Starlife
de la terre à la lune
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2010
- Messages
- 1,498
StarNES: Interplanetary Intrigue
Introduction
This never ending story takes place in a single star system that is so massive that it contains several planets that are just as habitable as Earth. Some are more habitable, others are less habitable, but all of the planets in this solar system that can be settled, have been settled. Each player will take control of a single, unique planet within this expansive star system. Players will not control the moons of their planet, and these moons will be decided by the moderator (their existence, purpose, and backstory). Planets, however, can be completely crafted by you, the player. This means that the climate, geography, civilization, history, government, etc. can all be decided by you, the player.
Humanity did not begin on a single planet. Rather, humans developed on several of the planets at around the same time. There were some planets with less advanced or civilized cultures, and others where humans never developed, but were settled early enough by the first interplanetary travelers. Each planet has a different set of flora and fauna, as well as different climates. Some are slightly closer to the sun, others are further away. Some are completely covered in water, others have very little water.
The point of this story is the story-telling process, which is the most important part to me. Having players tell a fine story and act in clever ways will win them props from myself (the moderator), and from the environment we play within.
Here is a brief example of a planet's backstory, which all players must create:
Spoiler :
Freyr is, to put it simply, a planet of farmers. The first settlements on Freyr began as massive farm communities, which evolved into collective farming areas. The first semblances of organized government began in this way. The industrial age on Freyr was much different than it was on other planets. The farming ways of this planet took new industrial inventions and initially used them to make their farms more efficient, much like how other planets did. However, this caused a rift in the communities on the planet, as some Freyrians despised the new technology and thought that it was against the ways of their god (who is shown in the form of a massive boar).
Some farming nations remained farming nations, while others quickly industrialized, opposing the ways of the old god. Eventually, these communities crumbled, as the populace grew ill from pollution (something that Freyrians are quite sensitive to). The large Freyrian cities soon became something of the past.
These cities were eventually resurrected, and large quantities of plant life were planted alongside buildings and throughout the cities. Vines now grow on the buildings and people live in these cities. They have become completely sustainable, and feature tiered farms in buildings, and massive farms on the rooftops of skyscrapers. It was only necessary for them to venture into cities, as the planet became more and more crowded. They took the powers of nature and turned them into making a pollution-free planet. They eventually developed ways to reach the stars through interplanetary means. The Freyrians developed computers and sophisticated technology, modeled after their old industrial cities, but featuring recyclable and reusable materials carefully crafted (it is said that a Freyrian can re-use anything, and that the quality of their high-tech goods are amazing because of their resourcefulness).
The Freyrians discovered space travel through the use of airwood. Airwood is a unique resource to the Freyr-forests. It is a light wood, and when the interior of the wood is scraped, it can allow anything to float in the air or levitate. This wood was known for some time, and creates a strange landscape in the Freyr-forests, as fallen trees rise up and continue to rise until they are burned up, creating flashes of light in the sky. However, it took some time for the Freyrians to discover how to use this in space travel. They began to experiment with creating high concentrations of it, which when placed in special generators (often powered by high quantities of sunlight) can cause even heavy objects and spaceships to float. They then created propelling systems, which allowed the ships to move and navigate.
Currently, Freyr sees itself as a guardian of nature, both on their own planet and on others. As such, they are naturally drawn to be allies with other planets who are at least somewhat respectful of their lands, and frowns upon heavily industrialized planets. To Freyrians, these planets are barbarians.
Some farming nations remained farming nations, while others quickly industrialized, opposing the ways of the old god. Eventually, these communities crumbled, as the populace grew ill from pollution (something that Freyrians are quite sensitive to). The large Freyrian cities soon became something of the past.
These cities were eventually resurrected, and large quantities of plant life were planted alongside buildings and throughout the cities. Vines now grow on the buildings and people live in these cities. They have become completely sustainable, and feature tiered farms in buildings, and massive farms on the rooftops of skyscrapers. It was only necessary for them to venture into cities, as the planet became more and more crowded. They took the powers of nature and turned them into making a pollution-free planet. They eventually developed ways to reach the stars through interplanetary means. The Freyrians developed computers and sophisticated technology, modeled after their old industrial cities, but featuring recyclable and reusable materials carefully crafted (it is said that a Freyrian can re-use anything, and that the quality of their high-tech goods are amazing because of their resourcefulness).
The Freyrians discovered space travel through the use of airwood. Airwood is a unique resource to the Freyr-forests. It is a light wood, and when the interior of the wood is scraped, it can allow anything to float in the air or levitate. This wood was known for some time, and creates a strange landscape in the Freyr-forests, as fallen trees rise up and continue to rise until they are burned up, creating flashes of light in the sky. However, it took some time for the Freyrians to discover how to use this in space travel. They began to experiment with creating high concentrations of it, which when placed in special generators (often powered by high quantities of sunlight) can cause even heavy objects and spaceships to float. They then created propelling systems, which allowed the ships to move and navigate.
Currently, Freyr sees itself as a guardian of nature, both on their own planet and on others. As such, they are naturally drawn to be allies with other planets who are at least somewhat respectful of their lands, and frowns upon heavily industrialized planets. To Freyrians, these planets are barbarians.
Goals
The goal of this NES is open-ended. Conquering or diplomatically swaying moons is one big goal that can be accomplished by players. You can also conquer other planets or parts of other planets. Important asteroid mining operations can be interrupted, pirates can be bribed, and so on. This star system is rather complex, complete with religious fanatics, nature-lovers, and war-mongers. Diplomacy and politics will be rather complex as well, as players interact with each other and various NPCs. This will mean that players can solve problems with more than just their spacefleet.
Creating a Planet
The first aspect of creating a planet is the atmosphere and "fluff" of your world.
There are a few things needed to create a planet:
1. Planet Name (obvious)
2. Climate/Geography (what does your planet look like? is it hot, cold, warm?)
3. Backstory/History (give a backstory or history of your planet)
4. Government (detail your governing body)
5. Religion (is this even important for your planet? if so, what kinds of mythology exist on your planet and how does this effect society?)
6. Foreign Policy (how do you react to other planets, and what kinds of planets are you looking to for friends, what kinds do you look down on, etc.)
7. Space Travel (each planet should have one single special resource that it uses to travel through space; this is one of the unique aspects of each planet and their respective military)
The second step to create a planet is figuring out your various statistics.
[this section coming soon after discussion/further thought]
This section will include Economy and Military. I am still in the thought process of how to figure out these important aspects of the game.
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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. Please give any and all input you might have. And please note that I will make this ruleset a lot "prettier" as I develop it more and more.