overarching structure enforcing cultural conformity.  As a result, while there has been a degree of homogenization through sheer proximity, most League members have maintained their individual customs without much difficulty.  The largest cities and space-habitats of the League, on the other hand, are true melting pots.  The streets are lined with signs in hundreds of languages, and the sounds of hundreds more fills the air- whether they originated in the League or not.  Legally speaking citizens are guaranteed the rights of freedom of speech, of worship, of equality before the law, and of private ownership.  This is not to say that the League is a utopia- far from it.  Access to health services, anti-poverty measures, and the sanctity of personal privacy are all things that vary wildly across the League's members, something the richest members of society have been known to abuse to their advantage.
  Indeed the richest members of League society have an undue influence on League politics, with the pride of place going to the largest international corporations.  Their influence is felt in government policy, their presence reflected by the many advertisements lining the city streets.  Many times have high-ranking members of these organizations been accused of major financial crimes, only for the charges to be quietly dropped, or investigation stymied by the lack of large-scale coordination between the various national police forces.  The latter issue is only just beginning to be rectified by the existence of the Space Police, though time will tell how effective they really are.
  One enduring stain upon the League's history is that, although accession to the League has always been a voluntary process, in the period prior to it's foundation many of the states that would go on to join it engaged in what can only be described as imperialism, on their own planet or others.  The forcible subjugation of other peoples has ended since the founding of the League, and many of the formerly-conquered have gained independence, but not all have.  There are still those who feel they are in a state of subjugation- despite League-wide laws against discrimination.  After all, just because laws exist to ban something does not prevent it from happening, or change the fact that it has happened in the past.
  Politically the League's population is divided between several major factions.  Firstly there are the Prosperatists, an anti-war, pro-trade faction that currently forms the majority in the Assembly.  They believe wholeheartedly that peaceful interactions, cultural and political, between different peoples inevitably leads to economic growth and the creation of a peaceful consensus between rival groups, pointing to the League as an example.  They also believe that the role of the League is simply to maintain it's current structure and allow it's members to govern themselves as they see fit, though they also believe in maintaining individual rights.  However they have been criticized by their opponents for having an overly romantic view of the League's 'consensus' that doesn't match with reality, and for promoting policies favorable to large corporations instead of smaller businesses or individual workers.
  Next largest are the Consolidationists, who share their anti-war stance the Prosperatists but are otherwise very different. For one thing they are much more firmly anti-UHC and EOC, arguing that they have far too much power that should be devolved to the Assembly.  Another talking point of theirs is the goal of peacefully readmitting former League members who seceded following the war.  They're also distinctly against the current structure of the League, arguing for a more centralized, 'federal' model with proper departments and government services.  This is not so popular amongst people who take the founding myth of the League to heart, or amongst people who like how their particular nation is being run and worry that a federalized League will actually be less responsive to their needs.  It doesn't help that the Consolidationists seem to be more than a little enamored of the government structure of the Pluravvian Empire, particularly it's more technocratic elements.
  The third largest faction in the Assembly are less of a single party and more of a coalition of smaller parties with broadly similar goals.  A generally anti-corporate pro-worker faction divided on the issue of League centralization and exactly which branch of the economy is the most important.  There are the Statists who comprise the 'intellectual' faction who are in favor of centralization, the Unionists who represent industrial workers and wish for decentralization along 'cooperative' lines, and the Agrarians who represent agricultural workers and are more concerned with reforming the existing League than making sweeping changes.  The lack of internal cohesion has lead to a new divide forming between those who sympathize with the Pluravvian rebels and those who found the bloodshed impossible to support, with only the Agrarians being firmly in the latter camp.  The rest of the parties in the Assembly are minor interest groups (regional, cultural, and religious).
  One political faction that has no major party to represent them are those who feel betrayed by the secessionists, those who feel robbed of victory against the Empire, and who wish to reunite the League into a single unitary body.  This 'New Force' as they call themselves are starkly militaristic and believe in the idea of the League as a single state, a concept without historical basis.  Devoid of any clear policies they only seem unified by a desire to 'punish the traitors and smash the Empire'.
 Thankfully this brand of militaristic insanity is not very popular among the League's citizens.
 May it stay that way.

History

Spoiler

 The modern League had its beginnings in two very disparate organizations.  One was the Hesperian Pact, a military alliance comprised the victors of the short but destructive War of the Seven Colonies.  The other was the Demosthenes Customs Union, a loosely associated trading bloc that straggled across it's namesake star-cluster.  Whilst these organizations were founded separately, they shared many members between them, and the external allies of one were often also the economic partners of the other.  Over the years of their separate existence the two organizations grew both in size and their entanglement with one another.  Thus it was that when, approximately two-hundred years ago, they and their external partners decided to unify their various agreements and compacts into a single structure it was less a sudden development and more an official acknowledgement of this process.  The date of this agreement would later become celebrated throughout the League as 'Foundation Day', a symbol of unity for all it's members.
  There was a reason for this unification besides simple convenience though, or even a desire to project influence.  For on the horizon, just beyond the edge of the League's influence, lay the mighty Pluravvian Empire.  For centuries the Empire had been slowly but steadily expanding in both territory and influence, and it was thought by the League's founders that the unification would allow them to better resist Imperial influence than if they stayed apart.  This worked better than expected, as the newly founded League proved highly appealing to star-nations that wished to avoid falling into the Empire's sphere.  As more and more of these nations joined, the League slowly became more hostile towards Pluravvia, all while slowly growing until they had become the Empire's greatest rival.
  This state of tension came to a head twenty years ago, when a small League flotilla on pirate-hunting operations in neutral territory was accused of violating Pluravvian space.  The League naturally responded with the assertion that no such violation had occurred, with the discussions grinding to a halt as both sides refused to give an inch.  The situation deteriorated further when the League flotilla in question were fired on by an Imperial squadron sent to 'escort' them from the area.  This would ultimately prove the final straw, with the Empire officially declaring war two days later.
  The Five-Year War, as it would later be known, would prove to be the most destructive war in League history.  Although the first year of the conflict went well for the League, with the aging Imperial fleets pushed back across all fronts, they soon found themselves overextended and boxed in by the Empire's superior strategic capabilities.  Slowly but certainly the League's offensive collapsed in on itself, until it became a rout following the disastrous Battle of Van Ferde when the center of the League's line, led by Admiral Enwillion Calferion, was outmaneuvered and destroyed by a much smaller force.  By the fourth year of the war the League had not only been pushed out of Imperial space, but significant portions of the League were occupied by invading Pluravvian forces.  By this point the constant string of defeats had soured much of the population's opinions towards the war, and already there were calls to end it not only from the electorate, but also significant portions of the Assembly.
  Towards the end of the war's fourth year however the Pluravvian advance began to slow, with several ships being recalled to Imperial space throughout to deal with internal unrest.  It was early in the fifth and final year of the conflict that the Imperial advance not only stopped, but their forces began a rapid withdrawal.  The reason for this soon became apparent, as news reached the League that a major rebellion had erupted in the Empire.  While there were those who advocated striking back while the Empire was distracted it was clear by this point that the League was in no shape to continue the fight.  When Pluravvia offered not only a ceasefire, but an opportunity to come to terms and end the war once and for all, the Assembly ultimately leapt at the chance.  The negotiations to outline the treaty were held at Port Drandora, a neutral space-station well away from the territory of either nation, and would eventually result in the creation of the Drandora Accords.  The terms of the treaty were defined both by the Empire's need to secure military assistance to defeat the revolution, the League's need to secure economic aid to rebuild, and their various allies' and trading partners' desires for a more stable and prosperous Arm.  By the time the Accords were signed, both major combatants had committed to mutual military assistance and membership in the newly-formed ITA.
 Though the war was over, the political turmoil it engendered continued to persist in the Assembly.  Some of the League's members had felt little enthusiasm for the war even before it began to turn against them, with this number only growing as it dragged on.  Others found themselves objecting to the fact that they were now obliged to assist the Empire in crushing the revolution, feeling a greater degree of solidarity with the republican rebels than with the empire they'd just been fighting.  And of course there were those who simply resented having to shoulder an oversized (to them) part of the burden of paying for reconstruction efforts.
  When the first one of these states succeeded the immediate response was sheer confusion.  When the second followed them the reaction was more subdued.  By the time the seventh left the announcement was greeted with an air of resignation.  While nearly all of these newly re-independent states willingly and rapidly reaffirmed their commitment to -and continued membership of- the ITA, they made it clear that they no longer felt like the League was looking out for their best interests.  This left a feeling of resentment in the minds of those who remained, who felt that the secessionists wished to reap all the benefits of the Drandora Accords while shirking the costs of remaining with the League.  Indeed, the sudden withdrawal of over a third of the League's members seriously hampered reconstruction efforts in damaged territories, leaving the people there especially hostile to the secessionists.  Unfortunately for the League the right of any member to withdraw was enshrined in it's founding documents, meaning they had no legal recourse to prevent it save bureaucratic delaying actions.  There were a few who suggested leveraging military force to make them reconsider, but at this point the remaining leadership was unwilling to risk another war so soon.  And so they were left with no recourse but to sit back and watch as the League was diminished.
  As an unexpected consequence of this, the League was forced to seek greater cooperation with the Empire in rebuilding the territories they had damaged in the first place.  This, along with the pivotal role played by League Expeditionary Forces in defeating the rebellion, proved only the first step towards even closer cooperation between the two powers.  By the time reconstruction was completed and the rebellion was destroyed the two had become firm partners, to the point that the League's recently-established 'New Model Army' is modeled heavily on the Imperial Armed Forces- to the point of possessing near identical officer training programs.
 Nowadays the League is richer and more influential than ever before, though at a terrible cost.  Whether this can last however, remains to be seen.

The Pluravvian Empire

Tradition, Honor, Loyalty

Overview
  Ruled from the planet Hi-Pluvvon, from the Imperial capitol of Strivvec-An, The Empire of Pluravvia and Her Most Loyal Protectorates is the largest (and some would say most prestigious) contiguous nation in known space, it's influence and power only rivaled by the League of Independent Planets.  For centuries the various castes that make up the Empire have been lead by the guiding hand of a procession of divinely-mandated Empresses and Emperors- with only the occasional disasters and wars to disrupt things.  Not all citizens were satisfied with this arrangement however, and over time discontent would slowly grow amongst the lower castes.
  Twenty years ago, Pluravvia and her client states were driven to defend themselves against League aggression in what would become known as the Five-Year War.  It was partway through this war that the tensions boiling beneath the surface of Pluravvian society would erupt in revolution.  No longer capable of fighting a major war, Pluravvia made peace with the League at the now-famous Drandora Accords, turning the full might of it's armies to crush the uprising.
 Today the Empire is at peace. The economy is strong, the rebels are (mostly) pacified, and their former enemies -the League- are now firm allies.  Still, issues persist.  Underground societies plot against the throne, criminal elements are on the rise, and the Margraves have become dangerously independent. Still, Pluravvia has faced worse before, and the Empire, like a phoenix, has always been born anew.

Government

Spoiler

  The highest authority in the Empire, the Anointed Absolute Ruler of all Pluravvia, is of course Empress Zimaar herself.  Ascending to the throne less than a month after the end of the Five-Year War she has yet to face any major challenges in her reign, and after the chaos of the war it is hoped this peaceful course will continue.  According to Imperial doctrine the Empress (or Emperor as the case my be) rules on behalf of the gods by divine mandate, and the monarch is merely an interpreter of their will.  In practice the gods aren't very communicative and the Imperial Throne is left to rule as it sees fit.  The succession is determined by appointment, with the appointee usually being chosen either by the monarch or someone with influence over them.  The succession is so important to the Empire that civil wars have occasionally been fought over it.
  Under the Empress's direct command are the Imperial Censors.  Led by an appointed Seneschal (who is also the designated regent) the Censors are charged with rooting out corruption in government. They possess absolute authority to dismiss, arrest, or execute officials they find guilty of abusing their position.  Although officially they are only answerable to the Empress many of the more unscrupulous members take bribes either to ignore corruption or find it where it does not exist.  Also under the Empress's command are the Imperial Guard, who are separate from the national armed forces and posses their own versions of its many branches.  Their most infamous soldiers are the Resplendent Guard, the Empress's personal bodyguard and (occasional) secret police.
  The Empire's executive branch is the Imperial Chancellery- led by a Chancellor appointed by the throne, the Chancellery is divided into six ministries whose leading ministers are also appointed by the Empress.  These appointed officials together form the Cabinet, which administrates the ministries and proposes legislation to the Convocation.  The ministries and their responsibilities are as follows:
  The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of promotions, demotions, and appointments of Chancellery officials, as well as the granting of titles.  They also administrate the Imperial Education Service and the Propaganda Bureau.
  The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for collecting taxes, minting money, conducting the census, and overseeing agriculture, customs and tariffs, the Border Security Bureau, and the Revenue Crime Investigation Bureau.
  The Ministry of Ceremonies oversees the official religious rites of the nation, maintains a register of licensed priests, oversees protectorates, and conducts foreign relations.
  The Ministry of War controls the national armed forces.  This includes army, navy, aerospace, intelligence, and gendarmerie branches- as well as the postal service.  They are also responsible for the appointment of Margraves.
  The Ministry of Justice administers the judiciary and the penal system.  They also run the Public Force- the nation's police- and the Public Safety Bureau- the Chancellery's secret police.
  The Ministry of Works maintains public infrastructure- public transportation, hospitals, orphanages, firefighters, waste disposal- as well as the official weights and measures.
 The national legislature of the Empire is the Convocation, a unicameral body divided between a small number of appointed seats representing the Margrave-ruled military districts and the feudal sub-kingdoms of the Empire, and a larger number of elected members representing the Departments that form the Empire's main administrative divisions.  In addition to passing legislature and possessing power of the purse, the Convocation also holds some power over the Chancellery.  They can recommend appointments to the Empress, conduct interpellations of officials, and even force members to resign with votes of confidence.  The General Secretary, an official selected by the Convocation to act as it's head, is responsible for maintaining order in it's proceedings.
  Following the recent war and subsequent rebellion the number of Margraves- appointed rulers of special 'Military Districts' deemed too unruly or depopulated to be governed normally- has risen following the creation of new military districts in areas that rose in rebellion against the Throne.  This has caused the number of Convocation seats held by Margraves to rise proportionately, while diminishing the number assigned to elected officials.  While not enough to form a majority, this expansion to their numbers has turned them from a archaic oddity into a faction that must be appeased- to the chagrin of many.
  It is important to note that, although officially possessing absolute power, the Throne's actual authority is often more dependent on the cooperation of the Convocation and the Chancellery than anyone would like to admit.  Indeed throughout the Empire's history the are many examples of Empresses and Emperors who were effectively held hostage to the whims of one or more powerful figures in either body due to either personal obligation, emotional manipulation, the threat of force, or the ruler simply lacking political clout or a desire to rule.

Society

Spoiler

  Caste is everything in Pluravvia, it determines what work can you do, what education you receive, where you can live and even who you can marry.  Founded along with the Empire, the system supposedly divides society based on the necessity and moral value of each occupation.  In practice, while it once allowed much more social mobility, the system has solidified into an extremely rigid hierarchy based mainly on ancestral decent.
  The pinnacle of this hierarchy is the Throne and the Empress (or Emperor) who occupies it.  A being without equal (even should they choose to marry their consort remains a lower caste), their role as intermediary of the gods gives them absolute authority over the Empire and its inhabitants.
  Immediately beneath Her is the Priesthood, a category that includes everyone from the poorest mendicant to the richest pontiff.  While the Empire has no state religion, all members of this caste are required to profess the Throne's divine mandate.  However despite their pride of place the priests do not rule the empire (though some may dabble via proxy), indeed they're barred from worldly politics altogether.  Government instead falls to the next lowest castes.
  These castes are the Aristocracy (ranging from high nobility to the servants of other aristocrats) and the Merchants (who can be anyone from shopkeepers to the heads of powerful family businesses).  These two castes have the right to vote, to hold government office, and to assume commissioned rank in the military.  However there are some differences between them.
  Aristocrats are the old blood nobility of the state, a warrior-scholar-bureaucrat class where each individual is expected to be able to command troops, administer territory, and be skilled in the arts.  Not all attain this height, but this cult of Artaan, 'excellence', is the defining feature of the caste.  The merchants were, by contrast, once the lowest caste. Concerned with the buying and selling goods other people had made, they were once held as little better than criminals.  However the total monopoly on the filthy business of commerce granted to them eventually allowed many merchants to acquire immense power and wealth.  Most of this wealth is concentrated in the Raikaan, massive family-owned cartels each controlling their own banks, trading companies, and criminal organizations.  The power the merchants had amassed threatened to destabilize the system, and they were eventually raised to the same status as the aristocrats- creating a cultural divide in the upper class that still persists to this day.
  The lowest castes are, in descending order, the Peasants and the Artisans.  The peasants are the agricultural laborers and resource extractors of the Empire, granted marginally higher status due to their role in providing the nation with the raw material it needs to survive.  Socially the peasants themselves range all the way from rich landlord farmers to poor migrant workers, with many stages of wealth in between.  Artisans are the lower of the two, tasked with turning the raw produce of the peasants into finished goods.  While many are still self-employed most nowadays are factory workers with little hope of advancement.
  It is these two castes, the most populous in the Empire, that formed the main body of the rebellion.  Though minor uprisings against unjust local nobles have occurred in the past, and every caste has fought in wars to overthrow one Emperor for another, fears of damnation for going against the true divinely-appointed monarch and centuries of cultural conditioning saying that the aristocrats are indeed superior had previously stymied any thought of removing the Emperors entirely.  However extended contact with the League, and events such as the Elevation, have somewhat undermined the legitimacy of those ideas.  They have prompted such questions as 'Why are things this way? Is this really the best way of running things? Is the Emperor really appointed by the gods?'.  Although the rebellion is crushed, these ideas remain.
  In the Convocation there are two major factions, which do not necessarily fall along the Merchant-Aristocrat divide.  The first, who were in power before the war, are the Reformists.  While they share some of the populist ideals of the peasant revolutionaries they are considerably more moderate, wishing to gradually abolish the caste system, extend the franchise to the lower castes, and grant language and cultural rights to suppressed national identities while keeping the same economic structure.  They are also extremely militaristic and pro-Empress in their ideals, wishing to preserve the power of the throne and establish a Pluravvian hegemony in the Arm.  Following the war they have largely been abandoned by their supporters due to the perception that they are responsible for a pointless, bloody war and subsequent rebellion.  The other faction, the one currently in power, are the Rationalists.  A distinctly anti-war, pro-commercial faction, they swept into power on their promises to reform the caste system to ensure there would never be another rebellion.  How exactly they plan to accomplish this is uncertain, but the lower castes are not particularly enthusiastic about these promises.
  While not an official policy of theirs, it's a well-circulated rumor that they wish to establish a written constitution and restrict the powers of the Empress- and placing most of it in their hands.  These rumors obviously have no substance to them though, the Empire just fought a civil war to maintain Imperial authority, and it's not like they'd be able to go against the Empress so blatantly.
  Right?

History

Spoiler

 

  Prior to the founding of the Empire, the planet of Hi-Pluvvon was occupied solely by scattered polities of the Ytaxxi, a species that was notable for it's degree of sexual dimorphism and little else.  Divided as they were, they proved unable to form any lasting alliance on even a near-planetary scale.  Unlike some of their closest neighbors, who took advantage of this situation to prey on the relatively weak Ytaxxi.  This state of affairs remained unchanged until the arrival of an alien species known as 'The Benefactors'.
  These Benefactors, as they called themselves, were the most advanced species the Ytaxxi had ever encountered- possessing technologies and magics far beyond anything they had encountered before.  The official histories state that, upon first encountering the Ytaxxi and seeing their sorry state, the Benefactors took pity on them and came to their aid.  They taught them their science and magic, they built new infrastructure on a planetary scale, they brought an end to the thousands of years of division that had plagued the Ytaxxi, they created the cultural institutions that would maintain stability in the new state, and- finally- they genetically modified the leaders of the Ytaxxi to enhance their 'superiority'.
  Having completed their work, the Benefactors informed the Ytaxxi that they were no longer needed and, with a final blessing, left for parts unknown.  Whereupon the Ytaxxi, armed now with the gifts of the Benefactors, turned upon the neighboring species that had once abused them so, subjugating them under the rule of Arvvir, the first Empress.
  Following it's initial expansion, the Empire would enter into an extended period of 'organic' growth, more focused on the cultivation of tributary states than on military conquest (though they were never afraid to dabble in that area too).  Most of the Empire's accessions during this period were nominally peaceful, with local aristocratic traditions being fairly easily absorbed into the Empire's feudal structure.  Indeed, aside from the occasional campaign to pacify the neighboring O'Kor'uk whenever they got too rowdy, most of the armed conflicts the Empire suffered during this period were internal in origin.  This was a side effect of the aforementioned feudal structure, as while the reliance on local leadership made the administration of such a large swathe of space that much easier, the private armies raised and the bureaucrats appointed by these local rulers were often more loyal to them than the throne.  The most disastrous of these internecine conflicts were the succession wars, fought whenever the heir to the Throne had a claim weak enough that someone else could challenge it.
  Two-Hundred years ago one such war, known as The War of the Six Pretenders, would bring an end to the feudal system following the ascension of it's victor- Emperor Calaxxis- to the throne.  Seeing the destruction wreaked upon the Empire and wishing to prevent anyone from challenging his rule or that of his successors he set about dismantling the feudal fiefs and replacing them with the Convocation, the Chancellery, and the Departments- with only his most important supporters being spared the loss of power and territory.
 However not all was well, as at the same time in a different part of the Arm a group of disparate states, fearing the continued growth of the Empire's power, united to form what would become Pluravvia's greatest rival- The League of Independent Planets.  At first the Empire was not particularly concerned with the existence of this upstart coalition somewhere far from their borders, but as the League grew in members and economic clout the Empire was increasingly forced to treat it as an equal.  This proved rather contentious within Pluravvia itself, mainly because it implied that imperial society wasn't the supreme form of civilization.  But not all Pluravvia's troubles were external.
  Since the Empire's founding the merchants had been considered the lowest caste, known for consorting with criminals and being little better than thieves themselves.  But as time went on more and more wealth became concentrated in the merchant caste, particularly in the massive hereditary Raikaan cartels.  By the time of the League's founding the merchants were so wealthy that they surpassed many aristocrats, many of whom found themselves in dire need of loans only the merchants could provide.  It was a hundred-and-twenty-four years ago that Emperor Tharvirmontilasis, having suppressed any dissenting voices in the Convocation, decided to solve this problem by granting the entire Merchant caste a status equal to the aristocracy.  This 'Elevation of the Merchants' was the defining event of it's generation, overturning the existing political establishment of the Empire and leaving aftershocks still felt today.
  Externally however the relations between Pluravvia and the League only continued to worsen, until- inevitably- they reached the breaking point.  The event that set off what would become known as the Five-Year War came just twenty years ago when a League flotilla on pirate hunting operations in neutral space became suspected of violating Pluravvian territorial void.  The League was quick to deny any such violation had occurred, but refused to order their ships to withdraw and soon discussions ground to a halt.  The situation would only deteriorate further when the League flotilla fired upon the squadron sent to escort them away from Imperial space.  This would prove the final straw, with the Convocation voting unanimously to declare war with the blessing of Emperor Haltaarzim.  Two days later, the most violent war in living memory began.
  At first things did not go well for the Empire, despite having more materiel and troops at their disposal the severely outdated Imperial Navy and Aerospace forces were decisively trounced by the League's modern navy at every turn.  However even as the League's fleets penetrated further into Pluravvian territory they found themselves unprepared for an extended campaign, finding themselves undersupplied and outnumbered.  Slowly but surely the war's fortunes began to turn in the favor of the Empire, with their destroyed ships being replaced by new, modern ones that could fight their enemies on a more equal footing. Finally, in the war's second year, things would turn fully in the Empire's favor following the victorious Battle of Van Ferde when a squadron led by Commodore Hypaxxus VIIIth outmaneuvered and destroyed the fleet spearheading the League advance.  By the end of the fourth year of fighting not only had the League been pushed out of Imperial space, but the Empire had occupied many of the League's planets.
  It was then, however, that disaster struck.  For years discontent had been growing amongst the lower castes and ethnic minorities of the Empire, with the Elevation only serving to make them more aware of how few rights they had.  Now, with the war claiming more lives every day and the peasants and artisans forced to take ever more of the burden of fueling the Imperial war machine, they had had enough.
 The first riots had occurred the previous year and had been subsequently crushed with little effort.  At first the rulers of the Empire were not particularly concerned, such events had occurred throughout the Empire's history and had usually come to nought.  However as the months dragged on and the riots became larger and more frequent they began to fear for their safety, even withdrawing troops from the frontlines to protect vital centers of the Imperial war effort.  Finally, near the end of the fourth year of the war, the first uprising occurred on Hi-Pluvvon itself.  Though the uprising was swiftly put down, news of it spread throughout the Empire in spite of the Chancellery's best attempts to prevent it.  Soon the Empire was up in arms and local garrisons were swiftly overwhelmed throughout it's territories.
  Almost at once the Imperial advance ground to a halt, entire fleets and planetary garrisons were recalled to the Empire to put down the uprising, and by the third month the League had regained all their lost planets without firing a single shot.  The rebels had not been idle in the meantime either.  Though many isolated uprisings were quickly snuffed out the largest groups had been able to consolidate control over vast swathes of territory and, with the help of defectors from the Imperial forces, had built up a sizable arsenal.  The loyalist forces were in desperate need of allies and- in an ironic twist- decided to petition their former enemies, the League of Independent Planets.
 To their shock the League proved more than willing to meet with them to discuss terms, and after a short period of deliberations they chose Port Drandora to be the site of negotiations.  In what would become known as the Drandora Accords, the League committed itself to providing mutual military aid in return for the creation of a unified international body for economic regulation and policing unclaimed space- the ITA.  However, the League's assistance would not be enough to turn the tide by itself, especially since they were still recovering from the war and could not fully mobilize to fight the insurrection.  Thus the Empire turned to one last resource.
 Since the beginning of the rebellion the rebel forces had been divided internally between various different groups.  Seeking to exploit this division the Empire set about contacting various members of the different factions, offering them clemency or to listen to their grievances in return for their assistance.  While many did not accept these offers, enough chose to surrender, turn informant, or even defect outright to severely divide the rebel forces- and sow distrust between the remaining rebels.
 With their former enemies now on their side and their current enemies fractured the Empire possessed an advantage that it proceeded to leverage with ruthless efficiency.  Within a year of the signing of the Drandora Accords the rebellion was decisively crushed.  Those who decided to defect to the Empire were doomed to disappointment however, as the promises of increased rights made by the Reformist government were ignored by the Rationalist government elected after the war.  Instead their homeworlds were placed under the control of a series of new Margraves appointed by the Ministry of War- along with every other planet that rose in rebellion.
  Emperor Haltaarzim would not live to see this however, dying of a stroke shortly after the Drandora Accords were signed.  It would be his niece- his chosen successor- who would oversee the end of the rebellion and the reconstruction of the Empire.  Under her rule the Empire has strengthened ties with the League and the ITA, creating the most formidable power bloc in known space.  The economic recovery programs pursued under her rule have played a major role in the Empire's rebuilding- and allowed them to aid the League with their own reconstruction.
 How much of this is actually attributable to her though is a matter of debate, as many of these programs were devised by General Secretary Haskarinvospertensis with no input from her.  As to the former rebels, despite being pacified and divided their initial grievances have not been addressed.  Instead they are now ruled over by a series of new Margraves with essentially unchallenged power over their districts.
  The Empire's future, once so bright, is now uncertain- one can only hope the shades of night do not close on it forever.

 

 

 

Edited by Duvors

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@Lord Duvors

This looks interesting (and I am particularly curious about what you have planned for the "Benefactors", and what relation they may have to the Ancient Empire), but I do worry that such extensive history might be overwhelming for new players. Would it be possible to make a distilled version of the overall history (things that all characters would know), and either put the full version into an (in-universe) archive or use it as background lore for future quests (or a combination of both)? Also, topical paragraph breaks would improve readability (e.g. "Overview", "Government", "Culture", etc). Additionally, I have a few minor suggestions: 
Change the name of the "Ombudsmen" to something less Earthlike and more straightforward - Perhaps "Observators"? This fits the overall linguistic style and the theme of either fighting corruption or being
 corrupt, while remaining sufficiently alien-fantasy. 
Change the name of the Imperial Diet, as the term is too closely-associated with European history to see as the governing body of an alien race (for me, at least). My suggestion would be "Congregation", as it has religious connotations that fit the semi-theocratic Imperial government. 

 
I also have a few general questions and notes: 
Which pieces are you using for Male and Female Ytaxxi, respectively? 
What is the overall timeline for these events (both internal League/Imperial history, as well as the War and aftermath thereof)? I have a good bit of lore/backstory written, but much of it is timeline-dependant. 
Do you have any more ideas for Blackstar? If so, I would like to incorporate them with mine. 
What, if any, companies and organisations do you have in-mind for the game? I have ideas, but not much is set in stone (aside from Blackguard Security and IRIS Data Services). 
What is science like in this universe? Blackstar's Research division is the only one that I have not developed (lore-wise), because I am not sure what concepts are going to be used (aside from the general information about Etherium, "Druidic Sciences", and Jump Gates/Quantum Gateways). 
Do you have a name in-mind for a species that uses the Chima lion heads? I am calling them "Xenyr" (pronounced "zen-EAR"), with their homeworld being "Xenyr Prime", but I am open to other suggestions. Additionally, are there any plans for vampires in this game? I ask, because I have a character who uses a vampire head, but is a member of a reptilian, rather than vampiric, species. I want to make sure that I do not contradict anything. 
 
Edited by Classic_Spaceman

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31 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

@Lord Duvors

This looks interesting (and I am particularly curious about what you have planned for the "Benefactors", and what relation they may have to the Ancient Empire), but I do worry that such extensive history might be overwhelming for new players. Would it be possible to make a distilled version of the overall history (things that all characters would know), and either put the full version into an (in-universe) archive or use it as background lore for future quests (or a combination of both)? Also, topical paragraph breaks would improve readability (e.g. "Overview", "Government", "Culture", etc). Additionally, I have a few minor suggestions: 
Change the name of the "ombudsmen" to something less Earthlike and more straightforward - Perhaps "Observators"? This fits the overall linguistic style and the theme of either fighting corruption or being
 corrupt, while remaining sufficiently alien-fantasy. 
Change the name of the Imperial Diet, as the term is too closely-associated with European history to see as the governing body of an alien race (for me, at least). My suggestion would be "Congregation", as it has religious connotations that fit the semi-theocratic Imperial government. 

Thanks! I'm still on the process of writing this so expect to see changes and additions in the near future. Your worries about this being too extensive for a simple introduction to the two factions echo my own doubts and I'll probably write a more condensed version when I'm done. I'll probably adopt your suggestions on formatting too.

The Benefactors have no particular relation to the Ancient Empire, they're a different species and stick around longer. They're probably still present in some capacity even if they no longer interact with younger species much.

The name changes you've suggested are very good. To be honest I chose the names I did specifically to evoke the image of older European institutions, to give the empire a feeling of being antiquated and traditionalist as opposed to the more modernistic League.

31 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

 

 
I also have a few general questions and notes: 
Which pieces are you using for Male and Female Ytaxxi, respectively? 
What is the overall timeline for these events (both internal League/Imperial history, as well as the War and aftermath thereof)? I have a good bit of lore/backstory written, but much of it is timeline-dependant. 
Do you have any more ideas for Blackstar? If so, I would like to incorporate them with mine. 
What, if any, companies and organisations do you have in-mind for the game? I have ideas, but not much is set in stone (aside from Blackguard Security and IRIS Data Services). 
What is science like in this universe? Blackstar's Research division is the only one that I have not developed (lore-wise), because I am not sure what concepts are going to be used (aside from the general information about Etherium, "Druidic Sciences", and Jump Gates/Quantum Gateways). 
Do you have a name in-mind for a species that uses the Chima lion heads? I am calling them "Xenyr" (pronounced "zen-EAR"), with their homeworld being "Xenyr Prime", but I am open to other suggestions. Additionally, are there any plans for vampires in this game? I ask, because I have a character who uses a vampire head, but is a member of a reptilian, rather than vampiric, species. I want to make sure that I do not contradict anything. 
 

The 'Alien Trooper' and 'Alien Pilot' heads from Alien Conquest. The ruling caste would use the alien 'leader' heads from the same wave.
I have no clear timeline for either. I deliberately left that vague to be fleshed out later. What I do know is that the reforms of Emperor Calaaxis occur before the formation of the League (which only formed about two centuries back) and the Elevation of the Merchants occurs after it. The War officially lasts five years but the cease-fire occurs three to four years in and counting the Pluravvian Civil War as part of the same conflict can extend it anywhere from six years to 'still in progress' depending on how you define 'war'. 
I have no plans for Blackstar or any other non-state actor at this point. I wanted to get the major nations in a finished state before all else.
Nothing has changed from my initial lore post.
Not sure. The only ideas I have revolve more around terminology than specifics. I have some ideas for metaphysics and the traditional four elements but that requires further research on my part.
You'll have to ask WBD about all that. I have no ideas myself but none of my ideas are official anyways. The only measure of 'cannon' at this point is what WBD decides to use.

Edited by Lord Duvors

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On 11/9/2020 at 10:48 PM, Lord Duvors said:

So as to get this out of the way I'm going to write out my current thoughts on the League and the Empire. The Orcs should no longer be considered a major faction.

Oof so that's a lot to get through. :laugh: I appreciate the deep dive, but I'm right there with Classic_Spaceman, we need a condensed version. This is the type of stuff you could run a whole questline on. I do like the attempt at offering balanced views on the pros and cons of the factions. You've definitely done that with the League (individual freedom, but with the price of no overall structure to limit abuses of the system), but I didn't see a whole lot for the Empire (caste system keeps everyone in their place for the most part, but ???). If we can rough those big picture items out, I think that gives folks enough of an understanding that if they ever wanted to dive deeper into the "why" a faction is the way it is, they'll have a good starting place.

19 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

I also have a few general questions and notes: 

Which pieces are you using for Male and Female Ytaxxi, respectively? 
What is the overall timeline for these events (both internal League/Imperial history, as well as the War and aftermath thereof)? I have a good bit of lore/backstory written, but much of it is timeline-dependant. 
Do you have any more ideas for Blackstar? If so, I would like to incorporate them with mine. 
What, if any, companies and organisations do you have in-mind for the game? I have ideas, but not much is set in stone (aside from Blackguard Security and IRIS Data Services). 
What is science like in this universe? Blackstar's Research division is the only one that I have not developed (lore-wise), because I am not sure what concepts are going to be used (aside from the general information about Etherium, "Druidic Sciences", and Jump Gates/Quantum Gateways). 
Do you have a name in-mind for a species that uses the Chima lion heads? I am calling them "Xenyr" (pronounced "zen-EAR"), with their homeworld being "Xenyr Prime", but I am open to other suggestions. Additionally, are there any plans for vampires in this game? I ask, because I have a character who uses a vampire head, but is a member of a reptilian, rather than vampiric, species. I want to make sure that I do not contradict anything. 
 

The idea, as Lord Duvors suggested, is that the "end" of the war is still relatively fresh. The Empire is the old established power, the League is much newer. There are other smaller factions and still some planets that have been untouched.

What's your overarching theme for Blackstar, what role would they play in the setting? While it's good for players to have some background fleshed out that does some worldbuilding, if you're thinking giant shadow corporation that influences everything, it's easier to get other people's buy in by showing it to them in quests as opposed to simply suggesting everybody accept a giant piece of written backstory as canon. It's like in Heroica 1.0, if the Syndicate/Proggs never had any quests, but Endgame demanded everything he wrote about the Syndicate/Proggs into his character's backstory be taken seriously and built upon by everyone else. Basically, if you want people to be invested in/acknowledge your piece of background story and world-building, be willing to "show" it and not simply "write" it. The rule of thumb, is the more you want your world-building to interact with other players, the more you have to be willing to work to get their buy in. :classic:

Science is a mix of magic and technology, magitek is probably a good theme for it. Some cultures definitely emphasize one over the other. Traditionally star travel was more fueled by magic, with technology slowly catching up or being integrated with it.

Currently no plans for the Chima lion heads specifically, I've been roughing out a mammalian species called Kimerans, which are the result of a druidic science experiment gone wrong that granted a planet's animal species sentience. They'd use the Chima mammal figures, but I'm not glued in to using either the plane heads or just the "masks". Are you thinking your race would use the "masks" or the plane heads?

The undead will be an established race, probably more zombie/skeletal than vampire. Which vampire head are you thinking? There's a lot. :laugh:

On a different subject, has anyone else had a lot of success with building non-humanoid (i.e. head, 2 arms, torso, 2 legs) aliens convincingly? I'm trying to figure out a way to easily include multiple arms/legs/different types of torsos without having to resort to "custom" measures or it looking robotic.

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1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Oof so that's a lot to get through. :laugh: I appreciate the deep dive, but I'm right there with Classic_Spaceman, we need a condensed version. This is the type of stuff you could run a whole questline on. I do like the attempt at offering balanced views on the pros and cons of the factions. You've definitely done that with the League (individual freedom, but with the price of no overall structure to limit abuses of the system), but I didn't see a whole lot for the Empire (caste system keeps everyone in their place for the most part, but ???). If we can rough those big picture items out, I think that gives folks enough of an understanding that if they ever wanted to dive deeper into the "why" a faction is the way it is, they'll have a good starting place.

Thanks! To be honest I can't really think of any overall 'positive' qualities for the Empire. I suppose the stability they provide and public access to education, healthcare, and other services would all be points in their favor, but they're ultimately a repressive police state. To be honest I'm not really thinking of them in terms of pros and cons but rather as settings for adventures. Since this game doesn't involve players competing with one another on behalf of the in-game factions (unlike, say, Guilds of Historica in the Historic Themes section) I feel I can get away with it. I do intend to have a reformist faction present once I'm actually finished, but they'll be in the minority at the time the game starts.

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

On a different subject, has anyone else had a lot of success with building non-humanoid (i.e. head, 2 arms, torso, 2 legs) aliens convincingly? I'm trying to figure out a way to easily include multiple arms/legs/different types of torsos without having to resort to "custom" measures or it looking robotic.

This guy has a bunch of figbarfs that use some really interesting techniques, for both humanoid and non-humanoid characters. I also found this. The build is digital but it think it's possible to make in real life (aside from colors). And Ivan Martynov makes some truly weird creatures (his polyp series is a favorite of mine).

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10 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

Thanks! To be honest I can't really think of any overall 'positive' qualities for the Empire. I suppose the stability they provide and public access to education, healthcare, and other services would all be points in their favor, but they're ultimately a repressive police state. To be honest I'm not really thinking of them in terms of pros and cons but rather as settings for adventures. Since this game doesn't involve players competing with one another on behalf of the in-game factions (unlike, say, Guilds of Historica in the Historic Themes section) I feel I can get away with it. I do intend to have a reformist faction present once I'm actually finished, but they'll be in the minority at the time the game starts.

This guy has a bunch of figbarfs that use some really interesting techniques, for both humanoid and non-humanoid characters. I also found this. The build is digital but it think it's possible to make in real life (aside from colors). And Ivan Martynov makes some truly weird creatures (his polyp series is a favorite of mine).

But that's just it, these are the two major factions in the setting and while the players may not have to pick a side, it automatically relegates one side to mostly the "bad guys" of the world and I'd rather we didn't paint it with that broad of a brush, as it creatively pigeon holes an entire chunk of the setting into a specific role. Hence why I think we keep things high level, with pros and cons, and let different QM's get into the nitty gritty. As far as pros go for the empire, I think one could argue that they've ordered their society in such a way that things are simply more efficient. Everyone is working for the good of the community and each-other and yes there will be disproportion comparing the top to the bottom, but the society as a whole values contentedness and peace over ambition and ingenuity.

The fig recommendations are awesome, thanks! This definitely helps inspire some more ideas I've figbarfing.

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I was thinking of some Easter egg like item(s) if you played an other game(s). The basic story is:

Throughout the Galaxy mysterious monoliths appear and disappear throughout the lands. No one knows why they come and go, all anyone can tell is the monoliths occasionally redirects energy to somewhere and they seems to come in five different colors. Anyone who spends time near a monolith feels like their spirit is fully restored. 

What I was thinking besides that they automatically refills magical powers is that they could also be used for a type of sanctuary, for example if the party needs to sleep, camp near one of the monolith(s). But what I had in mind for the monoliths, I might not be able to do all five colors, probably just three. Incase anyone is wondering what the colors are: black, white, red, green and blue. Plus their could be multiple types of the same color, kinds like the game I am thinking of, hopefully I will get one (or more) made and be able to show a picture of them. 

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On 11/23/2020 at 3:33 PM, Lord Duvors said:

The Benefactors have no particular relation to the Ancient Empire, they're a different species and stick around longer. They're probably still present in some capacity even if they no longer interact with younger species much.

I knew that they were a different species, but I wondered if they were perhaps engaged in some kind of conflict with the Ancient Empire (or what is left of it). For example: The Benefactors and the Ancient Empire grew into galaxy-spanning civilisations with powerful weaponry, so any direct conflict between them would result in mutually-assured destruction. Thus, they fight each other by starting proxy wars between "lesser" civilisations (of which the Five-Year War is one). Since the Ancient Empire originated in the Euripides Arm, the Benefactors chose to elevate the Ytaxxi with the intention of their eventually coming into conflict with the Ancient Empire's descendants (or something of that nature). 

BTW, how are you pronouncing "Pluravvian" and "Ytaxxi"? I say "plure-AVIAN" and "yih-TAXI". 
 

On 11/23/2020 at 3:33 PM, Lord Duvors said:

The 'Alien Trooper' and 'Alien Pilot' heads from Alien Conquest. The ruling caste would use the alien 'leader' heads from the same wave.

That is what I had suspected, but I wanted to be sure. 
 

On 11/23/2020 at 3:33 PM, Lord Duvors said:

I have no clear timeline for either. I deliberately left that vague to be fleshed out later. What I do know is that the reforms of Emperor Calaaxis occur before the formation of the League (which only formed about two centuries back) and the Elevation of the Merchants occurs after it. The War officially lasts five years but the cease-fire occurs three to four years in and counting the Pluravvian Civil War as part of the same conflict can extend it anywhere from six years to 'still in progress' depending on how you define 'war'. 

OK. How does this look, as a rough general timeline? 
 
Pre-War History 
Pharsian Unification: ~300 Years ago. 
Calaxxian Reformation (Pluravvian Empire): ~200-300 Years ago. 
MagneTronics Engineering (MTE) Founded: ~200-250 Years ago. 
Pharsian Plague Emerges: ~250 Years ago. 
League of Independent Planets Formed: ~200 Years ago. 
Tanaxxis Guild Founded: ~200 Years ago. 
Ocquos Mining Founded:~150-200 Years ago. 
Elevation of the Merchents (Pluravvian Empire): ~100-150 Years ago. 
Ocquos Mining and Tanaxxis Guild Merger: ~100-150 Years ago. 
FreeSpace Founded: ~30 Years ago. 
Blackguard Security Founded: ~28 Years ago. 
 
Five-Year War 
War Begins: ~25 Years ago. 
Official Duration: 5 Years (Ending ~20 Years ago). 
Blackstar Triad Formed: ~23 Years ago. 
Nendara Gate Collapse: ~3-4 Years after the start of the War (~21-22 Years ago). 
Ceasefire (Drandora Accords) Signed: ~3-4 Years after the start of the War (~21-22 Years ago). 
Colonial Secession (League of Independent Planets): ~3-4 Years after the start of the War (~21-22 Years ago). 
Pluravvian Civil War Begins: ~3-4 Years after the start of the War (~21-22 Years ago) 
Puravvian Civil War Duration (Official): ~2-3 Years (Ending ~19 Years ago). 
 
 
When was the ITA/Space Police established? BTW, if you can come up with a better name for the precursor to the IRIS Data Network than "FreeSpace", let me know - It was all that I could think of, but I want something better. ?
 
On 11/23/2020 at 3:33 PM, Lord Duvors said:

Not sure. The only ideas I have revolve more around terminology than specifics. 

What terminology are you considering? 
@Lord Duvors

 

On 11/24/2020 at 10:57 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

Currently no plans for the Chima lion heads specifically, I've been roughing out a mammalian species called Kimerans, which are the result of a druidic science experiment gone wrong that granted a planet's animal species sentience. They'd use the Chima mammal figures, but I'm not glued in to using either the plane heads or just the "masks". Are you thinking your race would use the "masks" or the plane heads?

I am using the heads only, and they are not really "my" race - I only have one character in-mind who is a member of this species, and his being a Xenyr would not factor into the backstory (in earlier drafts, I just listed his species as "Space-Cat"). I simply wanted to know if they had a canon name. While I like the name "Xenyr" for this species, I am not sure what to call their homeworld (I am not fond of "Xenyr Prime"). 
Would you prefer to use the mask pieces for the Kimerans and have the Xenyr (and other Chima-head creatures) as a different species, or to have the Xenyr, et al as subspecies of Kimeran? 
 
On 11/24/2020 at 10:57 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

The undead will be an established race, probably more zombie/skeletal than vampire. Which vampire head are you thinking? There's a lot. :laugh:

I am using this head. 
 

On 11/24/2020 at 10:57 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

What's your overarching theme for Blackstar, what role would they play in the setting? While it's good for players to have some background fleshed out that does some worldbuilding, if you're thinking giant shadow corporation that influences everything,

While I am definitely developing them as a "giant shadow corporation that influences everything", they are not quite at that point yet (in-universe). I am trying to stay clear of their being overly involved in having shaped the galactic political and corporate landscape, by having them be founded a few years into the War (thus keeping them from ending up being behind the War itself). One comment after Mission Zero that stood out to me, was that my attempts at worldbuilding and giving Yelana some background often made the quest feel like it was taking place in "Yelana's world", for some players. Despite the fact that I am helping to develop 2.0, I do not want players and QMs to feel that my main faction determines the course of the entire game. 
Additionally, my goal is for Blackstar to be a usable faction for players and QMs (rather than just background, like the League and Empire), so I am mainly focused on laying groundwork and writing backstories for a few NPCs and the members of the Quorum, but still leaving things open-ended (I do not have a specific arc in-mind for either Blackstar or Yelana, as I want them to be developed by the course of the game). 
My strategy thus far has been to write Blackstar's actions "between the lines" of existing material (For example: The FreeSpace network (the precursor to IRIS) facilitated the simultaneous rebellions in both the League and the Empire, because it allowed for a means of communicating and coordinating that was not monitored/controlled by the respective governments (Additionally, I believe that Blackstar used the FreeSpace network to help incite these rebellions (possibly in order to put a stop to the War), since I find the coincidental timing of multiple insurrections on both sides of the conflict to be improbable, barring outside interference). Blackstar smuggled weapons and supplies to rebels from both factions, Blackguard Security operated prominently during the War and rose to ubiquity after (as both League and Imperial militaries have been depleted to the point that outlying systems (and even some inner ones) are left unprotected), etc). 
 
On 11/24/2020 at 10:57 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

it's easier to get other people's buy in by showing it to them in quests as opposed to simply suggesting everybody accept a giant piece of written backstory as canon.

I am not experienced enough (yet) to run a quest, but I do actually have some ideas for one in-mind, for when I am ready. 
 

On 11/24/2020 at 10:57 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

It's like in Heroica 1.0, if the Syndicate/Proggs never had any quests, but Endgame demanded everything he wrote about the Syndicate/Proggs into his character's backstory be taken seriously and built upon by everyone else. 

I am not familiar with the Syndicate/Proggs storyline from 1.0, so I am not sure if the comparison is apt. ?
@Waterbrick Down
 
 
 
On 11/27/2020 at 8:25 PM, Viper Knight said:

Is heroica made by germany?

I am not sure what you are asking - Are you referring to the Pluravvian Empire taking significant influence from historical Europe? ?
 

Edited by Classic_Spaceman

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16 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

I knew that they were a different species, but I wondered if they were perhaps engaged in some kind of conflict with the Ancient Empire (or what is left of it). For example: The Benefactors and the Ancient Empire grew into galaxy-spanning civilisations with powerful weaponry, so any direct conflict between them would result in mutually-assured destruction. Thus, they fight each other by starting proxy wars between "lesser" civilisations (of which the Five-Year War is one). Since the Ancient Empire originated in the Euripides Arm, the Benefactors chose to elevate the Ytaxxi with the intention of their eventually coming into conflict with the Ancient Empire's descendants (or something of that nature). 

BTW, how are you pronouncing "Pluravvian" and "Ytaxxi"? I say "plure-AVIAN" and "yih-TAXI". 

Ah, no.  The Ancient Empire is dead and any functional remnants would be outside the known galaxy and incapable of influencing it.  As for size, neither Empire would, even that their height, comprise more territory than a single, moderately-sized League member state.  Besides, as much as I love Babylon 5 I'd rather not have an obvious ripoff of the Shadow-Vorlon conflict.  I much prefer the idea that the current crop of Astronations are independent actors so that their actions have more weight (and so that those responsible for fighting a violent war against the wishes of their populations are more culpable).  And anyway, I'm afraid the idea isn't usable now because you've articulated it in a publicly accessible thread.  This sort of thing works best when it's a major reveal and having it out in the open where anyone can see beforehand it kind of spoils it. :sceptic: In fact I never had any plans for the Benefactors other than using them as an explanation for the Ytaxxi having so many different craniums.  Now I think of it, making them a hive specifies would probably accomplish the same effect.

I've been pronouncing them 'plu-RAV-vian' and 'y-TAX-xi' (the 'y' as in 'you') respectively.

16 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

~History Stuff.

 
 
When was the ITA/Space Police established? BTW, if you can come up with a better name for the precursor to the IRIS Data Network than "FreeSpace", let me know - It was all that I could think of, but I want something better. ?

I see nothing wrong with your arraignments of events, but I have no idea what most of these events are.  You've thrown out a lot of words and names that have never appeared in this thread before and I'd like to know what you're talking about.

The ITA/Space Police were created by the Drandora Accords (I think I've mentioned that before) but probably took a few years to be properly established.

Edited by Lord Duvors

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16 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

What terminology are you considering? 

I've already mentioned everything specific I've thought of (spheres, druidic sciences), what I meant was that I had a specific conception of the methodology of names.  Essentially the idea is that a lot of the names for things would be influenced by 'magical' terminology that was developed in place of our 'scientific' terms.  Say, for example, saying 'Gramarye' in place of 'Theoretical Physics' or suchlike.

I imagine there would also be 'sciences' that don't exist in our world, largely based on fields of study that can exist due to the setting's premise.

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6 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

Ah, no.  The Ancient Empire is dead and any functional remnants would be outside the known galaxy and incapable of influencing it.  As for size, neither Empire would, even that their height, comprise more territory than a single, moderately-sized League member state.  Besides, as much as I love Babylon 5 I'd rather not have an obvious ripoff of the Shadow-Vorlon conflict.  I much prefer the idea that the current crop of Astronations are independent actors so that their actions have more weight (and so that those responsible for fighting a violent war against the wishes of their populations are more culpable).  

OK - I was simply wondering if there were a connection between the two, and if you planned to develop them any more. BTW, I have actually never seen Babylon 5, so any similarities between it and my ideas were purely coincidental! 
 

6 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

I see nothing wrong with your arraignments of events

Good. ?

6 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

but I have no idea what most of these events are.  You've thrown out a lot of words and names that have never appeared in this thread before and I'd like to know what you're talking about.

Here are a few writeups that I have finished: 
 
MagneTronics Engineering (MTE): A fixture in the galactic corporate landscape for over two hundred years, MagneTronics Engineering is the premier manufacturer of heavy machinery in the Euripides Arm. Taking both civilian and military contracts, MagneTronics' proprietary technology can be found anywhere from mining and manufacturing equipment to advanced weapons systems and maglev transit networks. In their capacity as the primary donor to the Nendara Relief Foundation, MagneTronics Engineering has begun to expand their philanthropic work - A move that many see as simply an attempt to improve their public image in the post-War era. 
 
Ocquos-Tanaxxis Energy Consortium (OTEC): The Ocquos Mining company was founded roughly one-hundred-fifty years ago from the unification of various smaller mining operations in League territory, but their rise to their current status as a major corporate power would come decades later, following a merger with an older cabal of Pluravvian fuel-merchants called the Tanaxxis Guild. In the wake of the so-called "Elevation of the Merchants" within the Pluravvian Empire, dealings with the Pluravvian merchant class became acceptable, despite the lingering perceptions of criminality. Now called the Ocquos-Tanaxxis Energy Consortium, often stylised as 'Oc\Tan', they are known as an immensely-powerful energy conglomerate that holds a near-monopoly on fuel production and distribution throughout the Euripides Arm. 
 
 
Pharsus ("FARCE-us") and Nendara factor into the backstories of a few of the characters that I am working on, and FreeSpace, IRIS, and Blackguard Security are connected to Blackstar. I will have those writeups (along with backstories for Blackstar Triad personnel and assets) completed soon. 

 
3 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

I've already mentioned everything specific I've thought of (spheres, druidic sciences), what I meant was that I had a specific conception of the methodology of names.  Essentially the idea is that a lot of the names for things would be influenced by 'magical' terminology that was developed in place of our 'scientific' terms.  Say, for example, saying 'Gramarye' in place of 'Theoretical Physics' or suchlike.

Ah, OK. ?
@Lord Duvors
 

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On 12/1/2020 at 5:44 AM, Classic_Spaceman said:

I am using the heads only, and they are not really "my" race - I only have one character in-mind who is a member of this species, and his being a Xenyr would not factor into the backstory (in earlier drafts, I just listed his species as "Space-Cat"). I simply wanted to know if they had a canon name. While I like the name "Xenyr" for this species, I am not sure what to call their homeworld (I am not fond of "Xenyr Prime"). 

Would you prefer to use the mask pieces for the Kimerans and have the Xenyr (and other Chima-head creatures) as a different species, or to have the Xenyr, et al as subspecies of Kimeran? 

My first preference would be the standard heads for the Kimerans vs the helmets as they're more animalistic and less alien-like (hence in keeping with the theme of animals evolved to the point of sentience as opposed to being a completing independent species). That being said the point of the Kimerans is that they are a newly recognized sentient species. Prior to a few years back, they were not considered intelligent/cultural enough to classify as worthy of intergalactic rights and protections. There would certainly be sub-species would certainly fit just fine.

On 12/1/2020 at 5:44 AM, Classic_Spaceman said:

I am using this head. 

No current plans for that head or vampires in general

On 12/7/2020 at 5:00 AM, Classic_Spaceman said:
What, if any, names have you thought of for major planets in the League (aside from Arcadia)? (I ask, because I am writing the Director of Blackstar's research division as coming from a prominent League planet). 
 

No names yet, I'm currently working on maps and intend to have a breakdown of 6-8 major planets utilizing the old Starwars ornament sets. :wink: They're more broken down by biome:

  • One planet is ice-filled and circles it's sun every 30 years and only has 1 year of thaw
  • Another spawns inorganic rock based life-forms and is more deserty in nature
  • The Kimeran's home planet is a fertile, junglesque plaent, more due to druid terraforming
  • There's a pair of ocean planets that periodically pass close enough to one another that people cross between the two very easily
  • A gaseous planet whose inhabitants exist in mostly liquid and gas forms
  • Something semi-analogous to earth, where elves/dwarves are from
  • Of course a planet based on industry
  • A split planet with no rotation, where half the planet is perpetually in the dark and the other is perpetually in the sun

 

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I feel like a Tortuga-esque pirate colony could be interesting. Not a place to go conquering, but a location that can facilitate a number of different story beats. I feel like a Handsome Jackpot Casino from Borderlands 3 vibe could be pretty engaging. The location is partially decked out with glitzy, kitschy neon lights, almost a 60's Las Vegas look, while the rest of the spaceport is seedy tunnels in the underbelly of the casino and flotillas of bulk cruisers and fighter jets of the smugglers and cutthroats that operate the locale. I feel like it could make for a fun returning locale. :classic:

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On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

My first preference would be the standard heads for the Kimerans vs the helmets as they're more animalistic and less alien-like (hence in keeping with the theme of animals evolved to the point of sentience as opposed to being a completing independent species). 

OK - That works. ?
The Kimerans would be the main, overarching, species of Chima-head creatures, with the feline subspecies being called ‘Xenyr’. 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

That being said the point of the Kimerans is that they are a newly recognized sentient species. Prior to a few years back, they were not considered intelligent/cultural enough to classify as worthy of intergalactic rights and protections.

This actually works well with some of the ideas that I had in mind. Falco Gray (the character in question) is a master of disguise, so perhaps he developed his skills in order to pass as members of other species (so as to avoid discrimination). 
 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

No current plans for that head or vampires in general

In that case, vampire heads can be used for a species called the ‘Valtar’: 
The Valtar species evolved on Valtar VII - the only moon of an outer rim gas giant to have a naturally-occurring ecosystem. The Valtar are a reptilian race known for their pale, scaly, skin and venomous fangs (though they are not snakes, nor related to any serpentine species). Yasha Rehji (co-founder of Blackguard Security and director of Blackstar’s Operations division) is a member of the Valtar. 

 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

No names yet, I'm currently working on maps and intend to have a breakdown of 6-8 major planets utilizing the old Starwars ornament sets. :wink: They're more broken down by biome:

These look good. ?

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

Another spawns inorganic rock based life-forms and is more deserty in nature

Would the rock monsters from Rock Raiders, Power Miners, Nexo Knights, etc come from this planet? 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

There's a pair of ocean planets that periodically pass close enough to one another that people cross between the two very easily

Perhaps the settlements on these planets could be constructed entirely underwater, as anything built on the surfaces would be destroyed by the tidal forces of the planets’ orbits. Additionally, navigating the system could be difficult, due to its gravitational conditions, and the only ways to enter the system would be via jump gate or sublight propulsion (a ship that enters the system at FTL would run the risk of hitting a gravity distortion and being destroyed). 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

A gaseous planet whose inhabitants exist in mostly liquid and gas forms

This looks very interesting - How do you plan to depict the inhabitants? 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

Something semi-analogous to earth, where elves/dwarves are from

Is this Arcadia, and would it also be the Human homeworld? 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

Of course a planet based on industry

MagneTronics Engineering’s headquarters and primary manufacturing facilities would be located on this planet. 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:24 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

A split planet with no rotation, where half the planet is perpetually in the dark and the other is perpetually in the sun

This also sounds particularly interesting. ?

 

@samurai-turtle: Do you have any plans for the War Bots/War Bot Network (from Mission Zero)? I ask, because I have some vague ideas for how to incorporate them into some future quest plots, but I wanted to make sure that you were not using them before I developed my ideas any further. 
 

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On 12/22/2020 at 8:33 AM, Classic_Spaceman said:

@samurai-turtle: Do you have any plans for the War Bots/War Bot Network (from Mission Zero)? I ask, because I have some vague ideas for how to incorporate them into some future quest plots, but I wanted to make sure that you were not using them before I developed my ideas any further.

Not too much, mostly just for communication with each other and to connect to local internet computers. But I have an idea for a cyber version (for a quest) I was thinking of calling it "War Bot Program". Is any of that helpful? Like I said before the main idea behind War Bot(s) is cannon folder and to distribute nano bots that they carry (to make more War Bots). 

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I have been messing around with some minifig combinations and I feel like I cannot get some nice combinations since my collection feels so limited.  I will have to get more stuff haha.  I especially tried messing around with the classic Boba Fett pieces.  They seemed like a great idea but there just seems something off with them, maybe it is too green?  I will have to look at some figbarfs for ideas, especially to accommodate the theme for different planets as someone who lives on an ice planet would dress differently than someone on a desert planet.

Are there any rules for third-party assets, like from BrickForge and BrickArms for example?  I am trying to stay away from those as not everyone has those types of things.

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I don't have a lot of pieces, but I have a few good minifigures! heres 2 few species I made!

- quasi-gram (semi-physical holograms) - clear heads, with mainly one color for their body.

- bloxxar (rock-headed humanoids) - 2X2 brick for heads, usually earthy tones. any torso and leg pieces, though many prefer greys. 

hope you like them!

dangerousdice, signing off.

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On 11/28/2020 at 1:29 AM, samurai-turtle said:

I was thinking of some Easter egg like item(s) if you played an other game(s). The basic story is:

Throughout the Galaxy mysterious monoliths appear and disappear throughout the lands. No one knows why they come and go, all anyone can tell is the monoliths occasionally redirects energy to somewhere and they seems to come in five different colors. Anyone who spends time near a monolith feels like their spirit is fully restored. 

What I was thinking besides that they automatically refills magical powers is that they could also be used for a type of sanctuary, for example if the party needs to sleep, camp near one of the monolith(s). But what I had in mind for the monoliths, I might not be able to do all five colors, probably just three. Incase anyone is wondering what the colors are: black, white, red, green and blue. Plus their could be multiple types of the same color, kinds like the game I am thinking of, hopefully I will get one (or more) made and be able to show a picture of them. 

Well I got around and made some monoliths, one for each color. A picture of all five monoliths... 

20210102_153648-1.jpg

For each color you would find in a different landscape: red is for mountain(s), green is for forest(s), blue is for island(s), black is for swamp(s) and white is for plain(s). If you want to see the monoliths separately the picture gallery is here... 

https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=544496 

 

Edited by samurai-turtle
fixing links

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6 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

20210102_153648-1.jpg

For each color you would find in a different landscape: red is for mountain9s), green is for forest(s), blue is for island(s), black is for swamp(s) and white is for plain(s). If you want to see the monoliths separately the picture gallery is here... 

https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=544496 

 

is that mtg reference? :)

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24 minutes ago, dangerous dice said:

is that mtg reference? :)

Basically yes, I imagine colors could be combined. Or even other colors can be used. But as you can see the "black" monolith is mostly brown. Mostly because I used my Ninjago "spinner" sets for inspiration. 

For those that don't know anything about Magic: The Gathering, you are playing a wizard like creature and you are summoning things but you need land(s) to cast "spells". And my thinking is how would the wizards get the Mana from the land(s). Why not use monoliths? 

On 1/1/2021 at 6:25 PM, dangerous dice said:

I don't have a lot of pieces, but I have a few good minifigures! heres 2 few species I made!

- quasi-gram (semi-physical holograms) - clear heads, with mainly one color for their body.

- bloxxar (rock-headed humanoids) - 2X2 brick for heads, usually earthy tones. any torso and leg pieces, though many prefer greys. 

For the first creatures it sounds like transparent (mini figure) parts would be used to make the guys. 

For the second creatures it sounds like Minecraft figures are being used. Maybe a picture of what you have in mind might help get you point across better. 

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