All The Way Back STGOD Recruitment

[Hotfoot]

I would like to preface this by saying that there will be a fair amount of work involved in this before we can even get started properly. Ideally, if we got this going, the actual game itself would start sometime in December or January. That doesn't mean, mind you, that things won't be happening, but they will be things to set up the game properly.

Anyway, here's the deal. I like STGODs. They're fun, enjoyable, and frankly getting people together for games of SE4 is a bit of a hassle. I'm interested in starting a new STGOD, and doing so in such a way that maximizes (I hope) the fun parts while minimizing the dull/irritating/annoying parts.

To that end, this STGOD will have more structure than previous ones. This is to help newer players better understand the underlying concepts more seasoned players take for granted, as well as to help resolve disputes as they should arise. The specifics of the system are not yet totally formulated, but they are an extension of the Resource Point system that was hammered out for the FSTGOD back on SDN.

Also, I think that something that needs more player involvement is the backstory of the game. The start of the game proper should be more involved in the continuation of an existing universe, rather than a meet-and-greet that ends chaotically having achieved little more than introductions. Thus, I present to you the following nugget of plot:

When a civilization reaches the point where they can establish and maintain an interstellar nation, their technology hits a plateau, where only minor improvements can be made. This means that a new ISN of less than a dozen planets in size is technologically comperable to a well established ISN dozens of planets in scope. However, lacking the resources and infrastructure of the larger ISN, the younger would lose in a full scale war. However, should two destroyer groups meet in the void, there is a level of parity that is to be expected.

That said, most players will begin as young interstellar nations, having only recently solidified their foothold in the stars, when suddenly they become aware of a slumbering giant beyond the reaches of their controlled space. A vast empire of unknown age, waiting for the younger nations to make themselves known so that it might conquer them. Other players will have already been conquered, either by force or through fear. In any event, the players realize that they are not alone in this conflict, and they put aside their differences for the time in order to deal with the greater threat of the empire. For years, war rages, but the empire, in its decline, cannot fight off so many vandals and visigoths pounding at its walls, and it crumbles. Conquered worlds are liberated, though some only to be conquered once more by their so-called saviors. At this point, the differences once again come to the fore, as every nation scrambles for power and resources. Soldiers that once fought side by side now slaughter each other in the hopes of defending their own civilization.

Some wish for security.

Some wish for power.

Some wish for freedom.

Some wish for everything.

Fast foward several decades or centuries. The once minor powers have now cut their own empires from the corpse of their great enemy. Some still fight over contested worlds. New nations are making themselves known. This is where the game begins.

If you're interested, if you know you're going to play, or just want to help out with some fun, random writing, I would like it if you posted in here. The exercise of setting up the common history is going to be a work in collaborative fiction, detailing first contacts, first bloods, pitched battles on ground and in the void, of victory and defeat, and intrigue galore.

Some caveats:

-Earth is not a part of this STGOD. It is not in known space, and is probably not in the galaxy. It is only known through ancient myth and legend, and virtually none of the ancient history survives, not even in the grand empire's archives.

-This is Science Fiction, with several fantastic elements involved. However, due to the potential for abuse, some things will simply not be allowed, such as Magic, Ansibles, Matter to Energy devices, and so on. I'll get more into the hard rules of the deal later, right now I'm just trying to establish the setting and flavor.

-This is an open project in that anybody can join and play, but it is collaborative. If any one player starts to make the process unbearable to the group at large, they will be dealt with by the group. While the game itself will have an adversarial edge to it, in the end, we are still playing together.

Now, that all said, who's interested? :)

[Stofsk]

I am interested, but I have my own universe to set up.

[Robert Walper]

I have no interest in participating in STGODs that are too "structured" as it's put. Translates into "more control and less surprises", the whole point I joined the first one (which I'd never done before).

Frankly, my only concern is that the players don't 1) Uber wank their civilizations and characters, 2) at least read and familiarize themselves with the other players and such to maintain consistent behavior and plotlines, and 3) obey requested rules on part of any players (ie: don't control or speak for certain characters or created aspects of the STGOD, etc)

[Ace Pace]

I'm in, though as I discovered a while ago, probebly not many more.

[Hotfoot]

I should point out that this is more a statement of eventual intent, this isn't going to be starting any time soon. I just wanted to get it out there to get interest and awareness and that sort of thing.

As for the structure stifiling creativity, I think that's overreaction. Given the largely subjective nature of STGODs, different conceptions of what is or is not allowable, proper, or smart end up occuring, and in my experience, most major "surprises" are things that spawn 10+ page debates and arguments on the matter, to say nothing of hard feelings. The entire point to having structure is to deal with conflicts in a fair, impartial manner that both players can agree to before they get out of proportion.

Also, I am of the opinion that having structure allows newer players to more easily work withing the concept of what is a very strange sort of game, thus allowing for a more enjoyable experience overall.

[frigidmagi]

The fact that the guy who tried to pass off telling Saron he was his father has good story telling isn't playing is only a selling point to me.

I'm interested.

[Comrade Tortoise]

I would be interested. Makes me sad I cant use magic though... Well, at least not magic-proper.

Race of archeopterix(sp) people here I come

[Robert Walper]

The fact that the guy who tried to pass off telling Saron he was his father has good story telling isn't playing is only a selling point to me.

I'm interested.

1) I did no such thing.
2) Quiet you.
3) I might join just to tick you off now.

[frigidmagi]

1) I did no such thing.
2) Quiet you.
3) I might join just to tick you off now.

1) Don't make me qoute the game. Or my screaming over it.
2) Never
3) I dare you. No Borg or Force to run to here.

[Bugsby]

Hello everyone. Some of you I know, some of you I'm meeting for the first time. I did an STGOD over at SDnet a while back. Then I kinda faded away after the next few STGODs failed to hold my interest. But when I heard of a new forum with many of the same people I enjoyed seeing around SDnet and a new STGOD forming, well.... I'm in.

I can deal with a wait before we start. I want time to think up a REALLY GOOD space empire. "Space ninjas" just won't hack it.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I would theoretically be interested, however I currently have commitments to two RPGs here and college is making that difficult, so it is doubtful I'd be able to play much if at all. I'll keep this in mind though.

[Knife]

I'm interested, considering that I've wanted to get into this sort of thing but don't know the first thing about it.

[Hotfoot]

The "design crew" will be creating a kind of a "how to" document, showing what are considered to be "smart" things to do in playing a game such as this, to give newer players a better starting point to work from. :)

[The Cleric]

Can I simply modify an existing space civ (EoM)? I'm a fairly new player, interested in learning, but don't know if I can handle the full-scale creation and all the detail yet.

[Hotfoot]

In general, I tend to prefer original creations over cloned empires for various reasons. However, that's not a hard and fast rule. What sort of civilization is this EoM?

[The Cleric]

IoM* Space Marines, just made tiny.

[Hotfoot]

Ah, okay. Something like that would be possible, though obviously things would have to be scaled down quite a bit. The other thing you'd have to figure out is how things might have changed, having no idea where Earth is.

[The Cleric]

All I really want from it are the Space Marines. I don't know what scale we're talking here, but I'm sure the numbres could be scaled down.

[Anonymous]

Sounds interesting. Fluid STGODs work really well as long as the participants are creative. I'd be interested if this was scheduled for a november or there abouts.

[SirNitram]

The Vell-Os will be present, once more free of their chains.

Well, for now.

[Hotfoot]

I don't plan to get the actual game part of it up until year's end, with the pre-game stuff probably starting sometime next month or so. However, if it takes off before then, it probably still won't do so until November at the earliest.

[Rogue 9]

I'll give a tentative in, though Christmas vacation will be an early interruption if this starts when you say it will.

[Knife]

So, my exposer to this type of thing is limited. What do you need? Kind of a mini story of the history and capablilities of my 'nation'?

[Hotfoot]

Sort of. In this case, the general things you will need:

History and background of the nation. What type of government, defining events in their history, if any, social structure, if they're aliens or humans, what sort of general military design you are going for (space fleets and ground forces).

There will be a sort of construction kit for military and economic things that will be coming in the next week or two, like how big starting fleets are, what sort of design philosphies are held for each fleet, and so on. Also how combat is likely going to work (with some example scenarios to give you an idea) both in space and on the ground.

The one thing I want people to think about in their societies, when they're designing them, is what's wrong with it. No society is perfect, and no race is flawless. Everyone is going to have things they're good at, but in return, everyone does something poorly, even if just a little.

[Knife]

Sort of. In this case, the general things you will need:

History and background of the nation. What type of government, defining events in their history, if any, social structure, if they're aliens or humans, what sort of general military design you are going for (space fleets and ground forces).

There will be a sort of construction kit for military and economic things that will be coming in the next week or two, like how big starting fleets are, what sort of design philosphies are held for each fleet, and so on. Also how combat is likely going to work (with some example scenarios to give you an idea) both in space and on the ground.

The one thing I want people to think about in their societies, when they're designing them, is what's wrong with it. No society is perfect, and no race is flawless. Everyone is going to have things they're good at, but in return, everyone does something poorly, even if just a little.

I'm on it. I came into this with quite a few thoughts, so I'll type them up tomarrow and you'll have a 'mock-encyclopedia' entry then if not thursday.