Post reply

Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.

Note: this post will not display until it's been approved by a moderator.

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Message icon:

shortcuts: hit alt+s to submit/post or alt+p to preview

Please read the rules before you post!


Topic Summary

Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: April 28, 2014, 11:21:08 PM »

Most of the characters available are low-to-mid level officers. This is a coup, where low ranking people can suddenly become very powerful indeed.

Also, this keeps options down. the colonial guard is a multi-system star armada with more than 50 ships. It'd be hard to know what to do without lots of planning and explaining on my part.

The highest ranking character you can play is a captain, one of the options is a frigate commander in the colonial guard.

I have posted 12 possible characters here: http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php/topic,7081.0.html

If we get more interest, I will create more characters.
Posted by: hunter james
« on: April 28, 2014, 09:45:00 PM »

I would like to play a character of command in the colonial gaurd
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: April 28, 2014, 03:31:40 PM »

Here's how I envision this going down. (I've never done aurora IF before, and this will involve significantly more intrigue than combat).

Tonight I will post another thread with information regarding the characters you can play, as well as the "cast" that could factor into this crisis and specs for ships involved. The coup will take place during a convergence of two large spacefleets. I can't recall their precise number now, but I will have full specs tonight. In general we're talking about
1 30,000 ton combat-capable command ship
1 30,000 ton heavy carrier
2 25,000 ton battle cruisers
1 25,000 ton long ranged missile cruiser
2 15,000 ton light beam cruisers
2 15,000 ton light carriers
~10 13,000 ton destroyer escorts

There will be three high ranking officers and their command staff and tons of minor officials involved. Very complex.

there will also be significant colonial guard units nearby, totaling perhaps 6 beam frigates and 2 light carriers with full compliment.

You can post, either there or here, which character you'd like to play.

I'll then post episodes here with titles like "The twelfth of may (cool episode title)" that have a story. The story may take place in different places at the same time (scenes) these scenes will be labeled with names and the characters in them, underlined, so you'll know where you are and what you see. The scene will end with bolded prompts for each character, and you'll have 24 hours to respond. Sometimes I might have prompts that require a PM, however, to keep complexity to a minimum, I'll only do this when secrecy is absolutely required for the story. There may be about 5-7 episodes. No hard feelings if you get kicked out, but death or expulsion may come very swiftly. You can ask any questions about my setting below.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: April 28, 2014, 02:01:48 PM »

Backstory
(might also be fun to check those links above)

It is 2142. Approximately a century ago, powerful politicians on earth began to realize that space-based technology posed an existential threat to human survival. Mass driver networks were growing as space mining operations began, and missile technology had advanced to the point where even a small satellite could kill hundreds of millions. As tensions grew between nations, it became apparent that power would have to be consolidated somehow...but how? Humanity has grappled with that question for more than a hundred years. In the 2060s, 2070s, and 2080s, control over the worldwide network of power plants, automated farms, and light rail systems (collectively known as the "lasting peace infrastructure") was given by unanimous vote of the united nations to a single "director" named Ivanova Kuzmin, who effectively ruled the planet and presided over human expansion into neighboring systems. Kuzmin's legacy is still extremely controversial, the best that can be said is that no worldwide atrocities of previous administrations occurred during her reign: no world wars, no mass genocides, and only minor space battles for dominance of mining moons.

By 2090, Kuzmin put into place a system for electing and dismissing officials that controlled both "Lasting Peace" and a growing space navy. The difficulty was that many did not perceive the government she put in place as "legitimate" and even fewer saw it as independent, most simply saw it as an extension of her wishes, or a political arm of the massive NATO-RUSSO military industrial complex. For 2 decades, attempts were made by select politicians to either dismantle this government or institute it as the sovereign ruler of all humanity. Most of these elections were decided in favor of NATO-RUSSO apparatchiks, but the government itself slowly became weaker and less popular, while other nations began building rival space navies to compete with the "united Nations of Earth's". NATO-RUSSO's last real political power ended with the election of 2114, when both candidates attempted to distance themselves from Kuzmin's legacy, the eventual leader, Philipe almanza Coronado, was chosen primarily because of his party's focus on planetary independence from Terran nation-states, and decreased central control. In 2123, a worldwide UN joint decision legitimized a plan initially put forward by historian and social planner Leopoldo Franca, to officially liberate all offworld colonies, disband all national space navies, and create a single, overwhelmingly powerful star armada under the control of a "council" of 8 admirals and a single executive "concordant". Proponents believed this would preserve planetary sovereignty (planets are difficult to control from space without a "total war" position that would be massively unpopular) while destroying the potential for interplanetary war. Opponents believed this option would inevitably lead to a space-based military dictatorship.

Since 2128, Concordant leopoldo franca has not touched planetary soil, controlling an armada of more than 100 ships from orbit or the depths of terran space. The "Twelve worlds" of humanity largely grow and prosper without interference. Planetary trade is booming, and political intrigues have been kept at bay by three hostile races in neighboring systems: the "Autonomous clan remnant," the remainder of the last legion of a robotic warlord that controlled this arm of the galaxy 100,000 years ago, the "Elders,' a race of primitive spaceborn lifeforms native to the yawning gap between the galaxies, and the "Enlightened Lords" of ophiuchi, a snakelike aquatic race ruled by three super-intelligent "lords" of an unknown nature (likely some sort of racial hive mind or AI).

April, 2142

Franca is not going to be around forever. While comparatively young by the standards of others on his council, the Concordant is in his late 50s, and not in the best of health. He's studied enough history to know that the best way to prevent factional struggle after his death or retirement is to appoint a "co-regent" of some kind: a clear successor who will slowly assume the reigns of power, so he will have to act within the next few years. Technically, the decision of who will be the next concordant is made upon Franca's retirement by the 8 member "concordance council" after consultation with the military commands of various planets, and the concordant himself, but Franca knows that the right candidate can rise to power with his endorsement alone. Franca has the right successor in mind, but has not named him yet...only a handful of secretaries and advisers, and the council itself, know he intends to do this soon.

Franca has recently declared that he will not renew the comission of any admiral or duke over the age of 75, a decision that is defensible as a matter of health or state security, but is more likely an attempt to clear out the last remnants of national loyalists from his council. dukes Shah and Tikhomirov had strong ties to the Governments of Al'Riyadh and NATO-RUSSO, respectively. They, along with one lesser admiral, are gone.In their place are a handful of aspiring officers fresh from the battle lines of Alpha Centauri and Kuiper 75. One, explorer and interplanetary hero Taylor Storey, has recently been dispatched to lead the fourth fleet into direct battle with the lords of ophiuchi, in a unanticipated strike that will either kill him and his relatively small fleet, or decisively end the decades-long struggle between these two superpowers. Many insiders believe that Franca simply ordered this attack in order to instigate an interstellar crisis that would force the Concordant Council to rally around him.

This battle is ongoing, all the while, Franca's command armada speeds toward the mountainous world of Montecello, in order to rendezvous with the second fleet, currently the most powerful and spaceworthy starfleet. Here, he will finalize official plans for the defense of humanity, should the Enlightened Lords counterattack. Insiders believe he will also announce his future retirement, and eventual successor, sometime during that same meeting. Of course, he might not get a chance...
Posted by: Sematary
« on: April 28, 2014, 01:33:34 PM »

I would love to participate.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: April 28, 2014, 01:30:05 PM »

My universe has been influenced by the aurora community at several distinct points.


In 2114, the community got to participate in a classic election, effectively choosing between a small government and a big government politician.

In 2123, the community got to pick between five leaders offering five "flavors" of sci-fi setting, they subsequently narrowed it down to two possible futures, a space opera with many worlds controlled independently, and a militarily unified humanity. The community Chose the latter. Since 2124, my campaign has followed the exploits of the Concordance, a space navy charged with keeping humanity safe from internal and external threats, while not interfering with business on the planets below... charitably,they are a "star patrol" or "galactic alliance." In reality, they may be one step away from a military dictatorship. Now, the community gets to decide which direction we go: Does the concordance become a benevolent order of knights and dukes, forever charged with policing the spaceways of the Orion arm...or do they fall into corruption, treachery, and endless factional rivalries...or worse...a monolithic tyrannical star empire that will preside over 1,000 years of darkness. By may 12th, I will know, but you might not, because here's the fun part: I'm not going to tell you what road your decisions will lead us down, or the ultimate consequences of your decisions. You'll simply have to play a role and see what happens.

Players will play parts in a coup of galactic proportions. About 12 hours from now, I will post a list of 16 possible low-ranking, low information "roles" players can take...only the first 16 "takers" will be accommodated, and in order of interest (though I expect far less interest than that...but maybe not). Every role has the potential to decide the fate of the coup and therefore the universe. Every episode, they'll be prompted to make a decision...some of the consequences will be swift and brutal and merciless, expelling the players from the game or killing off their comrades. Some of these decisions will be made in secret by PM.

only offer to play along if you're a frequent forum user (you're here almost every day). The game can accommodate some absence, but you may not get a say in events critical to your survival...in general, don't get super attached to your character as you could be killed off at any time, sometimes in surprising and "unfair" ways. I want to correspond somewhat (but not exactly probably) with the actual 12th of may, so that we'll give you some idea of the timeline I'm shooting for.