Happy Birthday, T'Shock!  ;)

T'shock is haz. :) Ty, Nono, lol!

Just a reminder: Jaq, Elena, Nash are up

Been a month since the reminder for Jaq, etc. I'm going to move RP along.

Actually, before I get things moving again, I need a head count. I know Leon is busy RL due to having moved and not having his own computer anymore. I assume Jaq is busy as well. Who all is still here and with us?

  Well, I'm still here anyways.

Here of course, but as mentioned I'd like to see a reboot.  I'll likely play as a teenage goat.  ;)

Somewhat present.

  Removing game this from my sticky list until it's consistently more active than one post every month or two.

Sad to see Elena/Nash/Jacqueline go, but sadder still is the fact this whole plot is kinda gone from my mind as a result. Frankly, between those three characters and the roles they played, I would have to RP out those characters for him. Which as neat and rich as his characters are, I'd rather not do. So I'm doing a reboot.

This is everyone's chance to remodel their characters. I'm likely going to have this start on the same place: The Rush Settlement on planet X, owned by the Tharians.

Any input here in OOC for what you'd like to see in RP, though, is greatly appreciated and will be strongly considered.

Joe asked a question Chris frequently asks me concerning Faction (and Joe tends to ask this frequently concerning ANY RP, more or less); What does Tim want to do in Faction?

The answer is that I would like to play my Faction characters one way or another. Every time I've played Faction, the cannon characters pop up somehow because I wanna play them that badly. And to be honest, I'm a little torn between whether I wanna actually play out what would be in the comic, or play an alternate universe from what would be in the comic.

The comic WILL be different than what I've written for it originally. That much, I've decided. Sooo...

First, I wanna make sure. Nobody minds if I put their characters in a comic that I intend to sell? I'm pretty sure the answer is "Yeah, Tim, I would totally mind you putting my character in an awesome sci-fi setting. *sarcasm*" or some such, but I wanna make sure anyway as I know how some are protective of their characters regardless.

Second, we would likely have to make adjustments to the characters so they'd fit. Such as making the moogle something that isn't a moogle. Much as I love moogles, they are copywrite material.

Third, for Tim to be able to play all his characters from all Factions, I would probably like for each of us to have characters from all Factions. In Joe's case, if alt-itis is a problem, he could probably play his one character as someone who goes to all Factions for one reason or another. Or more than one character who does so. Or one character who does, while one character stays with one Faction. Chris has many alts in various factions already (Philip in the Underground, Garnor working for Angel, etc).

I would like to make a comic from our RPs. All thoughts on it appreciated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:42, Tue 15 Nov 2011.

  DnD wise, 'oh hey, I want to try this class' plus all my alts being separated by different threads helped in that case.  Normal wise not so much when it comes to the ideas, plus I tend to brainlock when I have alts in the same scene.  So while I could probably think up more than one character (just HOW many factions are there again in this game for that again?) for here given time, less confident in having them interact with eachother (as it is, Metron and Junker sort of pretend their Autobot/Decepticon conterparts don't exist).

  Always polite and good form to ask permission for using other people's characters, even it seems a safe bet (yes in this case).  Fine with it myself.  I'd say our RP's and any ensuing comics based off them are totally non-cannon.  Much easier to deal with that way for all involved.

  Joe's in the 'self employed, but trying not to break the law too flagrantly' area.  Plus some better insight of what's expected from the game and us could help me tweak them better to suit it possibly. (as it is I'm intending to scale down his ship a bit...  Yes my logic makes no sense even to me after the effort I went to have one at all, the others showing up with ships that made mine look like a Happy Meal Toy).

  Alt wise, if I made any piratey alts It'd probably be an Educated Dumb Muscle Korshare Barakian.  I'd fully expect them to get hit by the Worf Effect plenty.  Though at least he'd have a bit more focus than Joe concept wise.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Wed 16 Nov 2011.

Thought dump:
Tim suggested 2 separate threads for comic ideas and "just for fun" rp.
I asked if he could make a comic from D&D heroe's guild and he nodded.
Perhaps rp as comic panels, not chars.
Remake Empress of Strife?  Cyber Sarah last I recall.  Does that really work?
Concerns about Joe-Chris argen especially over "balance" issues.

More detail when time allows.

Separate thread for RP that doesn't get the "this will be used for the comic" stamp seems to be the consensus.  If Tim can make a comic out of random RPs such as what happened with D&D Heroes Guild, then the RP thread need not have any structure to be contributing to actual future comic.

RP as panels.  Just a thought, if in the actual comic thread if one gets made, is that the contributors not be restricted to one character but rather adds to the story by writing what should be in the next panel of the comic.  Could go all out and even have an actual comic book page layout and write into it like the pros do.  Assuming that's how the pros storyboard stuff.

Remake Empress of Strife alliance.  Didn't get any nods or headshakes on whether Tim wants to keep the leader of Strife as a robot disguised as a Teddy Bear.  Me, I'm not fond of seeing Sarah in that light.

Last and most important bit.  Joe-Chris argen.  Tim recommended discussing over the next 4 days.

Reminders of things discussed:
Remake Tom's look.
Perhaps main protagonist is someone else like Angel or Emerald?
Tim needs to create cell phone reminder to work on Faction comic on a regular basis.  Tim will need to instigate.

Thoughts today:  Need to research classic Scifi for inspiration.  Specifically Scifi targeted to kids.  Avoid Me Am Play Gods.  Look to history for story ideas.  Specifically the cold war or any other historical political web with innumerable factions jostling for power.  Perhaps Biblical histories.

In the process of redesigning Tom, I came across something interesting.

I tried replacing his cheek fur with a more scruffy appearance and remembered I gave his "older" self a scruffier look. I remembered I loved how his older self looked... more than his younger self. So there's gotta be something to that.

So yeah... reassessing who my main characters are could help a lot.

Best way for us all to play together and take the whole "deep space" thing to the max, is for us all to be part of a rag-tag crew (Like in Cowboy Beebop) of explorers (maybe bounty hunters. Maybe both.)

We all share the same ship so balance on that issue isn't an issue anymore. I proposed this idea to Joe, along with the idea the ship isn't even fully ours yet (we're giving payments once a month based off the income we pull from our exploring and bounty hunting).

I decided against RP dictating the comic series, but if I like what we RP, nothing says our rag-tag crew can't make a cameo once. Especially since I will likely have some cannon characters make cameos in RP here.

Either way, I'm wanting to think up a character for this crew and will probably be strongly leaning towards one of the Faction-only type races (Blissian, Coalwren, Barrakian, etc) and likely will make an NPC character or two that may or may not be part of our crew (such as the AI of our ship). You guys figure what/who you'd like to play for such a concept and hopefully we can get RP started. I think as a team, we can get the most fun RP-wise out of this.

Sounds fun!  :)  Time-line wise, I recommend our group predates Tom and Angel by a generation or two.  Or perhaps they're just children at this point.  This will allow a lot of flexibility in the story.

In reply to Nono (msg #123):

Or post-dates the main story by several generations.  But pre-dates is better IMO 'cause it means you don't have to make up your mind about historic events involving cannon chars.

In any case, when considering who I'd like to play, my Goat character keeps coming to mind.  But I can't remember his name!  I searched and searched for the one RP I played him and couldn't find it.  ;.;  Maybe I'll go with Terry as a nod to Batman Beyond.  Was thinking of maybe giving him dowsing rod fists: a 6th sense of detecting villainy (lots of inside jokes there) and a plot proof skateboard and BMX.

His name was originally Kevin (I forget why, but I vaguely remember there being some significance). The RP he was in was titled simply: "Faction" and was in Heroes Guild.

Not that I'll forget, because I'm wagging my tail over this, but just in case... don't lemme forget to write up a character sheet for K'Shasa. :)

Brainstorming scifi stuff.
Ethics of each tec.  Always a debate over LATEST tech, but rarely over older tech.  What level of tech in each field is available to each race, and when?  "Current Year" as a universal calendar.  Maybe rotations of a certain star around the galactic center?  CY - 12 means 12 years ago.  Genetic mods: can change DNA on the fly for a specific task.  Like BraveStar.  Cost is always a factor.  Maybe a face lift is cheap.  Or a complete face change.  I.D. theft = as annoying as losing your wallet.  no one sure who anyone is.  Look at comics & spy movies for powers then just make them more commonplace.  Interface: telepathic control of tech.  Even today most everyone is effectively a cyborg thanks to watches and cell phones.  High tech just takes it further.  Getting a cyber upgrade would be as simple as getting a new earring.  Travel tech: motorized / hover shoes.  Capsule Corp. cars.  With phasing.  Spirits as a matter of fact?  Astral projection commonplace?  "Safe" drug addictions.  Used to motivate workers.  Mining pulsar stars would be relatively easy given antigrav tech.  new materials made with atom smashers:  Made of Protons, Neutrons, Negetons, Dions, Spiritons.  Spirit has no weight / mass/ inertia and cannot be affected by normal matter.  What if sulfur were rare?  or oil?  No gunpowder or plastics.  Life extension tech: Just how close to immortal are people?  Tech jumps in history.  Eventually has to level out till the next best building material is discovered.  hybrid people: cannot reproduce.  Data bank of all possible genes.  Weapons tech.  Other ways to neutralize enemy besides just injury and destruction.  Germ warfare for example.

Teleporting:  Don't fuss 2 much over real physics.  Science FICTION is fiction.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:46, Mon 13 Aug 2012.

Things a scifi series usually has/needs:
-Ships (and travel through space)
-Hover cars
-Neat gadgets
-Advanced looking settings (future cities)
-Alien worlds (even if the primary setting feels alien)

If I have teleporting as a common thing, and communications tech is able to send info instantly to any location with the same amount of energy over any distance, there is literally no need for ships. So must limit with high cost.

Teleportation: This technology is used for emergencies, such as when someone's life depends on getting to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. Ambulances will have teleport tech on board their vehicle. Or maybe a meeting needs to happen and a different meeting happens such that the person is like "GOSH I wish I could teleport" and such. Still can't be in two places at once.

(A note on Teleportation: Considering teleportation usually means disintigrating a person molecule by molecule and converting them into energy, what if a soul detaches from the energy being as a result? Delve on that more as we explore spirit tech)

(Thoughts: Maybe greater distance = greater requirements for energy/cost/etc)

Splitcon (Split-consciousness) tech: Like with the movie serogates, people can have a robot who represents them go someplace. The robot can be uploading its experiences remotely to the user's mind. For the old "have to be at two places at the same time". Personal robots are already expensive, but a "serogate" that matches what all you can do would be even more expensive.

Comtech: Communications uses quantum entanglment to cause data in one place to suddenly be "echoed" elsewhere instantly, no matter how far. It makes for a great way to secure data as well since you can have data storages that exist in random parts of the universe with unknown (to most) locations. Said data storages can be operated remotely by the person who has the entanglement codes (and the correct "spirit" imprint?)

Genmod (Genetics modifications): Highly expensive, but worth every penny, this tech allows the user to make from minor to complete alterations to their entire physical composition. For example; a minor alteration might be to make one's self stronger. A major alteration might be making yourself a hybrid of your race and another. A complete alteration could include change of race, gender, all of the above. As long as there is recorded data on the alteration in question, you can alter yourself accordingly. Minor alterations are available to the public as extremely expensive items (Like buying a car). All mods are tracked and anyone competing in sports or such are actually quite easily caught if they attempt to use an alteration against the rules.



/////ETHICS/////

Teleportation: Due to the idea that the soul could be separated from the body, some have decided to avoid teleporting altogether. However, due to how infrequently it is used by the common public (in most places), the issue doesn't bring much grief. Some places have fully embraced the technology, however. Coalwren, for instance, have no problem teleporting all over Coal just as often as they use cars or walk. The expense isn't much of an issue for them due to the fact one of the main components requires elements more common on Coal than anywhere else. Blissians are also known to use teleportation more freely than most, though not quite as much as Coalwren. Barrakians use it purely for planet-hopping rather than its more local uses due to culture. Aqualans have their own version of the technology that partly relies on psionics which allows the Aqulans to bypass a good deal of its usual cost. Despite this, they generally don't teleport as much as Coalwren.

Splitcon: Many people have problems with this. While it effectively lets you be two places at once, this can cause confusion in memory and has already resulted in some Splitcon addicts to develope psychological problems. For simpler things like allowing a robot to go to work for you, it seems safe enough. But when you begin trying to master many things at once, it starts getting dangerous. Regardless, even its safe uses are debated over and some want nothing to do with it.

Comtech: All races came to love comtech long before reaching the stars. The only real disagreement is how to go about communicating. Even then, it's more preference than need. Everyone communicates. A few races are more reclusive, but even they use Comtech of some kind.

Genmod: This technology is still hotly debated, despite having been completed 50 years ago. It came into full swing in the past 10 years, but some races don't even use it while others have outlawed it. This means people who are not in their original form are banned from some places, making this like "no smoking" areas, but to an extreme to where you could serve jail time. Thankfully, the only places it is banned are specific planets and sometimes just specific countries on specific planets. Every planet has a country or 3 that doesn't use Genmod. But some planets just don't use it no matter where you are on the planet: The planets who don't use it are Bliss, Coal, Fey, Sharr. The planets where it is banned are Barrak, Dachul and Grenu.

Some quick bits.

Trying to think that deep into the tech level/tech ethics scale of things is probably not gonna work out.  Chris already said it.  "Don't fuss 2 much over real physics.  Science FICTION is fiction."

Nearly impossible to cover all the angle, and adds more headache than not for a setting that looks like Buck Rodgers/Flash Gordon with midgets (or, not midgets.  Art styles/official stances on height always changing and all that).

I've heard some people complain how lots of Sci-Fi shows lack any 'real' religions (not just you two).  Well, aside from the 'trying not to offend X audience members' angle you also get into other things.  Oh look, you are currently considering that teleportation separates your soul from you.  Congratulations, in your attempts to stick to religion you have given everyone the ability to steal souls.  Don't factor religious aspects into technology unless you want a scientist reaching in and YANKING on something biblical. Or you wanted to work in a 'yup, Religious/Mystic aspects > Science.  Don't bother with science, even in Science fiction.' angle.  But if you try to do it the other way around, refer to 'Soul theft made easy'. For why that isn't any better.

Oh Death Star, we hardly knew yah.  All the majority of the fanbase goes on about is how badass the force is and hardly anybody cares about the technology of the Sci-Fi/fantasy setting beyond 'Don't touch my lightsabre, forceless heathen'.  People care about and treat with more respect and fear a glowstick than a planet buster. (I can hear Rick now, explaining why he can totally deflect a Death Star laser with his Lightsabre).

A 'less than stellar distances' range and it being impractical to teleport large amounts of people/objects could work out.  On planet transports for shipping would still be handy. (Transporters and transports.  Thanks english language you not confusing at all!)   You still have reasons for space ships everywhere, and they still take the fancy elevators everywhere on their ship instead of just going from transporter pad to transporter pad in Trek.  Probably best to treat Teleportation like Star Wars treats their FTL drives.  They are the things that get you from scene to scene, not the basis of an entire hour length episode.

Genemods, so far so good thematically?  Though 'Blissians do not use Gene mods' makes Zero Sense for the race that created sentient beings as a hobby.

However, from a Game standpoint planetary Banzors for Gene mods are just as bad as the Racial Flavor 'Fairy's take three month long naps every so often'.  Better hope it never, EVER comes up or oops that character is out of the game for the next RL year or so.

EDIT: considering the limited amount of setting knowledge, and limited amount of 'Primary, Important worlds/races', it would be good for you to list what planets DO work in Gene mods, if 6 of the Big Recognizable Names In Home Planets either do not use them, or outright ban them.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Sun 19 Aug 2012.

- Conversation on average height of races: /agree with idea of "short animals like mice should be short.  Tall animals should be tall."
- Thought on cross-race couples: hybrid children?  Are they sterile?  No offspring at all?  Kids are one species or the other?  My take would be: offspring at all very very rare.
- Faith / spirits: Metaphor for RL / emulating RL spiritual thought processes is problematic as Joe pointed out... and admittedly less interesting.  Perhaps create a brand new mythos only very loosely based on Earth ideas.  What if spirits were tangible, measurable balls of energy?  What if the 'seat of the soul' wasn't the brain but a specialized organ?  What if 'spirits' such as ghosts are just temporal echoes of past or future.  (Would explain ghost ships.  Ships aren't people with brains or spleens, so why would an apparition of one appear?)  Or perhaps ghosts are a manifestation of a part of the universe where the "veil" between the faction universe and it's antimatter twin is "thin."  Whatever the ultimate outcome, I agree that wizards > doomsday tech = facepalm.
- Teleportation / folding space: greater distance/mass(or volume) = greater energy required to teleport an object.
-Star mining for plentiful energy.
-Need antigrav/artificial grav tech.
-Selective Ban on gene mods: could be a great way for preventing unwanted "Colossus or Juggernaught strong?" type players.  Think of the legit within-the-rules 25STR D&D 3.5 charsheet.  If you take a Barakian, add some cybernetic enhancements and gene mods, you'll end up with charsheets like that.
- Teleporting bits of star into your ship's engine for power/propulsion.  Combining warp engines, warp gates, and various other ideas for FTL travel.  No need to be stuck on one idea for getting from point A to point B.
- 3 dimensional nature of space makes having strategic choke points kindof difficult to include.  Something to consider when thinking on the FTL travel issue.