SLYNES - Swirly Lights Yonder, a Never Ending Story

DEADLINE: On HIATUS! Feel free to keep writing stories, but for the time being, no new updates shall appear in the near future, and thus, no orders are needed. I'm willing to allow for progression of the setting, even if I don't have time to properly update.

Things are a bit disorderly, and I'm well aware that I could have laid things out quite better when I first posted, but it's very much too late to fix it, and anyway, it's all buried in there somewhere. Questions? Ask!

The basic concept of this NES is to tell stories back and forth at each other about how our cool, imaginary space aliens are so cool that they traveled in space and fought each other. But seriously, this is a low-stat NES, based largely on the merit of stories and crafty decisions. This is my first project, so bear with me, but I'm more than excited enough to try to handle this. Let's see if any of you hate me by the time we're done!

The most important thing to start off with, I suppose, is the Race Template ('spoiled' below) which explains the basics of your species/civilization. This form is left generic and yet hopefully still detailed in enough of a way to provide for a solid view of your imagining. From this form, I'll determine some basic stuff about the galaxy, and then we'll get on with the first update (in which I'll give you your basic stats). Every turn is a year (on some vague, galactic average of some kind, that isn't based on any one star in particular, but maybe some kind of average of various important stars, or even just some arbitrary temporal designation; we won't worry too much about that) and will consist of my interpretation of written orders, stories, random events, whims, and so forth. Hopefully, everyone will be entertained and won't abandon me to be all alone in the scary, scary dark.




After you have that all decided (and put a bit of thought into it, will ya!), pick a region on the map 'spoiled' below using X/Y coordinates (i.e., B/D, C/E, etc.). If you want a specific spot, that's fine, but just a set of coordinates is good enough. This map will show political territories of the various races, on some grand cosmic scale, and we won't really worry all that much about the details of FLT transit or anything like that. We'll just assume that 1) it's possible, 2) it's pretty fast, and 3) it's cost-effective for rapid expansion. Note that coordinates F/F, F/G, G/F, and G/G are off limits as a starting location.





Orders are going to be fairly generic, even moreso than the race template. Basically, instead of having stats to manage the amount of stuff you're capable of doing, you have a choice of one internal action and one external action. What this means is that you can conduct one activity that occurs in/affects your empire itself, and one that occurs in/affects neighboring empires. For simplicity's sake, you can only directly deal with your immediate neighbors, unless you have a friend for a neighbor, in which case you can affect your ally's neighbors as well (unless they stop you, of course). Anyway, this is a fairly rough idea, so it'll probably need refining and tweaking, but it might be okay. We'll see. Can't learn lessons without making mistakes.

I'll determine when the Update Zero post is going to be, depending on the initial reaction. I'll come up with some rough stats based on what you come up with. Be warned that if you neglect flaws or otherwise over-power your species, the gods will not be pleased and they will find themselves cursed once they get a look at their stat sheet. I'd also like to ask anyone wanting to play to suggest a prefered time area that they would like the updates to occur in (so as to not get in the way of other activites, or fill in empty space in the week). I don't know how long each update will take me, but I'll work as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality.

Stats will consist of ECONOMY, MILITARY, FLEET, STABILITY, and TECHNOLOGY. I determine stats on my own whims. Just keep in mind that when you're filling out the race template, the more balanced and flawed you make your race, the better off it will be when I give it a couple arbitrary numbers.

PM ORDERS TO ME

Orders will consist of a brief story (or long, if you feel like it), with little notes here and there of where you're expending your stat points. For instance, if you're attacking another empire, you can write a story about the emperor drawing up the strategy and sending off the fleet, then note "(-1 fleet)" or whatever. In an example such as that, keep in mind that it's not removing the fleet forever, but rather, committing it to action for the rest of the turn, and if you commit all your fleets to attacks you'll have none for defense and such. Keep in mind that this isn't really supposed to be a stat-oriented game, it's just that it's necessary to keep everyone in line.

Aside from order-stories, I'd like stories posted here in the thread also, if you have the time. Your stories in your orders can be brief, but if you want to post something in here, I'd like it a little longer and more thought-out. Nothing too decisive (can't say "we attacked and won" but you can say "this one particular battle went well, and here's how so") but keeping it interesting and maybe getting you an extra nice bonus that turn or something like that. Really, most stories will warrant a bonus of some kind, if they're well-written, balanced to the game, and drive the setting's story forward.


UPDATE ZERO MAP:


RACES

RULES
Military Occupation of Worlds and Fleet/Army Repair Rules
Fleet/Army Production Rule Revision

Update Zero
Update One
Update Two
Update Three
Update Four
Update Five
Update Six
Update Seven
Update Eight
Update Nine
Update Ten
Update Eleven
Update Twelve
Update Thirteen
Update Fourteen

I'm definitely in! If i may offer a piece of advice, having run a story NES before- some minimalist stats are advisable, to provide a small framework upon which we can build our stories. These stats might be our race description, a technological description, the names of our inhabited planets, perhaps fleet strength, and basic information like that.

Good luck!

I was thinking about that as I was writing this up. I'll figure something out for it, I'm sure. Thank you kindly for the tip

This game sounds really fun. I'm in for sure. It'll be great to make a race of gods think up a well balanced alien race.

I may be up for this. Depends on whether or not I think of some alien race that strikes me as interesting to write about.

I'm in! Don't like the grid, but I'm in.

Race coming up.

I'll reserve a spot, stuff will come when I'm done with my NES.

Who are you? Shouldn't you play in a few NESs before launching one?

Bil's been around for a month or so, and he seems to be quite a good and enthusiastic NESer. I think he's

If you recall, Jason, I started my first NES only a month after humbly approaching you and asking if I could participate in your Pre-JNES thread.

I'm working on a history of my species, and should post it shortly.

Lord_Iggy said:

Bil's been around for a month or so, and he seems to be quite a good and enthusiastic NESer. I think he's

If you recall, Jason, I started my first NES only a month after humbly approaching you and asking if I could participate in your Pre-JNES thread.

I'm working on a history of my species, and should post it shortly.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I guess I've just been shocked recently with people who join NESing and then immediately try to host their own. I think you know of whom I speak.

When I see bill who has only 45 posts, I immediately judge, which I guess is wrong lol.

If he has the blessings of iggy, then im sure he will go far

Yeah, I'm sure it's a bit early for me to be jumping into this, but my concept is basic enough that I think it won't be a huge problem to lack experience. I've actually joined a few NESes over the past month, but got knocked out of one (ZPNESV... poor, poor Australia) and the other was canceled after my first turn. I've been reading through a lot of the past and current NESes to understand their structure (granted, I've been skimming a lot, and only really the ones that have tickled my fancy) and get a general feel for it. So, yeah, anyway, I understand your fears of having an inexperienced player start a NES, but I really do think I'm capable of this. I've actually been roleplaying in forums, chatrooms and MUDs for... 10 years? It's not all that different, in principal, so I guess I have more of a feel for it than most people would at this point. Anyway, enough of me cluttering my own thread.

Jason The King said:

Sorry, I guess I've just been shocked recently with people who join NESing and then immediately try to host their own. I think you know of whom I speak.

When I see bill who has only 45 posts, I immediately judge, which I guess is wrong lol.

If he has the blessings of iggy, then im sure he will go far

Click to expand...

Being new here doesn't mean that they are new to the concept of NESing, or that they have never done it before. Other forums exist.

Sneak peak of some of my early evolution sketches:

Wat

(5characters)

Obviously he's tracing out the evolutionary line. Speaking of which, nice work, Iggy.

I really, really look forward to this, but I also really don't know if I have any time at all. When do you need the templates by?

I think I'm going to make the cut-off for Update Zero next Wednesday, as long as at least one person has a template in by then (which is likely). I'll be taking entrants throughout the game, so it's never too late to start. Yeah, new players late in the game might get gobbled up, but you just have to be crafty, careful, and probably very diplomatic.

Iggy, I'm liking what I see! Can't wait to read through the template for these critters

RACE NAME: Seipas Yag

APPEARANCE:



The Seipas Yag are semi-bipedial, using their hands to support them as they move. They have hair sacks all along their back-tail skeletal structure, and most of them let the hair grow long and in quite astounding haircuts. Also, some even have hair growth on the top of their head. Their sight is quite sharp, although their main sense (As well as their communication device) is within sensors present on their heads; feeling and sending vibrations through the air, they actually emit small radio-like waves, creating ultrasonic sounds to communicate with each other. They are traditionally gatherers - dominating their planet was not an easy task. Not eating meat, they were placed low on the food chain for many eras, although with the Kysotopic Seipan Era, a planetary rise in climate temperature as well as the mass extinction of millions of species, they were one of the few species adaptable enough to completely reverse their lives; while being semi-amphibious at that point, they slowly began to spread throughout the land. They learned the ways of crop growing quite early compared to humans, even at the stage of Seipas Yutug ("The Planting Man") the family tree had been known to actively plant bushes of malligm and murc. Malligm has even developed a semi-symbiotic relationship with the Seipas racial tree. Most importantly from all of this, what seperates the Seipas Yag from their predecessors is that they learned to tame and domesticate animals. The nose ring on the picture is a fashion thing, like the bonds around the pigtail roots.

CIVILIZATION NAME: The planet of Yuynemel houses only one remaining Seipas, the Yag family; although it should be noted that it is quite rude to call a Seipas Yag a "yack" - but I will get to that later. The space empire of the Seipas Yag is officially known as Seipese Ykonderon Memel, the "Seiposic Circle", and stand out in its interests in domesticating local lesser races and absorbing them into their culture.

CULTURE: First off, it should be noted that the Seipas Yag don't have the same cooking traditions as with the Terran civilization we know. Food is, to them, something as needed as oxygen, but nothing more. They just don't have the same cerebral reaction to taste stimulation as humans do. Instead, one might find it curious that they actually seem somewhat sexually aroused from regular chatting - at least the chemicals and hormones their brains release during chatter resemble the ones that we release when our libidos are high. This might also be an explanation why they, like humans, have sex for the sake of recreation. Their reproductive system, however, is much different; the female lays eggs, but does it into the male genitals, in which he takes care of it until it hatches. Additionally, they can choose whenever they want to become impregnable, which the law states has to be after three years of homogenous partnership. Women's rights is an unknown subject ot Seipas Yag, they have simply never experienced socioeconomical gender differences. Most modern Seipas Yag are atheists, but they have had a religious pattern not much different from humans'; however, it should be noted that the Seipas are traditionally viewing the sun as the anti-deity throughout most of their religious ideas. One last thing that is to be noted; it is very rude to say "yack" or "yocker" to a Seipas Yag; during an insterstellar racial submission, where the now destroyed Umbrian Empire ruled Yuynemel with an iron fist. Importantly, the inhabitants were somewhat surpressed until they managed to overthrow the local government; and during this period Seipas Yag were called yockers or yacks. The Seipas Yag are usually quite easygoing with confllicts; they don't see the reason to fight. Instead, they have interests in domestication, animal symbiosis and taming. They have actually managed to domesticate a small number of intelligent races throughout the universe; and they hope to continue with it. Symbiosis is one of the key elements in Seipas Yag culture (And is also a racial trait), and a Seipas Yag doesn't feel comfortable without a pet beside him or an animal to take care of. On their planet, the cities are spread out through endless fields of the malligm plant, also which grows on their houses and often inside the house. The malligm seeds have developed a way that when eated by a Seipas Yag, it will not be digested, but will instead pass through the digestive system and remain a seed, eventually coming out with additional "energy" - it is the leaves the Sepias Yag eat anyways, the seeds are merely inside these leaves.

GOVERNMENT: Seiposic Circle; resembles an earthly republic - somehow; it is more a Greek democracy with twists.

DOMESTIC POLICY: It is actually granted each "true Seiposic civilian" - the Sepandyge - that those can vote on the politicians. Seipas Yags are always Sepandyges. Other races within the republic, however, have to live to a number of standards before being considered Sepandyges:
- They have to live peacefully with the remaining Sepandyges
- They have to contribute positively to the Seiposic society; either economically or culturally
- They need the Seipas Yag and the remainder of the republic to survive as a specie
That is, as soon as a race within the empire lives symbiotically with the rest, it's allowed to vote or run. All policies are otherwise determined by the selected government, approved by a Room of Signs - another governmental organ with one representantive from each Sepandyge race within the republic; each time one dies, a new one is selected through popular Sepandyge election - and a legal system to enforce it.

XENOPOLICY: Usually, the Seipas Yag attemp to subjugate other cultures into symbiosis quite actively; cultures they find unsubjugateable, they kill through a horrible series of genocide - although only if necessary. This only happens in conflict or conquest; the Seipas Yag are rather peaceful and prefers not to harm creatures in general; they just have no interest in it.

PERSONAL NAMES: Seipas Yag: Adendyve, Arale, Dekyge, Diodipa, Diygyas, Duendye, Eygule, Gagel, Gemy, Gedopya, Gepo, Gisu, Gisepese, Godunge, Iandyve, Kakadyre, Kategos, Koseve, Leguan, Omyr, Onymou, Pusukyge, Sasygias, Satu, Semvel, Seriosya, Sogola, Urud, Uvyve, Vague, Ykage.

PLANET NAMES: Yuynemel (Of course, main planet), Deseymel, Sokaduem, Ulymonemel, Uvilyve.

STAR NAMES: Sasisanol (The main star), Esperyge, Espersiun, Vakyriun, Ydelesper.

SHIP NAMES: Usually the Seipas Yag follow a pattern of calling their ships Hope One, Two etc.; Hope is Imydel in Seipas Yag. Exceptions may arise; Asymutela (One of the ancient Seipas Yag deties), Desiun Dug (Red Sun Lives), Kigediumel (From Our Earth), Utlyvia (An ancient extinct Yuynemel specie).

Interesting! I like the Spore-made image, as well One question though: Where on the galactic map do you want to be located? Just a general X/Y coordinate (i.e., "F/E" or "C/D" etc.) is fine, though if you want to be more specific and involve details in the image as a specific reference point, that's fine too. You won't be determining size of the empire, however; that's my job! I've made notes of this in my original post, and have added a "location" section to the template. Sorry for my oversight of this detail!

Oh! I want to note that F/F, F/G, G/F and G/G (aka, the core area) is off limits. Too tumultuous!

Actually, you can just as well drop me in anywhere. I'd prefer upper-middle-left, that is, some distance 'north-west' from the core area.

EDIT: And thankyou, by the way.

The map looks too great to miss it I will lurk.