XCOM Campaign: Game Settings & Table of Contents

[nuclearslurpee (OP)]

Once again the urge to write something is upon me, this time an XCOM-themed campaign with a "conventional-plus" start. As usual, it is not the much more complicated campaign setup I had hoped to write but it is the campaign setup I am writing and that is what counts. We will try a different format for this one, a callback to the old VB6 AARs with each update in its own post - as such, please feel more than welcome post comments in the thread for the relevant update, a robust and snappy dialogue between highly esteemed commenters and the nerd writing fanfiction about a video game is the lifeblood of a good AAR after all. To aid navigation there will be a table of contents at the end of this informational sticky post, if we are very lucky it may even be kept up to date.

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Game Settings

Conventional start with 4,500 population and some low-level techs researched
4 XCOM-themed NPRs at 20-40 LY, all spoilers active with XCOM theming
20% survey speed (global), 50% research rate (player race only)
25% ruins generation chance, 33% minor race fraction
Known Star Systems, Limited Research Administration
Maximum Gravity Deviation set to 0.7 G for Human species

As a consequence of the Long War and its victorious conclusion, humanity starts with an assortment of alien-derived technologies, including Trans-Newtonian Technology. Other technologies at game start include:

    Alien Materials
    Duranium Armour (i.e., Alien Alloys)
    Heavy Powered Infantry Armour
    Heavy Vehicle + Heavy Vehicle Armour (i.e., MEC-3s)

    Alien Weapons
    10cm Laser Focal Size + Infrared Laser
    10cm Railgun + Railgun Launch Velocity 10,000
    Gauss Cannon Rate of Fire 2 + Gauss Cannon Launch Velocity 10,000 (i.e., Coilguns)
    15cm Plasma Carronade
    Particle Beam Strength 2 + Particle Beam Range 60,000 km (i.e., Fusion Lances)

    Alien Power and Propulsion
    Radioisotope Thermal Generator (i.e., Elerium-powered)
    Nuclear Radioisotope Engine (i.e., gravity wave drives)

Notably, XCOM does not start with Genome Sequence Research – while XCOM did develop limited gene modding abilities during the war, the capability to deploy genetic modifications on an industrial scale remains elusive at this time (i.e., a free 5,000 RP tech seemed like a little too much for my tastes!).

I am aiming for an approximately weekly posting schedule in a no doubt futile effort to maintain the mystical “update buffer” all authors crave. As I am starting out with some updates already in the pipeline, let us hope this can last at least until something exciting happens or perhaps more probably an unexpected Naval Conference appears out of the tall grass and derails everything.

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Table of Contents

0. Introduction
1. Project Skylight
2. Expanding Operations
3. Drive to the Stars
4. The Interstellar Era Begins
5. Expanding the Final Frontier
6. Cartographic Progress Goes "Boink"
6(b). Project Overlord

Appendices
A. State of XCOM, 2043