Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars RPG - Game Development

[Duvors]

@Waterbrick Down To be honest I'm only familiar with TOS myself.

I guess what I'm really objecting to here is making what appear to be personality types and cultural elements into something that defines every member of the species. The proficiencies are fine because you have a list to choose from, but the traits are going to be the same for every member of the species and ultimately a large part of what defines them. So I think some thought needs to be put into them.
I think having a google doc would be a great idea honestly!

@Goliath I'm not sure about using colored highlights in character sheets. I think that passions would probably best be represented as bonuses that allow you to go over the normal proficiency cap. If we have them anyway.

Also, I made some edits to the rules:

On 9/19/2020 at 8:44 PM, Lord Duvors said:

 

Player Character Registration
Traits: List traits gained from Species or Class here, You also gain one free generic trait

Character Points (10 Points)
-You may not have over 10 in any Proficiency, or 20 in any Attribute (bonuses from Traits or other Attributes do not count toward this total)

I added traits because we seem to have a consensus on adding them. I'm assuming that my idea of having a single generic trait for every character is accepted here, but that can be changed. The change to my levels cap idea was due to the fact that there are now multiple sources that allow you to go over the normal amount. I didn't add anything about gaining classes because I'm not certain if WBD's numbers for class levels represent points you need to spend or points you have accrued.

[Yzalirk]

@Lord Duvors

I just went with the colored text to avoid any additional text to the character sheet so it looks cleaner and less cluttered.

What will be the differences between Species / Class Traits and Generic Traits?  I want to assume that Generic Traits are simple stat and proficiency boosts, nothing too special.

[Waterbrick Down]

2 hours ago, Goliath said:

@Waterbrick Down @Lord Duvors

The more I think about it I think each race should just have their own unique trait based on biology, not proficiencies.  I think all proficiencies should be up to the player and how they want to play that character.  So if you want to be a Dwarf who is great at Arcana and knows nothing about Engineering or Insight, you can do just that!  Like I suggested before with being passionate about something and having a burning passion for something else, some way to indicate you excel at certain thing maybe .  I think your starting proficiencies should reflect your character and personality rather than because you chose to play so and so.  I think it will define your character a bit more and make them more unique.  Maybe I am just overthinking it too much? 

Here's an example:

??? Cycles old, Android
Vitality: 5/5
Strength: 1
Skill: 2
Smarts: 2
Spirits: 1
Proficiencies: Acrobatics 2, Athletics 3, Perception 1, Short Range Weapons 1

I just threw this example together pretty quickly so don't pay too much attention to how the points are distributed.  Anyways, the colors indicate that this Android excels at Acrobatics and Athletics.  Acrobatics being highlighted with orange indicates they are good at that.  Athletics being highlighted with red indicates that they are great at that.  Maybe when you perform a skill check with whichever proficiencies your character is passionate about they have a better chance of being more successful at it? 

I get the passionate thing, but isn't that what having a higher number represents? It just adds an extra layer of complexity for complexity's sake if we add "passions" on top of higher numbers. I'm curious how you would represent things like certain races being biologically stronger/stealthier/more perceptive outside of creating another system beside Proficiencies. Also it sounds like you'd prefer culture to be divorced from mechanics, or at least something that a player chooses to be consistent with as opposed to being required to be consistent with in terms of Proficiencies. Nothing wrong with that, it simply means your preference is for unique characters over consistent culture.  

2 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

@Waterbrick Down To be honest I'm only familiar with TOS myself.

I guess what I'm really objecting to here is making what appear to be personality types and cultural elements into something that defines every member of the species. The proficiencies are fine because you have a list to choose from, but the traits are going to be the same for every member of the species and ultimately a large part of what defines them. So I think some thought needs to be put into them.
I think having a google doc would be a great idea honestly!

Sure thing, see comment above about regarding unique characters vs consistent culture. The idea by having two proficiencies to choose from is to provide some freedom with culture, but not totally have it so wide open that consistency becomes difficult. Send me a private IM for a link to the Google sheet.

[Yzalirk]

40 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I get the passionate thing, but isn't that what having a higher number represents? It just adds an extra layer of complexity for complexity's sake if we add "passions" on top of higher numbers. I'm curious how you would represent things like certain races being biologically stronger/stealthier/more perceptive outside of creating another system beside Proficiencies. Also it sounds like you'd prefer culture to be divorced from mechanics, or at least something that a player chooses to be consistent with as opposed to being required to be consistent with in terms of Proficiencies. Nothing wrong with that, it simply means your preference is for unique characters over consistent culture.  

I suppose it would but I was thinking that the skills you tag have a better chance of being successful outside of combat.  If you fail that skill check, you can get another chance?  Not sure, it sounded like a fun little idea in my head.

I think with being biologically stronger / stealthier / perceptive we can can have traits like these:

Burly (+1 Acrobatics)
Light-Footed (+1 Stealth)
Eagle Eyes (+1 Perception)

Unless you have other ideas because I am not sure how some of them can be implemented without complimenting proficiencies.  I also find it much harder with the beastial races as a lot of them feel like they can have multiple of them.

I would also say that's a pretty accurate assumption.  I think going against the general norm can potentially create very interesting characters.  Sometimes that intelligent magic-affluent Orc is more interesting than the brutish rock-for-brains Orc.

[samurai-turtle]

The more things that get brought, the more I wonder how big the character sheet going to be.   

And I was wondering if any creature are going to be transdimensional in origin or from some type of cyber space. Because right now it sounds like everyone is just from a different planet. 

[Waterbrick Down]

4 hours ago, Goliath said:

I suppose it would but I was thinking that the skills you tag have a better chance of being successful outside of combat.  If you fail that skill check, you can get another chance?  Not sure, it sounded like a fun little idea in my head.

Perhaps, I'd imagine most skills (outside of weapon and magic) are used outside of combat, so they'd benefit all the time. Plus it's making a distinction between something that really isn't there to begin with. The 3 proficiencies you pick in the beginning I'd expect your character to be passionate about.

4 hours ago, Goliath said:

I think with being biologically stronger / stealthier / perceptive we can can have traits like these:

Burly (+1 Acrobatics)
Light-Footed (+1 Stealth)
Eagle Eyes (+1 Perception)

Unless you have other ideas because I am not sure how some of them can be implemented without complimenting proficiencies.  I also find it much harder with the beastial races as a lot of them feel like they can have multiple of them.

But that's pretty much what I've been suggesting, just not calling them traits, i.e. Elves can either start off with better Acrobatics or Culture. I guess I lump both biological and cultural proficiencies into the same bucket when it comes to character creation.

4 hours ago, Goliath said:

I would also say that's a pretty accurate assumption.  I think going against the general norm can potentially create very interesting characters.  Sometimes that intelligent magic-affluent Orc is more interesting than the brutish rock-for-brains Orc.

I completely agree, but if you don't have a bunch of brutish rock-for-brains Orcs in your setting to begin with, your smart magic-affluent Orc isn't really unique at all as there's nothing to compare to. In discussion with the wife earlier today, she made a good point about this being a Star Trek vs. a Star Wars thing. In Star Trek (outside the federation) most cultures go hand in hand with their race. The are isolated enough that there isn't a lot of diversity, thus proficiencies due to biology and culture are one in the same. In Star Wars, aside from unique exceptions most races and cultures have mixed to the point where culture and race can be more easily divorced. It's like comparing 21st century America culture to 1000 BC Euro-Asia cultures one is more probable to distinctness than the other. The trick is figuring out where we want this game to be on that scale.

[Duvors]

Right, here's my attempt at basic lore. As with the rules my thought processes are in spoilers.

Basic History

It is thirty years since the Pluuravian Empire and the League of Independent Nations went to war.
Twenty-seven since the newly unified Orc Clans caught both off guard with a surprise attack.
Twenty-six since Pluuravia and the League halted their advance with a united offensive.
And twenty-five since the war ended with the signing of the Drandora Accords.

With the Euripides Arm now having been at peace for more than two decades, people hope that this shall usher in a new age.
However, the Arm is still an uncertain place, the war having left the political sphere unstable. It is in this hopeful, uncertain place that we find Heroica.
Founded a mere two years ago by veterans of the war, Heroica is a mercenary company dedicated to providing the best service possible. With one major difference.
You see, the founders of Heroica could have found work at any mercenary company without much difficulty. However they found that the unscrupulousness of most companies distasteful.
Realizing that there may be more people with their skills both in need of money and sharing their scruples they pooled their resources together, purchased the necessary licenses and a disused hotel on Ebria station, and let it be known they were hiring.
Making only the most cursory background checks, Heroica is designed as a place where anyone seeking a new start can go. Demanding no fixed rates for service, their help is within reach for even the poorest should they desire it.
Having become well known for their quality in the short time they've been active, Heroica found itself growing rapidly. But the recent influx of new members raises one question. Will they remain true to their ideals?
Regardless, one certainty remains:

When You Need an Act of Heroism, We Are At Your Service.

Spoiler

So I'd say you've all seen the similarities already, so instead I'll talk about the differences.

Firstly, the war happened within living memory. This is done to give the story a distinct feel from it's predecessor. While the last game occurred at the end of a long period of peace with the tensions of the war fading (and in some cases being replaced by new ones) this occurs while the memory is still fairly fresh. I think however that I put it long enough ago that not every character's backstory has to connect to it.

Second, Heroica wasn't involved and is very new. There are two reasons for that. The first is that the organization will have a fairly different relationship with the rest of the world, lacking the immense prestige of the original. This makes it's reputation more reactive to the heroes's actions. No pressure. Second is to offer an explanation for why there are so few members currently and for the (hopefully) numerous new members that come in once the game starts.

You'll also notice I referred to the setting as the Euripides Arm, as in a galactic arm. The idea here is to have a lot of space to put things while leaving most of the galaxy unexplored. But having large parts of space unexplored can still be combined relatively easily with a pan-galactic setting, so confining the setting to the Arm isn't necessary.

Major Powers

League of Independent Nations
The League had it's beginnings as a collection of minor powers who banded together in order to resist larger aggressors. Over time as more planets joined the League grew to surpass many of the powers it once feared, becoming a major power in it's own right. The League is very committed to the idea that all it's members are independent nations. While this can lead to some degree of internal disunity in the International Assembly they still manage to act as a cohesive unit often enough to assuage doubts. Doubts are not assuaged however by the end of the war. While the Fortaan offensive was immensely successful, the stalemate afterwards made some believe the commanding officers dropped the ball somewhat. There are also those dissatisfied by the amount of territory ceded to the orcs, and with the lack of a proper resolution to what was supposed to be the final showdown with one of their oldest rivals, the Pluuravians. All the same, the League remains united and hopeful for a brighter future.

Spoiler

Your typical space America/EU, probably has most of the humans.

Orc Clans
Until very recently the idea of orcs at the head of a major power would've gotten more then a few laughs. Seen as little more than barbarians incapable of even ruling themselves properly, the orcs were mostly notable for sporadic raids against nations bordering their space. That all changed however when a single orc unified the clans under the infamous 'Red Banner' and lead them in an attack against their currently warring neighbors, only being halted by a desperate last offensive by their newly unified enemies. In a move that would've been unthinkable only a few years ago, the orcs were invited to a peace conference on neutral ground. Even more unthinkably, not only did they accept, but they agreed to retain their current borders and cease expansion, even agreeing to membership in the newly formed Interstellar Trade Authority. This was due to the unifier's sudden death and the need for the orcs to choose his heir. A few years and a new ruler on many have come to accept the orcs as a permanent fixture. However, many outside the clans wish for a return of the orcs to disunity. And though the new High King wishes for a more peaceful integration with their neighbors many are dissatisfied by the treaty's terms and wish to expand once more. Regardless, while the orcs were once at a disadvantage when dealing with others, now they speak from a position of strength.

Spoiler

Another difference here, the orcs weren't totally defeated. I like the idea of them being somewhat successful and the rest of the interstellar community having to deal with a major new player. I think there's plenty of quests that can come from that dynamic. Also, does anyone also have a good name for the orcish unifier?

Pluuravian Empire
The Empire is a major state ruled directly by Empress Zimar and the Imperial Parliament (elected by and from the most 'worthy' citizens) from it's capital on the planet Hi-Pluuvon. The Empire's story began decades ago with the planet's unification and it has been expanding ever since. Recently however several border incidents with the League of Independent Nations stemming from pirate hunting operations in neutral space lead to the Imperial Parliament (with the Empress's blessing) declaring war upon the League for 'Violating our Sovereign Territory'. In truth the war was a long time coming, as the two have been rivals ever since they encountered one another. Something about 'direct rule' vs 'individual sovereignty'. In any case what was supposed to be a quick victory turned into a three year stalemate until the orcs attacked out of nowhere, forcing the two powers into an uneasy alliance. Although propaganda says they won the war, the planets taken by the orcs say otherwise. Despite the ennui evoked by this major disappointment of a war and increasing calls to expand the franchise to less 'worthy' citizens the empire carries on as it always has. Lead by the guiding hand of the Empress, it is hoped that the empire will not only recover, but soar to ever greater heights.

Spoiler

I kind of had the Alien Conquest aliens in mind while writing this.

Organizations

Interstellar Trade Authority
The ITA was formed at the end of the war by both the major powers and a number of smaller nations present at the signing of the Drandora Accords, and the number of nations allowing to authority to operate in their space has only grown since then. Headquartered on Ebria Station, the ITA acts as an international commerce regulation agency, as well operating the immediately recognizable Space Police. The Space Police are the most recognizable element of the ITA, having been founded for the purpose of conducting anti-pirate operations in neutral space and enforcing ITA regulations. Additionally they act as an international coordination body for national police forces. However, the ITA is in fact a rather limited agency, acting more as a list of international regulations then as a distinct entity, most of said regulation being overtly favorable to the major powers. And the Space Police themselves are limited in jurisdiction to open space and certain space stations. And sometimes not even that, if the space in question is owned by any national government then the SP requires permission for each individual operation. Add to that the chronic shortages of money and personnel that plague any international organization and you begin to see how effective they truly are. That being said, there are many who see them as beacons of a brighter future. Perhaps they're right.

Spoiler

These are supposed to be the guys from LEGO's second space police line, as there's no a lot else one can do with bright green torsos with 'space police' written on them.

Black Sun Triad
At the Opposite end of the scale there are these guys. The Triad is a major criminal organization originating from a minor information trading group and are involved in every activity you can imagine. Lead by a mysterious triumvirate the Black Sun have made themselves the bane of police forces everywhere, with only the orcs being mostly free of them (though they're starting to expand there as well). They're also believed to be involved with Blackmore Security, a mercenary company that can be summed up as everything Heroica isn't. Whether or not they're connected though, the Triad's infamous three triangles strike fear into the hearts of many.

Spoiler

Guess who these guys are! Blackmore Security is inspired by a conversation from earlier in the thread and might act as a rival to Heroica.

The Thaumaturgic Society
Insular, mysterious, obtuse. These are all things that have been used to describe the Society. They aren't a religious organization, they aren't a research group, they aren't even a magical circle! Most people know more about what they aren't then what they are. In truth, the Society seems to be a group devoted to the study of Occultisim, the mystic science of psychic powers, secret knowledge, and things from different orders of reality. Although known for concealing much they can be surprisingly open when necessary or even just when they're asked. Most don't think to ask them anything though, not unless they need it. There's something forbidding about them that pushes people away unless they really need help. There are two things everyone knows however, one is their symbol, the other is their motto. As Above, So Below.

Spoiler

These are supposed to use the Exploriens symbol. They're an example of what Sandy did with the original game, using a recognized symbol for something entirely new.

Locations

Ebria Station
Located in neutral space at the crossroads of several major trade routes, Ebria is one of the largest and most cosmopolitan stations in the known galaxy. Built on the remains of a much older station of unknown origin Ebria has historically been neutral ground, a fact few nations are willing to jeopardize due to it's commercial importance. The fact that the station wasn't chosen to host the conference that ended the war was taken as a very odd snub by most of the citizens. It's nature has made it the headquarters of a number of commercial groups including the Interplanetary Banking Association, the ITA, and others. The station has it's own government and police forces (though many believe them to be in the pay of several major corporations) and cooperates extensively with the Space Police. This hasn't stopped the station from becoming a hub of interstellar crime, with many gangs using it to smuggle goods and information through this space (it's also a tax haven, which attracts a different kind of criminals). The station remains prosperous, but only time will tell how long that will last.

Spoiler

I'm not satisfied with the name, but it's the best I could do.

Drandora
A minor planetoid in the Draida Belt, Drandora is most notable for two things, acting as a major resupplying station, and hosting the site of the Drandora Accords. It's sudden importance has revived it's popularity as a tourist destination, something it hasn't been for ages with locals and foreign companies scrambling to take advantage.

Arcadia
One of the major planets of the League, Arcadia is home not to one, but three native species. Although humans, elves, and dwarves can be found throughout known space all records seem to agree on Arcadia being their world of origin. Littered with relics of the mysterious 'Ancient Empire', Arcadia is host to many nations of the three 'cousin species'. It is also notable for having acted as the command center of the League military during the war, and has become highly militarized as a result.

Spoiler

This is meant to be Earth. Not as in 'Earth in the future/past' but as in a stand-in that's reasonably similar. I immensely dislike the idea of setting this in 'our' universe because of how bizarre that actually becomes if you think about it. Where did magic come from? Why are there species that look like they came straight out of fantasy novels, down to having the exact same names? Why don't the spaceships follow Newtonian physics? I'd honestly rather divorce the setting from such assumptions to begin with. The last game didn't need Earth to justify the presence of humans and I don't see why this one would.

All of the categories above can be expanded or contracted or changed entirely to suit the needs of the game and the preferences of the designers. These are just what I could think of.

30 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I completely agree, but if you don't have a bunch of brutish rock-for-brains Orcs in your setting to begin with, your smart magic-affluent Orc isn't really unique at all as there's nothing to compare to. In discussion with the wife earlier today, she made a good point about this being a Star Trek vs. a Star Wars thing. In Star Trek (outside the federation) most cultures go hand in hand with their race. The are isolated enough that there isn't a lot of diversity, thus proficiencies due to biology and culture are one in the same. In Star Wars, aside from unique exceptions most races and cultures have mixed to the point where culture and race can be more easily divorced. It's like comparing 21st century America culture to 1000 BC Euro-Asia cultures one is more probable to distinctness than the other. The trick is figuring out where we want this game to be on that scale.

I think the issue here is not that there shouldn't be a basic archetype for each species, but that players shouldn't feel compelled by the mechanics to only play that archetype. The logical trait you've suggested for elves brings this to the fore, as it apparently forces a specific personality type on all elf players with no ability to opt out.

To be honest I'm not entirely certain there's a need for species to be mechanically defined. I'd rather players have a list of traits to choose from at character creation that show a mix of biological and individual traits. I'd let them take two from such a list so that even if you're playing as a species with a clear biological trait (such as having four arms) you'd still have some additional freedom with character design.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Lord Duvors

[Yzalirk]

12 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Perhaps, I'd imagine most skills (outside of weapon and magic) are used outside of combat, so they'd benefit all the time. Plus it's making a distinction between something that really isn't there to begin with. The 3 proficiencies you pick in the beginning I'd expect your character to be passionate about.

Good point!

12 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

But that's pretty much what I've been suggesting, just not calling them traits, i.e. Elves can either start off with better Acrobatics or Culture. I guess I lump both biological and cultural proficiencies into the same bucket when it comes to character creation.

I am just confused how we will create and balance character traits that was proposed before.  I believe one of the examples was wings or some type of character flight?  I think choosing a free beginning proficiency works just fine but I am not sure about the other.  Some seem like they can have combat applications and some seem like they can only be exclusive to certain races HOWEVER, I think most of that should not be too much of an issue considering the unique setting.  For races who cannot have wings, they can simply have jetpacks or if they're more affluent in the arcane arts they can levitate.

This is something I think we can explore later on the future too if we decide to have purchasable character upgrades.

 

@Lord Duvors

I think that is a phenomenal attempt at basic lore!  I like it, it is certainly a solid foundation for worldbuilding. 

[Duvors]

1 hour ago, Goliath said:

 

@Lord Duvors

I think that is a phenomenal attempt at basic lore!  I like it, it is certainly a solid foundation for worldbuilding. 

Thank you! To be honest it's only some very general spitballing, there are plenty of things I'm not satisfied with and changes I already want to make.

[Yzalirk]

1 hour ago, Lord Duvors said:

Thank you! To be honest it's only some very general spitballing, there are plenty of things I'm not satisfied with and changes I already want to make.

Well hey, I think it's a great start nonetheless!

[Classic_Spaceman]

@Lord Duvors

This looks excellent! Do you/how do you plan to incorporate @Endgame’s Cydonian Collective? I found them to be very interesting in Mission 0, and I think that they would work in this universe as a small-but-quickly-expanding entity that could threaten to upset the balance of power among the major factions. 

In addition to basic structure of the universe and characteristics of various species, we need to agree on what technologies are used and what their limitations are (e.g. FTL travel, communications, cloaking, weapons, etc), in order to avoid making things up mid-quest. 
 

BTW, I reworked the Blacktron segment, since I have been trying to develop my own lore for it as part of Yelana’s backstory. Does this fit with what you have in mind? 

1 hour ago, Lord Duvors said:

Black Sun Triad 
At the Opposite end of the scale there are these guys. The Triad is a major criminal organization originating from a minor information trading group and are involved in every activity you can imagine. Lead by a mysterious triumvirate the Black Sun have made themselves the bane of police forces everywhere, with only the orcs being mostly free of them (though they're starting to expand there as well). They're also believed to be involved with Blackmore Security, a mercenary company that can be summed up as everything Heroica isn't. Whether or not they're connected though, the Triad's infamous three triangles strike fear into the hearts of many. 

Changed To: 

Blackstar Triad 
At the opposite end of the scale, capitalising on the weaknesses of the ITA and the tenuous political dynamic of the Euripides Arm, lies the Blackstar Triad. The Triad is a major criminal syndicate involved in nearly every activity in the galactic underworld, and the bane of police and counterintelligence agencies. Controlled by a mysterious body called the Quorum, Blackstar originated as a minor information-trading and data-gathering organisation, but have since expanded their reach across known space, with only the Orcs and the Cydonian Collective remaining mostly free from their influence (though Blackstar has begun to gain a foothold amongst the former). 
Due to their remarkable power and rapid rise to prominence, conspiracies abound regarding the Triad’s origins and connections. Ranging from fantastical assertions that they are behind the IRIS Data Network (a legitimate corporate entity that has been remarkably free from scandal) and that they operate from a secret base beyond the Euripides Arm, to the more reliable claim that they may be involved with Blackguard Security (a semi-legitimate mercenary company who will take contracts from almost anyone, for a price), Blackstar is seen by all as a highly-interconnected web of galactic position and influence. Regardless of whether or not these connections hold true, the Blackstar Triad’s infamous three-triangle insignia strikes fear into the hearts of many. 

IRIS (Interstellar Research and Information Security) 
A trans-galactic data-sharing company that is committed to providing connectivity, reliable information, and secure communications among all nations, regardless of their respective political alignments. Nearly all citizens across the known galaxy make use of the IRIS network in some capacity. 

 

I changed the name of the mercenary company, since some of the character names that I had envisioned sound distinctly fantasy/sci-fi (Yelana Fennix, Su’un Yex, etc), so “Blackmore” stands out as oddly real-world/Earthlike as a result. “Blackguard”, conversely, suits an amoral mercenary organisation extremely well. The word “blackguard” (pronounced “blaggard”) means “a rude or unscrupulous person”, and if pronounced as “black-guard”, it sounds like the name of a shady security company. Also, I changed Black Sun to Blackstar, since the former is the name of a prominent criminal organisation in Star Wars, and I wanted the name in Heroica to be more unique. 
As for why I connected Blackstar to IRIS; I had always wanted the Blacktron group to have three main divisions (possibly with a common goal or ruling body in the ‘centre’, represented by the black triangle in their symbol), and to have a public face in the form of a data company (analogous to Google, social media, and other internet services). Additionally, I had actually already decided that they would have a three-part ruling council (comprised of the heads of the respective divisions), but I had intended to call it the “Quorum”, hence the name change. 

Also, I put that Blackstar engages in almost every kind of illegal activity in order to limit them to more “acceptable” crimes (such as theft, smuggling, hacking, etc), thereby allaying concerns about engagement in war crimes and other abhorrent actions, as expressed earlier in the thread. 

[Waterbrick Down]

16 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

I think the issue here is not that there shouldn't be a basic archetype for each species, but that players shouldn't feel compelled by the mechanics to only play that archetype. The logical trait you've suggested for elves brings this to the fore, as it apparently forces a specific personality type on all elf players with no ability to opt out.

To be honest I'm not entirely certain there's a need for species to be mechanically defined. I'd rather players have a list of traits to choose from at character creation that show a mix of biological and individual traits. I'd let them take two from such a list so that even if you're playing as a species with a clear biological trait (such as having four arms) you'd still have some additional freedom with character design.

I think we're too caught up in a specific instance here, the "Logical" trait can be anything it needs to be, the intention is that it provides a trait and set of proficiencies consistent across a race, and the mechanics do not compel a certain play-style as in this instance they are merely a small part of a given character. If however everything was assigned i.e. attributes, proficiencies, class, traits then it would be compelling a player to play a single archtype. By having a blend of somethings being fixed and some things being unique, you get consistency within a race, but also allow for variation. Adding traits untied to race, while nice, I believe just adds more complexity (similar to the feats system, if you're familiar with D&D). Sure it allows for more unique characters, but for a simple play by post system, at some point there needs to be limits to keep balance. Categorizing traits by class/race helps DM's run things more easily. Instead of having to look up the traits for every character and how they interact in a given situation, DM's are able to look at a character/race combo and already know how the rules apply in the situation.

3 hours ago, Goliath said:

Good point!

I am just confused how we will create and balance character traits that was proposed before.  I believe one of the examples was wings or some type of character flight?  I think choosing a free beginning proficiency works just fine but I am not sure about the other.  Some seem like they can have combat applications and some seem like they can only be exclusive to certain races HOWEVER, I think most of that should not be too much of an issue considering the unique setting.  For races who cannot have wings, they can simply have jetpacks or if they're more affluent in the arcane arts they can levitate.

This is something I think we can explore later on the future too if we decide to have purchasable character upgrades.

See comment above, but I'm not really a fan of general traits, while it leads to unique characters, it starts complicating other areas. Just given your example of flight, that starts complicating things with the item and magic systems, beyond what is probably needed for a play-by-post game. In the end, unless it can be categorized or systemized (like proficiencies), I'd prefer to do without it. 

On to lore!

I think @Lord Duvors, it's a really good start, I like the similarities and differences it shares with the original Heroica. The freshness of the war is a good change and I think your ideas about the newness of the organization give us story-telling fodder that can be unique without rehashing storylines from the original. The only thing I'd want to maybe change is the Orc Clans as the antagonists. While I agree it'd be good to have something fill that role, I think having it be the orcs is a hold-over from the last game I'd like to see go in a new direction. I'm still torn on whether we want a complete copy of the over-arching story we had from Heroica 1.0.

The rest of the stuff is good foundational which is what we'll need. I'm currently working on some ideas as well to essentially repurpose the existing space factions.

As for technology, it's space fantasy so I think we need to ensure a good mix of the two. So instead of FTL drives being driven completely off of super materials and quantum physics, magic and it's practical applications can be used to fill in the gaps.

[Yzalirk]

25 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

See comment above, but I'm not really a fan of general traits, while it leads to unique characters, it starts complicating other areas. Just given your example of flight, that starts complicating things with the item and magic systems, beyond what is probably needed for a play-by-post game. In the end, unless it can be categorized or systemized (like proficiencies), I'd prefer to do without it. 

Of course!  It can always be something to look at again in the future as it's not really a necessity by any means.

27 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

On to lore!

I think @Lord Duvors, it's a really good start, I like the similarities and differences it shares with the original Heroica. The freshness of the war is a good change and I think your ideas about the newness of the organization give us story-telling fodder that can be unique without rehashing storylines from the original. The only thing I'd want to maybe change is the Orc Clans as the antagonists. While I agree it'd be good to have something fill that role, I think having it be the orcs is a hold-over from the last game I'd like to see go in a new direction. I'm still torn on whether we want a complete copy of the over-arching story we had from Heroica 1.0.

The rest of the stuff is good foundational which is what we'll need. I'm currently working on some ideas as well to essentially repurpose the existing space factions.

As for technology, it's space fantasy so I think we need to ensure a good mix of the two. So instead of FTL drives being driven completely off of super materials and quantum physics, magic and it's practical applications can be used to fill in the gaps.

I have an alternate idea for the main antagonists but nothing extremely detailed.  I was thinking they could be a race of genetically sterile humanoids due to excessive cloning and being genetically engineered.  They are very militarized and hellbent on conquest and domination.  Think along the lines of the Grineer from Warframe and the Cabal from Destiny.  A lot more lore can be expanded on like if they came from another star system, their origins, culture, etcetera.

[Duvors]

39 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

@Lord Duvors

This looks excellent! Do you/how do you plan to incorporate @Endgame’s Cydonian Collective? I found them to be very interesting in Mission 0, and I think that they would work in this universe as a small-but-quickly-expanding entity that could threaten to upset the balance of power among the major factions. 

In addition to basic structure of the universe and characteristics of various species, we need to agree on what technologies are used and what their limitations are (e.g. FTL travel, communications, cloaking, weapons, etc), in order to avoid making things up mid-quest. 
 

To be honest, that's entirely up to @Endgame. They're his creation after all. The Factions listed here are supposed to only be the major ones that everyone would know about, not all the ones that exist. There's also the fact that these factions are meant to be automatically available for Mission Masters to base quests around. Other MMs might want to create a faction that's solely their purview in order to create a tighter narrative around them, or minor factions that other MMs are free to use but aren't well known enough to be listed with the big ones.

 

@Goliath@Waterbrick Down

I do think there are technologies that have such a huge impact on the setting that they'd have to be established by the basic lore. I do have such an idea in fact, primarily about the relationship between FTL and communications.

Jump Gates
Jump Gates are mysterious ancient devices that seem to be derived from magical transposition circles but on a much larger scale. When activated by a specific sequence of magical discharges a jump gate will open a 'tunnel' between itself and another gate connected with it allowing ships to pass through. This requires a lot of energy however, meaning the tunnel only stays open for a short while before closing so the Gate can recharge. This by itself wouldn't mean much, as most large vessels have their own FTL drives. However years of testing discovered that a Gate can broadcast signals to any connected Gates at FTL speeds without opening a tunnel, something currently unheard of. These qualities have made these gates the center of interstellar commerce, with Ebria Station built next to one of these Gates (in fact, the Ebria Gate was the most Gates connected to it of any in known space). However, there is never more then one Gate in any star system, and and many systems that one would wish to visit have no gates at all. As no form of FTL communication other than the Gates currently exists, these systems often rely in information couriers for news of the wider Arm.
Additionally, the sequences for some gates have never been discovered, meaning that what lies on the other side is unknown. That may not last forever though, and if a new one opens Heroica may find itself among the first explorers.

Aside from the similarities to Stargate, the point of this is that FTL communications are ubiquitous but not universal. That way MMs can take their players off the grid if they want to, but otherwise don't need to worry about transmission times and other such nonsense.

1 hour ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

BTW, I reworked the Blacktron segment, since I have been trying to develop my own lore for it as part of Yelana’s backstory. Does this fit with what you have in mind? 

 

I changed the name of the mercenary company, since some of the character names that I had envisioned sound distinctly fantasy/sci-fi (Yelana Fennix, Su’un Yex, etc), so “Blackmore” stands out as oddly real-world/Earthlike as a result. “Blackguard”, conversely, suits an amoral mercenary organisation extremely well. The word “blackguard” (pronounced “blaggard”) means “a rude or unscrupulous person”, and if pronounced as “black-guard”, it sounds like the name of a shady security company. Also, I changed Black Sun to Blackstar, since the former is the name of a prominent criminal organisation in Star Wars, and I wanted the name in Heroica to be more unique. 
As for why I connected Blackstar to IRIS; I had always wanted the Blacktron group to have three main divisions (possibly with a common goal or ruling body in the ‘centre’, represented by the black triangle in their symbol), and to have a public face in the form of a data company (analogous to Google, social media, and other internet services). Additionally, I had actually already decided that they would have a three-part ruling council (comprised of the heads of the respective divisions), but I had intended to call it the “Quorum”, hence the name change. 

Also, I put that Blackstar engages in almost every kind of illegal activity in order to limit them to more “acceptable” crimes (such as theft, smuggling, hacking, etc), thereby allaying concerns about engagement in war crimes and other abhorrent actions, as expressed earlier in the thread. 

All excellent, I approve. You clearly put a lot of thought into this!

 

40 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I think we're too caught up in a specific instance here, the "Logical" trait can be anything it needs to be, the intention is that it provides a trait and set of proficiencies consistent across a race, and the mechanics do not compel a certain play-style as in this instance they are merely a small part of a given character. If however everything was assigned i.e. attributes, proficiencies, class, traits then it would be compelling a player to play a single archtype. By having a blend of somethings being fixed and some things being unique, you get consistency within a race, but also allow for variation. Adding traits untied to race, while nice, I believe just adds more complexity (similar to the feats system, if you're familiar with D&D). Sure it allows for more unique characters, but for a simple play by post system, at some point there needs to be limits to keep balance. Categorizing traits by class/race helps DM's run things more easily. Instead of having to look up the traits for every character and how they interact in a given situation, DM's are able to look at a character/race combo and already know how the rules apply in the situation.

See comment above, but I'm not really a fan of general traits, while it leads to unique characters, it starts complicating other areas. Just given your example of flight, that starts complicating things with the item and magic systems, beyond what is probably needed for a play-by-post game. In the end, unless it can be categorized or systemized (like proficiencies), I'd prefer to do without it. 

Eh, it's just an example. I only really care because we want to encourage certain archetypes, not pigeonhole people into them. I'm probably overemphasizing Logical in order to make that point but hey, what can you do?

As to traits, I only really think they're necessary because we need a way to distinguish bigfig characters from normal minifigs. And possibly winged and multi-limbed characters.

46 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

On to lore!

I think @Lord Duvors, it's a really good start, I like the similarities and differences it shares with the original Heroica. The freshness of the war is a good change and I think your ideas about the newness of the organization give us story-telling fodder that can be unique without rehashing storylines from the original. The only thing I'd want to maybe change is the Orc Clans as the antagonists. While I agree it'd be good to have something fill that role, I think having it be the orcs is a hold-over from the last game I'd like to see go in a new direction. I'm still torn on whether we want a complete copy of the over-arching story we had from Heroica 1.0.

The rest of the stuff is good foundational which is what we'll need. I'm currently working on some ideas as well to essentially repurpose the existing space factions.

As for technology, it's space fantasy so I think we need to ensure a good mix of the two. So instead of FTL drives being driven completely off of super materials and quantum physics, magic and it's practical applications can be used to fill in the gaps.

You seem to have missed the point of the orcs, they're not antagonists. They were once, but currently they're trying to peacefully integrate themselves into the galaxy. This is complicated as not only is the war and all the territory they took still fresh in the minds of everyone but the populations of those territories probably don't like the orcs very much (they may also feel betrayed by the governments who essentially signed them over to the orcs, or perhaps some willingly joined them out of fear or a belief they'd make better rulers). Remember, the orcs signed on to the ITA, that means they allow free trade between themselves and the other nations. I'd also say that the Drandora accords make it so the orcs have to adopt standard passport and customs systems and allow immigration to and from their territories (people leaving conquered territories to return to their nations is one possibility). In fact I'd say that the orcs have more to lose from war than anyone else. Their local situation is unstable due to conquered populations and the uncertainty of their continued unity and another war might cause it all to fall apart. Ultimately they're meant to show how upset and unstable the situation is and act as another place for people to come from.

I'd rather have a largely unique narrative for the game as a whole honestly. A rehash of the inter-house conflict of the last game doesn't really speak to me. The rest I'm fine with.

[Waterbrick Down]

7 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

Jump Gates
Jump Gates are mysterious ancient devices that seem to be derived from magical transposition circles but on a much larger scale. When activated by a specific sequence of magical discharges a jump gate will open a 'tunnel' between itself and another gate connected with it allowing ships to pass through. This requires a lot of energy however, meaning the tunnel only stays open for a short while before closing so the Gate can recharge. This by itself wouldn't mean much, as most large vessels have their own FTL drives. However years of testing discovered that a Gate can broadcast signals to any connected Gates at FTL speeds without opening a tunnel, something currently unheard of. These qualities have made these gates the center of interstellar commerce, with Ebria Station built next to one of these Gates (in fact, the Ebria Gate was the most Gates connected to it of any in known space). However, there is never more then one Gate in any star system, and and many systems that one would wish to visit have no gates at all. As no form of FTL communication other than the Gates currently exists, these systems often rely in information couriers for news of the wider Arm.
Additionally, the sequences for some gates have never been discovered, meaning that what lies on the other side is unknown. That may not last forever though, and if a new one opens Heroica may find itself among the first explorers.

Aside from the similarities to Stargate, the point of this is that FTL communications are ubiquitous but not universal. That way MMs can take their players off the grid if they want to, but otherwise don't need to worry about transmission times and other such nonsense.

The similarities to stargate are certainly there, but I like the more limited FTL travel and tying it to magical transposition circles gives the right mix of fantasy. My only thought is perhaps we can have something a little different than just simply a sequence code like Stargate. Perhaps mages now function as ship navigators in order to access the portals.

7 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

You seem to have missed the point of the orcs, they're not antagonists. They were once, but currently they're trying to peacefully integrate themselves into the galaxy. This is complicated as not only is the war and all the territory they took still fresh in the minds of everyone but the populations of those territories probably don't like the orcs very much (they may also feel betrayed by the governments who essentially signed them over to the orcs, or perhaps some willingly joined them out of fear or a belief they'd make better rulers). Remember, the orcs signed on to the ITA, that means they allow free trade between themselves and the other nations. I'd also say that the Drandora accords make it so the orcs have to adopt standard passport and customs systems and allow immigration to and from their territories (people leaving conquered territories to return to their nations is one possibility). In fact I'd say that the orcs have more to lose from war than anyone else. Their local situation is unstable due to conquered populations and the uncertainty of their continued unity and another war might cause it all to fall apart. Ultimately they're meant to show how upset and unstable the situation is and act as another place for people to come from.

I'd rather have a largely unique narrative for the game as a whole honestly. A rehash of the inter-house conflict of the last game doesn't really speak to me. The rest I'm fine with.

I get that they're not the antagonists, but just like Heroica 1.0 they were at one time and are now trying to dwell peacefully with the rest of civilization. I like the type of conflict that's created by the scenario, I'm just wondering if we can use something different than the orcs since it bears so much similarity to Heroica 1.0.

[Duvors]

12 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

The similarities to stargate are certainly there, but I like the more limited FTL travel and tying it to magical transposition circles gives the right mix of fantasy. My only thought is perhaps we can have something a little different than just simply a sequence code like Stargate. Perhaps mages now function as ship navigators in order to access the portals.

Very interesting! If that's the case then perhaps we can make Piloting a magical Proficiency, spells and all? Something to think about anyway.

I should mention that I did envision most ships having their own FTL drives, largely so that inter-system travel (for systems that have no Gates) doesn't take years to accomplish. The main difference would be that they aren't instantaneous like the Gates and can only be fitted into larger ships, meaning personal craft need carriers or Gate access in order to achieve such distances.

12 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I get that they're not the antagonists, but just like Heroica 1.0 they were at one time and are now trying to dwell peacefully with the rest of civilization. I like the type of conflict that's created by the scenario, I'm just wondering if we can use something different than the orcs since it bears so much similarity to Heroica 1.0.

Well it's as much a reference to the board game as the RPG. I feel that some similarity needs to be maintained there if we continue to use the name. There's also the fact they're a distinctly fantasy faction compared to the very sci-fi League and Empire. I understand your worries about it being too similar, and maybe it is. But I think that having them as a major part of the setting from the outset instead of having them off to one side and out of focus would make them fairly distinct. Ultimately though we can remove them if you feel it's too much.

[Waterbrick Down]

What about a sitting where things are flipped on their heads? Orcs are resourceful and technological after having to survive on a planet with little available resources. Dwarves are very naturalistic having developed communities around maintaining the health of their planet and caring for it's ailing core. Elves are extremely hostile and believe their long lives ensure they know what is best for other races, subjugation. Humans are an older species on the verge of extinction.

Also does anyone have any 40K background? I just started reading about it and it certainly has some interesting ideas.

[samurai-turtle]

8 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Also does anyone have any 40K background? I just started reading about it and it certainly has some interesting ideas.

My only experience is with a one shot that came out recently on free role playing day. If you are thinking about the "big storm" as a permanent thing, I don't like it maybe for a quest to stop it sounds better to me. 

But I was thinking about the Mass Effect (video games) and started to wonder if any of that stuff could be used. First thing was their "magic system" and how it seemed more like scientific in nature like you were some type of mutant. The second thing was the "rail guns" it sound like they could been made in any size for example(s) it could be made to a hand pistol (witch could take a block of metal for ammo and you would not need to reload for a long time) or scaled up to the size of a space station to launch a Star Destroyer halfway across the galaxy. (I guess my problem is I haven't played the game in a long time and it was for the Xbox witch I don't have.) 

[Waterbrick Down]

10 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

Very interesting! If that's the case then perhaps we can make Piloting a magical Proficiency, spells and all? Something to think about anyway.

I should mention that I did envision most ships having their own FTL drives, largely so that inter-system travel (for systems that have no Gates) doesn't take years to accomplish. The main difference would be that they aren't instantaneous like the Gates and can only be fitted into larger ships, meaning personal craft need carriers or Gate access in order to achieve such distances.

Well it's as much a reference to the board game as the RPG. I feel that some similarity needs to be maintained there if we continue to use the name. There's also the fact they're a distinctly fantasy faction compared to the very sci-fi League and Empire. I understand your worries about it being too similar, and maybe it is. But I think that having them as a major part of the setting from the outset instead of having them off to one side and out of focus would make them fairly distinct. Ultimately though we can remove them if you feel it's too much.

Possibly, I was thinking maybe a combination. You'd still have pilots, but they'd be supplemented by mage navigators to keep the ships on track in the Etherium. I like the mix of Gates with some FTL, but keep it resource constrained to very large vessels and simply make the gates more vital in the setting.

I like having the orcs still be a major part of the setting, I guess I'm simply not jazzed about them having the same role as they did in Heroica 1.0. Plus at this point, I think we're so far removed from Heroica the board game now, that it's better to acknowledge simply the main themes more than the story., i.e. light role-play, fantasy races/classes, quests and adventures.  As for the role-play game, I don't know that the Orcish Wars played that big of a part aside from the foundation of the organization that we need to be worried about continuity.

1 hour ago, samurai-turtle said:

My only experience is with a one shot that came out recently on free role playing day. If you are thinking about the "big storm" as a permanent thing, I don't like it maybe for a quest to stop it sounds better to me. 

But I was thinking about the Mass Effect (video games) and started to wonder if any of that stuff could be used. First thing was their "magic system" and how it seemed more like scientific in nature like you were some type of mutant. The second thing was the "rail guns" it sound like they could been made in any size for example(s) it could be made to a hand pistol (witch could take a block of metal for ammo and you would not need to reload for a long time) or scaled up to the size of a space station to launch a Star Destroyer halfway across the galaxy. (I guess my problem is I haven't played the game in a long time and it was for the Xbox witch I don't have.) 

As far as weapons are concerned, I think we'd have room for everything. Railguns are considered kinetic weapons, laser guns are energy weapons, and tesla guns are elemental. Magic generally is split into two categories: hard and soft. Hard magic is codified, understood, and can be studied somewhat scientifically. It tends to be very formulaic. Soft magic is very unexplained, subtle, and more mystical in nature. There aren't very hard and fast rules about how it works in those types of settings. Basically Fullmetal Alchemist vs. Starwars or Lord of the Rings.

Just to keep everyone's appetite wet.

[Duvors]

9 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Possibly, I was thinking maybe a combination. You'd still have pilots, but they'd be supplemented by mage navigators to keep the ships on track in the Etherium. I like the mix of Gates with some FTL, but keep it resource constrained to very large vessels and simply make the gates more vital in the setting.

I like having the orcs still be a major part of the setting, I guess I'm simply not jazzed about them having the same role as they did in Heroica 1.0. Plus at this point, I think we're so far removed from Heroica the board game now, that it's better to acknowledge simply the main themes more than the story., i.e. light role-play, fantasy races/classes, quests and adventures.  As for the role-play game, I don't know that the Orcish Wars played that big of a part aside from the foundation of the organization that we need to be worried about continuity.

Good, glad to see we're on the same wavelength there. 

Maybe, but it seems wrong to say they're a major part of the setting and then not have them be involved with the war somehow. The setup I had in mind was that none of the major powers are exactly allies or enemies at the moment, and maybe that can be preserved if one of them was neutral? The war was meant to be recent enough that even if someone never fought in it they'll still have encountered it's consequences.

10 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Just to keep everyone's appetite wet.

~

Very impressive!

[The Legonater]

16 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Just to keep everyone's appetite wet.

-

-

I've been watching the development here from the shadows - I don't know if I really have much to say in the way of mechanics - but this gave me a huge blast from the past! 

It's shaping into something great, folks!

[Yzalirk]

@Waterbrick Down

Wow the Hall is really looking fantastic!  It's making me more hyped for Heroica 2.0!

What we can do with Heroica 2.0's main story is have something like chapters.  We can focus on one thing first, like Orcs since you appear to be in favor of having them as being important.  Eventually as the main story progresses it can shift to another storyline like focusing on the Dwarf clans or have something else brewing near the end.  Given the unique setting being created there is a lot of potential for fun storylines to be created and explored upon.

[Waterbrick Down]

12 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

Good, glad to see we're on the same wavelength there. 

Maybe, but it seems wrong to say they're a major part of the setting and then not have them be involved with the war somehow. The setup I had in mind was that none of the major powers are exactly allies or enemies at the moment, and maybe that can be preserved if one of them was neutral? The war was meant to be recent enough that even if someone never fought in it they'll still have encountered it's consequences.

Very impressive!

I'd think they can be part of the war but on par with the dwarves or the elves. I like the idea of a recent war. You need a big event to kind of give everyone something to possibly relate to in someway, a war, a plague, an extraterrestrial invasion, a natural disaster, etc.. If anyone's familiar with the D&D Eberron setting, they do something very similar to this with a war just having ended due to a horrible nation destroying event that causes a quick truce among the remaining warring factions.

6 hours ago, The Legonater said:

I've been watching the development here from the shadows - I don't know if I really have much to say in the way of mechanics - but this gave me a huge blast from the past! 

It's shaping into something great, folks!

Good to hear from you.  Yeah, I know mechanics are not everyone's cup of tea and in the end we probably won't be able to make everyone completely satisfied. The goal is to get something workable, simple enough for other DM's to run, and an improvement or at least alternative to Heroica 1.0 to be at least interesting.

3 hours ago, Goliath said:

@Waterbrick Down

Wow the Hall is really looking fantastic!  It's making me more hyped for Heroica 2.0!

What we can do with Heroica 2.0's main story is have something like chapters.  We can focus on one thing first, like Orcs since you appear to be in favor of having them as being important.  Eventually as the main story progresses it can shift to another storyline like focusing on the Dwarf clans or have something else brewing near the end.  Given the unique setting being created there is a lot of potential for fun storylines to be created and explored upon.

I'm not as concerned with them being center stage, more that they play a similar role to the dwarves or elves instead of having them function as past antagonists, it's simply a trope I think if we have the freedom to avoid, why not? We have the opportunity to do something new and exciting and different, why not seize it? 

[Duvors]

16 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I'd think they can be part of the war but on par with the dwarves or the elves. I like the idea of a recent war. You need a big event to kind of give everyone something to possibly relate to in someway, a war, a plague, an extraterrestrial invasion, a natural disaster, etc.. If anyone's familiar with the D&D Eberron setting, they do something very similar to this with a war just having ended due to a horrible nation destroying event that causes a quick truce among the remaining warring factions.

Well, I actually envision the elves and dwarves as being fairly involved in the war, just not as their own factions. You'll remember that I had elves, dwarves, and humans all come from the same planet, a planet that was part of the league. I think the elves and the dwarves would have distinct cultural elements compared to humanity and have planets where they're the majority population, but all three groups would occupy the same space and be considered part of the same political entity. I am familiar with the Last War, but to be honest the similarities didn't occur to me until after I'd already written the history.

 

16 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

I'm not as concerned with them being center stage, more that they play a similar role to the dwarves or elves instead of having them function as past antagonists, it's simply a trope I think if we have the freedom to avoid, why not? We have the opportunity to do something new and exciting and different, why not seize it? 

To be honest one of the main reasons I wrote the history that way is because I've recently been reading The Golden History of the Mongols and I wanted to emulate the idea of disunited nomadic clans unifying and forming a major empire. They don't have to be orcs though, you're right about that. But what I want is something to contrast the 'space NATO/EU' of the League and the 'aliens with 19th century politics' of the Empire.

To be honest I think the main reasons they come off as overtly antagonistic during the war is that they attack without distinct provocation and both other factions unify in response instead of continuing to fight each other. If I gave the orcs a clear reason to attack beyond 'conquest' and removed the unified counterattack altogether they'd probably come off as less antagonistic.

[Duvors]

@Waterbrick Down @Endgame @Goliath @samurai-turtle @Kintobor @Classic_Spaceman

I've been a bit unsatisfied with my writeup for Arcadia, so I thought I'd revise it a little. See what you think:

The Arcadian Union
The Arcadian Union is one of the larger and more influential nations of the League. It was born from the unification of several planets primarily occupied by humans, elves, and dwarfs centered around the three species' supposed homeworld of Arcadia. The exact history of the three species spread to the stars is unclear however, as populations are known to have been present on most inhabited planets back to the beginning of recorded history. The only reason Arcadia is known to be their homeworld (and the surmised reason for their diaspora) is the relics of the mysterious Ancient Empire scattered throughout Arcadian space. While most of the writing on these objects remains untranslated, what little can be gleaned suggests Arcadia as being a sort of 'center' around which the empire formed.
During the war, the Union was chosen to be the staging ground for the League's combined militaries due to it's proximity to the enemy. The war was not kind to Arcadia however, aside from losing the most territory out of any League member several worlds that were disgruntled with the Union's leadership took advantage of the situation to secede, forming the Colonial Alliance. This series of events has left the population of the Union very dissatisfied with the war's outcome, with some demanding the government seek the return of lost territory and re-annexation of the Alliance.

The Colonial Alliance
The Alliance (formally known as The Alliance of the Seven Colonies) were until recently part of the Arcadian Union. Unlike most members of the Union they did not join at it's founding but instead much later. This was due to the fact that there exists no direct connection between the Colonies and Arcadia via Jump Gate, leaving them completely isolated from one another for most of their history. Due to this isolation the colonies formed a distinct culture from the rest of the Union despite consisting mainly of the same species.
While the Colonies acceded to the Union entirely willingly, much of their population later became convinced that their relative isolation was leading to them being disregarded by the Arcadian government. This feeling only grew in strength as the Union repeatedly refused to hold any referendums on independence. Feeling deprived of any other options, the Colonies took advantage of the outbreak of war to secede from Arcadia. While Arcadia wished to reconquer them as quickly as possible, those plans were shot down by the League's Assembly in order to prevent any resources being taken away from the main front. In the postwar era The Colonies remain independent from any major power, a state of affairs enshrined in the Drandora Accords. How successful they will be remains to be seen.