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To Boldly Go - Discussion Thread

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TheBigBean Wizard of science. from underground. Since: Dec, 2012
Wizard of science.
#1: Jun 23rd 2013 at 6:30:26 PM

Hello, and welcome to the discussion thread for the Space Crossover RP, To Boldly Go! Here, you can chat with other players about what's going on at the RP thread, or just about anything else.

If you've just arrived here, this is the signup thread, and this is the roleplay thread.

edited 27th Jun '13 12:45:44 PM by TheBigBean

Locoman Since: Nov, 2010
#2: Jun 23rd 2013 at 6:31:17 PM

nark nark

edited 23rd Jun '13 6:31:28 PM by Locoman

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#3: Jun 23rd 2013 at 6:35:09 PM

Ah, kids. The future of our society.

Dell, get back in my head.

What are you talking about? This is my room.

-Inception bwong-

GameSpazzer The Beta Male from Against! The! Wall! Since: Jun, 2010
The Beta Male
#4: Jun 23rd 2013 at 6:46:48 PM

So... hi.

MY SOUL IS DARK BUT MY HAIR IS COLORFUL — Brahian Pokémon Alchemist
SullenFrog (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: I wanna know about these strangers like me
GameSpazzer The Beta Male from Against! The! Wall! Since: Jun, 2010
The Beta Male
#7: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:06:01 PM

Mm-hm. -Cracks open beer-

So, anything we should know? I left most locations vague in the signup in case we wound up going there in a plot.

MY SOUL IS DARK BUT MY HAIR IS COLORFUL — Brahian Pokémon Alchemist
Fusionman Since: Nov, 2009
#8: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:11:56 PM

Reporting for duty, ladies and gentlemen.

Locoman Since: Nov, 2010
#9: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:13:47 PM

If anyone ever desires an encounter with a balls-out bizarre alien race, just call me and I can think of some weird planet from classic SF that we can visit. tongue

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#10: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:23:22 PM

Bean had an idea for what our first encounter would be, but he also said we can all suggest ideas for encounters.

Personally, I want to see a "virus gets inside the ship, infects people, wears them down and makes them see their crew members as the thing they hate the most". A sick Dell stumbling around the ship and yelling at the mad goggle-wearing versions of himself laughing at him would be cool. tongue

FirockFinion THE SLORG! from The Red Desert Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
THE SLORG!
#11: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:38:53 PM

@Strato: I would've expected visions of the Spy laying sappers on all his stuff. Or maybe Demoman laying sticky bombs everywhere; lord knows that's what I hate most while playing Engineer.

@Plots: Now that discussion's up, I have a couple I can throw out there relevant to my character(s).

The most obvious from Jim's bio that I'd like to do at some point (but not near the beginning I'd prefer) is finding Mengsk's ship and dealing with him.

Another I thought of after writing up the bio would be the ship getting pulled into an alternate dimension/timeline where Tychus didn't take the blame for both him and Jim, making Jim still a criminal in the Earth Alliance.

Also, assuming we're still going to be allowed secondary characters and Raz gets accepted, Raz would be perfect for a plot where everyone else gets brainwashed. But, that wouldn't really be fair to every player besides me, so I'll pass on that suggestion.

You are reading this.
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#13: Jun 23rd 2013 at 7:43:59 PM

[up][up] Spy check. Spy check everywhere. But alas, this is a different Engineer.

Wait, alternate timelines? Are we going to visit A Us of an AU... and accidentally get back to the original canon universes of each character in a very meta endgame mission?

stephanreiken Since: May, 2010
#14: Jun 23rd 2013 at 8:01:23 PM

Hmm, we should respond to a distress call which turns out to be a trap and a raiding ship steals/kidnaps some things and we have to chase them down.

nman Since: Mar, 2010
#16: Jun 23rd 2013 at 11:13:34 PM

I might as well add to the mission idea pile. After we've gone around for a while, visited a few planets, had some close calls, I got an idea for a mission: One of the diplomatic/science/whatever missions goes perfectly. No fast-breeding rodent infestation, no terrorists sabotaging the mission, no rogue AI, no viruses, no ancient alien super weapons burred under some huts. Nothing. But here's the catch: We don't know which mission it is until it's over. I bet that would drive all of the characters crazy, while we're all jumping at the slightest things.[lol] Of course, the driving force would be character interaction, so it would only be a good idea if people actually talk to each other.

GameSpazzer The Beta Male from Against! The! Wall! Since: Jun, 2010
The Beta Male
#17: Jun 23rd 2013 at 11:21:35 PM

Hm... I like it.

Mine, which kind of looks lame in comparison, is that the Einstein gets sent into an isolated corner of the universe on a rescue mission, where civilisation has developed space flight, but have never left their solar system. However, thanks to the local religion, they have a habit of taking whatever/whomever strolls into their area by mistake and imprisoning them and their tech as heretics/demons/whatever. In the process, the crew is imprisoned themselves, and has to escape with the two prisoners there.

MY SOUL IS DARK BUT MY HAIR IS COLORFUL — Brahian Pokémon Alchemist
TheBigBean Wizard of science. from underground. Since: Dec, 2012
Wizard of science.
#18: Jun 24th 2013 at 5:18:15 AM

All great ideas. Will I use them? You will have to find out... tongue

Since it'll be a while before we begin, do you guys want to do some sort of "mini roleplay" here in the discussion thread to get acclimated with the characters? We've already established the RP itself will begin with them having been two days on the ship, facing their first enemy- so while they know each other, they're more like acquaintances. For now, at least.

edited 24th Jun '13 5:18:46 AM by TheBigBean

Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#19: Jun 24th 2013 at 7:31:21 AM

If nothing else, I'm going to be kind of glad that nobody is going to keep on yapping about Malachor V. Like seriously, in KOTOR II nobody can go a second without mentioning Malachor and they just won't shut up about it! I mean it's understandable considering what happened there (and its repercussions), but jeez-o.

Personally, I want to see a "virus gets inside the ship, infects people, wears them down and makes them see their crew members as the thing they hate the most". A sick Dell stumbling around the ship and yelling at the mad goggle-wearing versions of himself laughing at him would be cool

That would be kind of cool.

@Plots arising from backstories:

Really, the only two I can think of involving Atton are something involving the Sith*

or the Mandalorians*.

Mine, which kind of looks lame in comparison, is that the Einstein gets sent into an isolated corner of the universe on a rescue mission, where civilisation has developed space flight, but have never left their solar system. However, thanks to the local religion, they have a habit of taking whatever/whomever strolls into their area by mistake and imprisoning them and their tech as heretics/demons/whatever. In the process, the crew is imprisoned themselves, and has to escape with the two prisoners there.

Loving this idea.

I've got another idea which I've been hammering out with the Big Bean.

Also, since I felt like it, have some more details on this universe's Mandalorians!

Mandalorians (or Mando'ade, the Children of Mandalore*

) are loosely affiliated nomadic clans of beings from all species and genders (though humans are by far the most common) whose culture largely hinges upon warfare and battle (not to mention conquest), providing the cement that binds their communities. As a general rule, most Mandalorians that go off-world from Mandalore form war bands that are incredibly close*. It is seen as a grave offense to betray your clan or otherwise aid their enemies. The leader of the Mandalorians is known as the Mandalore, the current Mandalore being Mandalore the Defender (the previous being Mandalore the Ultimate, killed by Revan during the Earth Alliance's skirmishes with the Mandalorians). It is one of the core tenets of Mandalorian philosophy to never disobey the Mandalore and to rally to his/her side.

Off-world Mandalorians are usually there for one of three reasons:

  • Offering their services as a mercenary/bounty hunter to the highest bidder
  • Going on a crusade
  • In between work and looking for a new contract

If it is not obvious by now, Mandalorians are highly prized for their prowess in combat. Usually, the Earth Alliance and Mandalorians leave each other alone (though it has been noted that the latter are not very fond of the former's SIB*

), though occasionally tensions can flare. It rarely gets beyond that stage, however.

One of the more extreme factions in Mandalorian space (and outwith it) is known as the Death Watch, a collection of Mandalorians looking to restore their people to their "golden age" as a significant empire. Though they are not seen too favourably, Mandalore the Defender does have one use for the Death Watch: as a completely deniable group for carrying out certain politically sensitive tasks. On occasion, a disgraced Mandalorian will be told to join the Death Watch and restore his honour on the battlefield - or die trying. Some speculate that the group's grim title reflects this grisly aspect of Mandalorian justice.

In terms of technology, Mandalorians lag behind somewhat in terms of non-military equipment, though what they do have is extremely hard wearing and practical. It has been said that a Mandalorian weapon - or indeed, anything else you care to name - could be buried 12 feet under the surface of the most inhospitable mudball you could name for many decades and when you dragged it back up again it would work just like new. Of course, most Mandalorian weaponry is at least somewhat illegal in Earth Alliance and Tau Empire space, not that the Mandalorians are particularly discouraged by this.

EDIT:

@Mini-RP in discussion:

TBH I think we should avoid cluttering our discussion thread with non-discussion shenanigans.

edited 24th Jun '13 7:32:22 AM by Flanker66

Locking you up on radar since '09
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#20: Jun 24th 2013 at 8:25:37 AM

[up] Oh. Big post. Like what you did with them.

@Mini-R Ps: from my experience with them, mini-R Ps are great ways to get character interaction down and they can be lots of fun.

edited 24th Jun '13 8:25:48 AM by Stratofarius

Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#21: Jun 24th 2013 at 8:49:02 AM

Like what you did with them.

Thanks!

Also, some more snippets - Mandalores are given titles that reflect the defining feature of their rule (Mandalore the Indomitable, Mandalore the First, etc. etc.). In Mandalore the Defender's case, he's seen as defending the Mandalorian way of life from those who would wish to destroy it. Some half-jokingly refer to him as Mandalore the Crusader instead due to his penchant for launching campaigns of expansion.

Generally, if we encounter the Mandalorians, they'll probably be working as part of another race's military/security forces. The Death Watch are almost guaranteed to be wholly Mandalorian though just by their nature - and they are more likely to use "traditional" Mandalorian weapons/armour made of metals such as beskar'gam, which is a notoriously tough material that can take hits other metals might be damaged by.

Locking you up on radar since '09
Locoman Since: Nov, 2010
#22: Jun 24th 2013 at 12:22:32 PM

@ the communal subplot idea pile: I have an idea for a subplot and alien race... but compared to some of these things it's really quite weird and might not work out.

The Einstein is orbiting a newly discovered planet on a routine scan for new life and civilizations. The planet they discover is a large planet with an extremely high gravity, although the artificial gravity compensators in the ship's shuttle and possibly some kind of armor will allow them to move around in the planet's atmosphere. However, somewhere along the way something goes wrong and the shuttle crashes on the planet, leaving everyone stranded with no way to return to the Einstein- and the spaceborne ship cannot enter the atmosphere without suffering grave damage. The planet's inhabitants are just beginning their own space program and have not yet discovered intelligent life, meaning that directly interacting with them will violate the Prime Directive. To make matters worse, their armor can only withstand so much G-forces at a time, and if they don't find a way off the planet soon they'll be squished. At the same time, however, the alien's crude but powerful chemical rockets are capable of breaking free of the planet's crushing gravity, meaning that the group will need to somehow sneak aboard a craft and try and contact the Einstein from space.

Yeah... it's probably a little weirder than some of the other ideas suggested here, but you know my tastes in speculative fiction. tongue

edited 24th Jun '13 12:22:43 PM by Locoman

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#23: Jun 24th 2013 at 12:25:19 PM

I've got two ideas: one sees the group having to rely on old world technology as a magnetic field turns out their lasers, energy weapons, etc.

And another one sees the Einstein getting stuck on the gravity pull of a black hole, which shorts out their circuits, destroys their engines and leaves them slowly drifting to what they think is their end. I'm just picturing Dell slowly playing his guitar as the crew sits around the bridge, waiting.

edited 24th Jun '13 12:25:37 PM by Stratofarius

desdendelle Hooded Crow from Land of Milk and Honey (Sergeant) Relationship Status: Hiding
Hooded Crow
#24: Jun 24th 2013 at 12:52:28 PM

Although I like the last idea because character development, how are they going to get out of it? a DEM would kinda ruin the mood, in my opinion.

On empty crossroads, seek the eclipse -- for when Sol and Lua align, the lost shall find their way home.
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#25: Jun 24th 2013 at 12:54:45 PM

[up] Well, I had the idea the black hole would just throw them onto another section of Deep Space, where we can bridge into them being found by an alien race, taken to the planet and given a few days to fix their ship.


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