Order of business:
A Fiction Thread:
Yes, this game will have one. I've even put in a request for a Multiplayer/Community game subform. Not sure if this game will end up being documented in a 'Multiplayer Fiction' 'Multiplayer Senerio' or 'Sublight's Fiction.' If none of those exist when it's time to start I'll create a generic fiction topic for turn/diplomacy discussion.
Game Record Keeping:
I'll be publishing out of date 'Empire Fact Sheets' periodically to help outside observers keep track of who-who. Think CIA World FactBook, with data 5-15 years out of data depending on how common the knowledge likely is within your empire. Player thoughts/insights/fiction encouraged. I'm hoping to have a "yesterday's news" section describing in some detail thoughts/insights/developments form 10 years ago. Hopefully the time delay will let players be a little more open on otherwise sensitive details.
Communication:
I figured the ships all had quantum-entanglement FTL Interstellar coms, but I'll add some restrictions if the majority of players want additional restrictions. I feel "transit or JG required" is too restrictive, but "Coms take X-time to transmit. Faster death = no message sent" or "1-jump range. Communication chain required" are possible.
Player races start with full communication to each-other. The Government Leaders (players) may communicate publicly or privately.
Espionage, Diplomacy, and Trade
Normal Aurora 4x Espionage in effect. Diplomacy rules modified.
Government Treaties: By agreement or extortion Players may make agreements, treaties, etc. Negotiations may be private, but any official agreement or proclamation needs to be publicly announced.
Civilian Agreements: A measure of how closely the citizens of two nations are willing to work with each other, as described by normal NPR relation/treaty mechanics. Modification: Relations levels locked by SM to prevent same-system military ship tension. At any time by mutual agreement relations may be reset to '0.' Relations may be further improved by diplomacy teams: each diplomacy adds 1/2 their rating annually to the target and senders opinion of the other. +50% bonus for every civilian treaty.
Trade: Technology/ship/mineral/facility/foreign aid exchanges and transfers are permitted. They may be negotiated privately, but must be announced publicly. If two sides trade tech, the third side will be told both what was traded.
Minerals may be traded by ship or mass driver (the latter an SM transfer between mass drive equipped bodies).
Facility trades require transport of moved to a different body. No teleportation.
Game Start
Lets say 3-days after I requested starting Tech/Industry/password choices. Thats a little less than 36 hours from now. Players have until then to clarify an pre-start racial detail before the SM starts filling in any missing blanks.
