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I just finished reading Burning Empires, and I'm interested in setting up a PbP. Anyone else interested?

Interested, though I'm not very familiar with PbP.  Maybe it could help to gain courage enough to run it out here.

What is this "Burning Empires" of which you speak?

It's a bit like Traveler combined with WH40K with a Nobilis-level of PC involvement in setting up the world. It's run using a modified version of the Burning Wheel mechanics. I'd be willing to GM unless somebody else really wants to.

Sounds interestnig, but I haven't go the rules. If there's some way to work aroundthat, count me in. I like high-level games.

We probably can if we can snag some other people who have the rulebook. The basic mechanics are pretty easy, but it's all the little details that give the game life.

I'd be interested. I've borrowed a copy of the book but its hooked me enough that I'll buy it next month and can probably hold onto the copy until then.

I think if several people had the book then if a few didn't it would be ok - the variations are somewhat complex but also fairly standard in that there seem few exceptions to the rules

Oh yes, I would be very interested in playing. I've got a Burning Empires PbP just about ready to kick off on the rpg.net forums (fair warning, world burning and character burning took a LONG time in the PbP medium), but I was the only one willing to GM. I'd LOVE the chance to actually PLAY.

Obviously, I have the book and have read it through pretty thoroughly, though we haven't starting playing yet, so I'm hardly an expert on the system.

That's five of us so far. I'll leave recruitment open for another two days, and then let's get world burning! I'll be GM unless someone else wants to be?

I'm game.

Cool.

OK, so far we have:

Myself
Gunslinger
hgjs
Illegible Smudge
NiallS
Werekoala

as players. Everyone has a copy of or has access to the rulebook except Werekoala, right? I'll be the GM unless anyone objects?

If not, let's start world-burning tomorrow. For the sake of anyone who doesn't have the book, I'll post each question from the world burner with the list of possible answers, but without the Infection bonuses or penalties for choosing those answers.

If a choice opens up or closes off a set of lifepaths, I'll post that fact so that people who want to play spaceship captains etc. don't find themselves on a world without spaceships etc.

My hope is to get through at least one question from the world burner every two days - ideally even faster if everyone can keep up. I'd like everyone to respond to every question, even if it's to say "I don't care which we choose".

So:

At this point, start thinking about what kind of planet or system you want to play in. High tech space communes, grim and gritty industrialised feudalism, aliens, no aliens, etc. Start thinking of character ideas - who wants to be a space captain, who wants to be a master diplomat, who wants to shoot ray pistols and who wants to run the biggest business in the system.

Also, you should figure out whether the group wants to be human or worms.


Werekoala> The first thing we do is Burning Empires is establish the particular world or system in which the game starts. This is called "world burning". There's a list of questions that the players (including the GM) answer that determine what kind of world it is that the game will (mostly) take place on.

The idea is that while there are sprawling interstellar alliances and super-cultures still, the degeneration of interstellar travel has led to local independence of star systems and a great deal of diversity in cultures and technological development. Each system, while not isolated, is the master of its own affairs. The world-burner sorts out what kind of system it is based on the answers the players give to a set of questions.

Different choices give different bonuses to either the human or alien parasite worm side that come up in something called "the Infection mechanics" (which we'll be dealing with fairly often).

Different choices also establish what kinds of lifepaths you can choose most easily - military dictatorships with large armies composed of noble warriors make it easier to be from the military or a member of the nobles for example.

Also, the PCs as a group get to choose whether they're gonna be humans or humans who've been taken over by the alien parasite worms. I run the other side.

Well, I would rather play humans than Vaylen, but other than that, I'm quite open. The first thing that comes to mind is some kind of Freeport or Port Royal analogue, an anarchic pirate den / trading outpost on the edge of civilization, maybe a rickety space station orbiting a gas giant. But that's just the first thing that popped into my head - like I said, I'm easy. I suspect my desire to play a pirate lord might be a large contributing factor to that suggestion. ;)

I too have a preference for playing Human rather than Vaylen.

As for the type of world, the first thing that comes into my mind is a Warhammer 40,000-style industrialized dystopia.

The next thing that comes to mind is some sort of hippie space commune. (I mean in relative terms.  Probably roughly analogous to the modern day United States or the wealthier EU states in terms of personal and economic freedoms.)  A fairly nice place to live, but not prepared as a society for the Invasion of the Body-Snatchers.

Quote from: hgjsAs for the type of world, the first thing that comes into my mind is a Warhammer 40,000-style industrialized dystopia.

On the other hand, I could be totally down with that.

Ok, I figure most folks are gonna wanna play human? Let's get down to world burning:

First question: What kind of world and where?

There are four kinds of worlds:

Old Imperial World
Interior World
Outworld
Void World

Old Imperial Worlds are the centres of galactic civilisation. They're the dominant systems of local sectors, buried deep in the centre of human space. They're mostly concerned with human politics and civilisation, with little thought for the Vaylen.

Interior Worlds are the vast bulk of planets, somewhere between the core of galactic civilisation and its outer edges. They know of and are concerned by the worm, but don't really see it as a pressing issue. They tend to be less important to galactic politics than Old Imperial Worlds.

Outworlds are at the edges of galactic civilisation. The worm is the most pressing issue, even though galactic politics occasionally intrudes. They're good if you want to focus on the worm or local matters over galactic politics.

Void Worlds are beyond the edges of galactic civilisation. They are weird and wonderful and isolated from the concerns of the rest of mankind.

Outworlds and Void Worlds will allow you to later pick "Educated" and "Personal Experience" (the two strongest options for the human side in the infection mechanics) when we get to "What does your world think about the worm?" Old Imperial Worlds and Interior Worlds don't get to pick these.

Location:

There are eight successor "states" in Burning Empires:

Casiguran Matriarchy - Run by women, suspicious of outsiders, one of the furthest away from the threat of the worm. It's a good place to choose if you want to lead a cult, because it's broken from the Mundus Humanitas (the main church).

Comoran Worlds - A powerful confederacy torn apart by religious strife between the Mundus Humanitas and the Cyrean heretics (basically Space Catholicism and Space Protestantism). It's a good place if you want to get involved in galactic politics or create religious characters. Think Germany in the Wars of Religion... but in space.

Darikahn Empire - One of the most militarily powerful factions. They share a border with the worm, but are also engaged in wars with almost all of their neighbours. They have the biggest fleets, and are a good place if you want to run a space fleet and blow your enemies (worms or otherwise) out of the stars. They're all baroque and convoluted - I think of them as a bit like Napoleonic France in space.

Dunedin Worlds - Crusaders for the Mundus Humanitas. Think of the real-life Crusades - freebooters, criminals, warlords and the like banded together to rob, loot and conquer under the aegis of "religion". A good place if you want to be scummy freebooters.

Gonzagin Empire - Lots of independent worlds that squabble with one another and unite mostly to boot out their enemies. They're very austere and claim to be the true successors to the old regime (the Hanrilke throne). They border the worm and are at war with the Darikahn.

Karsan League - Technologically advanced, and full of merchant leagues. They are also the best place to be if anyone wants to be a psychologist (a psychic). They border the worm and are in between the Gonzagins and Darikahns. They're a good choice if you want lots of techno-gadgets.

Kudus Theocracy - Religion, religion, religion. Run by the Mundus Humanitas. Good if you want to play a game focusing on religion, be super-cool holy warriors, or get involved in galactic politics since they're in the centre of civilisation.

Urfan Worlds - The farthest from the worm. They're isolated, independent, and good if you want to play stone-cold badasses of any stripe. They're also one of the poorest groups, and threatened by pirates, warlords and the terrors of the void.

Remember, picking a spot won't have a ton of effect on play unless someone wants to be a psychologist. Otherwise, it's just colour.



Since the GM gets to vote same as everyone else, I'm leaning for a Gonzagin Outworld.

I like the super-industrialised dystopia idea, maybe with the anarchic space stations surrounding it as satellites? They could use the space stations as wayposts for raw materials being brought in from the rest of the system. Maybe there's lots of asteroids that are rich in rare metals? Pirates try to rob the shipments, but the freedom-loving space miners resist letting the planetary government flex their might to wipe them out fully? We can figure out what the rare metals get turned into when we get to primary production etc.

Being an Outworld means that local authorities are dominant, so no calling in your space-warlord buddies from the next system over. Being Gonzagin is cool because they're supposed to have a very sparse, minimalist aesthetic. I'm thinking of long gray factory blocks, smoke stacks, everything colour-coded instead of decorated, a kind of Ikea-run-by-the-devil look.

I like Outworlds too, since my tastes in space opera have always tended to that classic frontier feel of free traders and rugged individualists, rather than the sophisticated, high-tech civilized worlds like Coruscant or Trantor. As for location, I'd probably prefer Dunedin to Gonzagin, but I'm flexible.

Dunedin Outworld.

Outworld.  As for the other half of the question, I don't particularly care which of the 8 states the world is in: I could see pretty much any of them working.

Happy with humans and outworld.

Not fussed about which empire although Dunedin are pretty much at the source of the action in the imperial conflicts? Although space is big and all that so it could be handwaved. I think I'd prefer Gonzagin - seems to me to really emphasise the whole 'dying of the light' vibe the book has. The empire used to be really strong, has now fractured and the vaylen are eating at the edges.

I'd be up for either of the two types of world (very industrialised or space station), but Pseudoephedrine's ideas of having space stations as satellites is good as they could be factions in the game.

But anyway at this stage human and Gonzagin are my votes with a preference for low to high index (tech level) when we get to talking about that.

Well, I'll throw in with the Dunedin crowd now just so we don't get stuck on the point. Hm. That gives us an industrial dystopia with a Crusades feel to it. Could be wicked.

Let's zip through the physical questions because they're all quick:

Atmosphere:

Alien Life-Supporting
Human Life-Supporting
Non-Life-Supporting
Partial Life-Supporting

What kind of atmosphere does the planet have?

ALS means we've got some aliens appearing in the game (we have to take them as a faction if we select this option). Anyone up for aliens? This also means that the atmosphere is unsuitable for human habitation.

HLS is kind of default. Everyone can breathe the air and survive the temperature extremes without too much trouble. Good choice if you don't want to focus on being bottled up with your enemies.

NLS means everyone lives in enclosed areas and everything happens indoors. Could be good for a Hive-World feel if everyone's still grooving on the 40K idea.

Partial means that some parts of the planet support life, while others are uninhabitable. Could also be good for a Hive World - large parts of it are scarred by radioactive waste, deadly toxic byproducts, and the like, while the rest is still inhabitable.

Terrain:

Artificial
Rugged
Tame
Broad Range

What the majority of the landscape on the planet is like.

Artificial terrain must be chosen if we take Alien Life-Supporting or Non-Life-Supporting. It basically means everyone lives in big domes, underground cities, etc. and almost never goes out into nature if they can help it. The rest are as their names says. If you don't want braving natural obstacles and the like to be a huge part of the game, it's probably best to pick "Tame" or "Broad Range".

Land or Water:

Is the planet Land or Water dominant? Water means Earth-like, or even an ocean-world. Land is Mars-like (or at least land is dominant, with small oceans). The Vaylen have an easier time on watery worlds, humans on arid ones.

Me, I vote Partial Life-Supporting, Land, and Broad Range. The land isn't too hard to get around, but the poison-scarred wastes of industry have rendered much of it uninhabitable. I totally want a sea of poison as the main water feature on the world, I have to admit

Quote from: PseudoephedrineThat gives us an industrial dystopia with a Crusades feel to it. Could be wicked.

Me, I vote Partial Life-Supporting, Land, and Broad Range. The land isn't too hard to get around, but the poison-scarred wastes of industry have rendered much of it uninhabitable. I totally want a sea of poison as the main water feature on the world, I have to admit

Sounds good to me.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineI like the super-industrialised dystopia idea, maybe with the anarchic space stations surrounding it as satellites? They could use the space stations as wayposts for raw materials being brought in from the rest of the system. Maybe there's lots of asteroids that are rich in rare metals? Pirates try to rob the shipments, but the freedom-loving space miners resist letting the planetary government flex their might to wipe them out fully? We can figure out what the rare metals get turned into when we get to primary production etc.

As does this, which I should have mentioned earlier. I particularly like your ideas on freedom-loving space miners.

Glad you like 'em.

Remember folks, this is gonna be your world. Shoot out cool ideas and things you want to see in play, and remember to plan a bit for what kind of characters you want to play - cunning diplomats, dashing space pirates, cruel military overlords, etc.

I'm fine with Dunedin if thats the majority view.

If we go for partial I'd prefer something more alien as I don't see the difference in play between partial and non-habitable if the world is really toxic and so people have to stay indoors or within a small

How about the planet is in a fixed orbit so one side is always facing the sun and the other is in space. The habital zone lies in the middle. Probably its predominately land in that scenario as the hot zone has no water and the cold zone if it has any is frozen. Perhaps thats one of the roles of the freedom loving miners (I also like this idea) - bringing in space icebergs?

Of course this means that the cold and hot zones are excellent dumping grounds for industrial waste so you'll have your toxic seas. perhaps this is the reason why the planet became an industrial leader in the first place? Society is divided geographically - the closer you are to the hot or cold sides the poorer, more out of favour you are. Also the more likely you live underground or inside.

I'm happy with a broad range of conditions whatever the life-supportingness

So my votes

PLS (if wierd/fun environment as well as industrial pollution otherwise make it really polluted and non-life supporting). Either of which would also refer to the space habitats. I think we should treat them as part of the planet for all intensive purposes save geography.

Broad range

Predominately land

How about a terroristic environmental movement to add to the mix?

The environmental terrorists could be cool. We'll deal with them in factions, which, if everyone doesn't mind, I'm going to put off until the very end. They could be trying to start the world spinning.

I really like the idea of the tide-locked world (or whatever it's called). I think it's a great interpretation of Partially Life-Supporting. So, is there a reason the world doesn't spin? Is this humanity's fault, perhaps the result of some ancient strategy from prehistory, or is it a natural thing?

Quote from: PseudoephedrineThe environmental terrorists could be cool. We'll deal with them in factions, which, if everyone doesn't mind, I'm going to put off until the very end. They could be trying to start the world spinning.

I really like the idea of the tide-locked world (or whatever it's called). I think it's a great interpretation of Partially Life-Supporting. So, is there a reason the world doesn't spin? Is this humanity's fault, perhaps the result of some ancient strategy from prehistory, or is it a natural thing?

On one hand, a tidally locked planet doesn't really seem like the sort of thing that's somebody's fault.  However, it's my opinion that the main thing wrong with the planet proper should be the fault of human beings.  I would like planet-side to be less "people ruggedly surviving in adverse conditions," and more "these people really fucked up their planet."  (I see ruggedness as being more for the space stations / asteroids.)

Quote from: hgjsOn one hand, a tidally locked planet doesn't really seem like the sort of thing that's somebody's fault.  However, it's my opinion that the main thing wrong with the planet proper should be the fault of human beings.  I would like planet-side to be less "people ruggedly surviving in adverse conditions," and more "these people really fucked up their planet."  (I see ruggedness as being more for the space stations / asteroids.)

Yeah, I tend to agree. I like Pseudoephedrine's poison sea and industrial wasteland better. Maybe the reason the planet is getting it's resources from the asteroid belt is that it has strip-mined the planet's surface bare to feed its industrial hive cities' factories. If this has been an industrial world for many centuries (going with the whole ancient and decaying empire feel), then the damage could be quite catastrophic. The landscape outside of the cities could be a barren wasteland of abandoned open-cut mines and toxic landfill. Which would give more of a reason for the environmental terrorists to exist.

Edit: It's looking like poison sea might carry it then. Don't worry Niall, if you really want it, remember that anyone who's really displeased gets to fiddle with one element of the world at the end.

Quote from: Illegible SmudgeYeah, I tend to agree. I like Pseudoephedrine's poison sea and industrial wasteland better. Maybe the reason the planet is getting it's resources from the asteroid belt is that it has strip-mined the planet's surface bare to feed it's industrial hive cities' factories. If this has been an industrial world for many centuries (going with the whole ancient and decaying empire feel), then the damage could be quite catastrophic. The landscape outside of the cities could be a barren wasteland of abandoned open-cut mines and toxic landfill. Which would give more of a reason for the environmental terrorists to exist.

I like this.

Anyway, it seems like the current discussion is more about color than about which option to select -- what's next on the world-burning agenda?

Tech Index. The big one.

Ok, for Werekoala's benefit:

There are four levels of tech (that are sufficiently advanced to get the Vaylen to infiltrate instead of just marching in with ray pistols and telling the fire-discovering inhabitants to report for hulling).

Sub-Index
Zero Index
Low Index
HIgh Index

Sub-Index worlds are worlds that are about as technologically advanced as 20th century Earth. You've got radio, telephones, jets, television, and the like. There specifically _isn't_ a space presence of any sort. From the way folks are talking, I'm guessing we're not going to go with it.

Zero Index worlds about as advanced as 21st century Earth, maybe a little bit more. Computers, internet, nuclear power and weapons are all available. The space presence is limited - ISS-style stations or moonbases, with chemical thrust still the main method of getting around. This can also be used to represent worlds that are dependent on other worlds or systems - the inhabitants can't manufacture advanced spacecraft or other technologies, but can be familiar with them. A Zero Tech Index makes it hard to be a space-faring sort though.

Low Index worlds are the default tech setting. The technologies available include: anti-gravity, fusion power, advanced spacecraft, superconductors, distortion drives (the FTL of the setting), powered battle armour, psychic powers, nanotechnology and AI, cloning and genetic engineering. Spacefarers are A-OK. Generally, low index worlds have system-wide economies, using asteroids, other planets and space stations as necessary. They also can carry on trade, warfare and cultural exchange with other systems.

High Index worlds are the most technologically advanced worlds in Burning Empires. The technologies available include force fields, "transhuman biomodification", the ansible, matter converters, "mini-blackhole reactors" and technology that can fiddle with psychic powers. Basically, a high index world is as technologically advanced as you can get without becoming a post-scarcity economy.

My vote is low index. High Index would be cool, but I don't think it'd fit with the grim and gritty industrial dystopia. Zero Index would shut down the pirate lord ideas, and make the space stations much less independent. Low Index seems like a good balance of sci-fi powers and limitations for the colour we've set up so far.

Actually, upon mulling things over with the aid of a cup of coffee, I'm warming to the idea of a tide-locked world. I still agree with hgjs that the chief cause of the problems should be human, but I can't deny that the perpetual twilight gloom of a tide-locked world would fit very nicely with that 40k necromunda-like feel.

In terms of tech, I'll reluctantly go with Low. There's a lot of stuff in there that feels a bit too high-tech for my liking, and in terms of customization I'd be in favour of dropping nano-tech and grav-tech, but I do want spacecraft and I definitely want the Hammer and Spacefarer settings to be native.

My preference is for low index or high index.

If we go the latter, I'd prefer there to be great disparity in the distribution of technology.  So the ruling class can have their force-field doors and personal anti-grav devices to carry their bloated bodies, while the rest of the population still looks low-index.

As for the tidal lock thing, if it is the fault of human beings, I would prefer that it be something ongoing rather than a one-time event in the distant past (like the suggestion that Pseudoephedrine removed from his post), with a conspiracy to cover it up.

EDIT: Removed ridiculous shit.

Hm. If everyone is coming around to the tidal locked world, I'm game for it. We just need a good reason that the humans have tide locked their world.

If we decide to drop grav-tech, there might be a good colour explanation somewhere in there. Maybe a gravity experiment gone wrong has stopped the world spinning, leading the authorities to ban further research into it?

I'd be fine with giving up nanotech.

I would prefer not to drop grav-tech.  Grav sleds are cool.  Civilizations with faster-than-light spacetravel using helicopers isn't.  I'm indifferent to nanotech.

EDIT: Also, I like my space ships with artificial gravity.

Good point. Though we could always have Babylon 5-style rotating ships.

So, we keep grav-tech, but get rid of nano-tech? If we keep grav-tech, we can always keep it in the background - nothing too nuts - if everyone agrees.

That seems a fair compromise. Personally, so long as one has reactionless thrusters, I don't see what grav-tech adds. You can still have vertols, star-fighters, and flying cars, only you have to actually fly into orbit, rather than zoom straight up and out. Hell, Aliens manages fine without grav-tech, and it has cool dropships and battleships. As for artificial gravity, well, that's a matter of taste. I quite like rotating centrifuges and ships built so that the front is up, relying on thrust to provide the equivalent of gravity. And I must admit, I can't stand contragrav belts etc.

That said, if others want it, I can wear it.

As a compromise, how does allowing grav-tech only as colour technology, not as hard technology sound? Or would folks prefer it vice-versa, or without any particular decision at all, but just kind of a fuzzy consensus that we won't go hog-wild with it?

Werekoala> Hard technology is technology that affects rolls, colour technology is just neat trappings you can use in scenes that doesn't affect rolls.

I'd sort of rather go with a variant of hgjs' suggestion for High Index, only for Low Index instead. That is, say that grav-tech does exist, but is expensive and rare, so available only to the wealthy elite. Maybe the world has even lost the capability to build it, meaning that what is left is highly prized and fought over. That way you can have a few shiny grav-ships floating around, but the majority are still the old clunky centrifuge ships etc. The same would go for flying cars on the planet - maybe a smattering of sleek gravsleds, and a bunch of Bladerunner style flying cars that use jets and thrusters. Though I'd really really prefer to avoid personal grav-tech if at all possible.

Sounds good.

That actually leads into the next question, if we're not racing too far ahead too fast (everyone feel free to chime in on questions we've passed):

Dominant government

I'll write it up tomorrow though. It's time for bed right now.

Re: Tidal locked. I'm all for humanity fucking up the world as well and this could easily be included. The habitable zone of the planet would be quite narrow and generations of humans have been dumping waste in the cold/hot zones without thought for the consequence but in fact it has lead to a degeneration of the habitable zone as well. Dumping radioactive material has caused ice to melt in the cold zone for instance leading to high rad floodlands and toxic seas is one idea? It was more I wanted something exotic/alien for partial-life supporting environment and think we could combine them.

My preference is for low index. Firstly although there are only 4 bands the implication is that they are gradients within them, so we could be at the higher end of low index, so it would be realistic that as the movers and shakers in the world we could presumably have access to higher index tech - it just causes increased difficulties in the resources rolls and needs general agreement around the table?

Also in later stages of world burning we get to decide on regulation of services/production and if there are any techs we want banned or restricted then this could be done then, even if it leads to wierd combos. So nano-tech could be totally proscribed, only available to the elite or only used within certain narrow industries where it is totally necessary. The distinction in the book seems more about the general availability and infrastructure of the world.

Finally I agree with Pseudoephedrine that the low index world fits more with the dystopian/polluted society that we all seem to be pushing for.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineSounds good.

That actually leads into the next question, if we're not racing too far ahead too fast (everyone feel free to chime in on questions we've passed):

Dominant government

I'll write it up tomorrow though. It's time for bed right now.

If you don't mind, Pseudoephedrine, I'll try my hand at a summary.  I'll try to keep my editorializing clearly separated from the description.

Civilian Commune
Imperial Stewardship
Lawless or Anarchic
Merchant League
Military Dictatorship
Noble Fief
Theocracy

Civilian Communes are either representative governments or direct democracies, founded on the principle that legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed.  This is a rare form of government in the Iron Empires.  This government makes the Commune setting native.  (Sample lifepaths: law enforcement, judge, media, legislative official.)

Imperial Stewardships are governed by a Lord Steward and his ministers.  The source of the Steward's legitimacy is the Emperor who appointed him.  Below the Steward and his ministers, lords-pilot and courtiers maneuver for influence.  This form of government is often seen in the eight empires.  The Stewardship and Court setting becomes native.  (Sample lifepaths: Bureaucrat, Lord-Pilot Anvil, Courtier, Lord Steward.)

Lawless or Anarchic planets are "hives of free thinkers, smugglers, travelers, and traders."  They "advocate social relations based upon voluntary association of autonomous individuals."  This makes the Spacefarer setting native.  (Sample lifepaths: ship rigger, pilot, doctor, owner-aboard.)

Merchant leagues are run by a board of stockholders.  Properly called a trade commune, a planet achieves this status by buying a charter of freedom and trade from the Imperial Bureaucracy.  Usually their charters don't grant them the rights normally reserved for Peers of the the Anvil and Hammer to raise armies and war-fleets.  The Merchant League setting becomes native.  (Sample lifepaths: accounant, merchant, banker, chief executive.)

Military Dictatorships are worlds outside of Imperial rule that have been seized by warlords.  The Anvil and Hammer settings become native to the planet.  (Sample lifepaths: sergeant, armorer, propagandist, anvil captain; turret crew, hammer engineer, Lord-Pilot Hammer, hammer captain.)

If the Dominant Government of a planet is Noble Fief, this could mean that either the entire planet is divided into hereditary fiefs, or just key parts of it.  These fiefs are based around the right and obligation to raise armies.  Some of these planets have been ruled in such a fashion since before the rise and fracture of the Empire.  This makes the Noblility setting native, and automatically adds Slaves and Serfs to the list of planetary factions [which we'll be getting to later].  (Sample lifepaths: Armiger, Lord-Pilot Anvil, Lord-Pilot Hammer, Lady, Forged Lord.)

Theocracies are exactly what they sound like.  The planet's ruler answers to the larger galactic religious hierarchy.  This makes the Theocracy setting native.  (Sample lifepaths: student, sodalis [church soldier], inquisitor, Cotar Arderes [head of the galactic church].)

My thoughts:
I can see pretty much any of these working except Civilian Commune and Lawless or Anarchic.  (The latter may serve well to describe the orbiting stations, but not so much the planet.)  I don't have a clear reason for choosing one over another, but based on my vague feelings this is how I'll order my preferences:

1. Imperial Stewardship (WH40K)
2. Merchant League (I feel the theme of industrial desolation works well with the planet being ruled by a corporation)
3. Noble Fief
4. Theocracy (very WH40K, but for some reason I'm just not feeling it)

While mourning the loss of the anarchic trading port, I agree that anarchism probably won't fit with the industrial world. For that matter, I'm starting to reassess the whole pirates, space stations and space miners thing - the reality is that the focus is always going to be on the world, and including those elements may just lead to confusion and incongruity. I really don't see how a pirate lord is going to fit with that world except at the periphery. In my opinion, it's usually best to keep things simple and focused, so it might be better to jettison the extraneous elements.

So, going with industrial world, I'd opt for either Merchant League (for that corporate feel), or maybe Military Dictatorship (for a more Stalinist flavour). I'm not so keen on Imperial Stewardship or Noble Fief, since I find the idea of a local nobility rather jarring with my image of the world.

I'd go for Imperial Stewardship or noble fief as that seems to lend itself to the WH40k feel thats being mentioned. Its not made really clear in the book whether the Dunedin have an emperor. This bit  (http://www.burningempires.com/wiki/index.php?title=Terminology)suggests more of an Overlord. In the game the differences between the two would seem fairly small but having an Imperial Steward would suggest possible stories of conflict around the consequences of being ruled by a power from outside the system.

Given that the Dunedin are crusader types, how about the world has been recently (within the last 150 years) taken from the Darikahn empire to the south but the Steward's power is limited in practice because the Overlord's power is itself limited. Perhaps there are competing crusader camps plus remnants of those loyal to the Darikhan empire and those who simply lost out as well as all those anarchic/merchant space stations. With 6(?) choices of factions for the next step there is lots of room for that sort of thing.

The Dunedin are supposed to be very religous anyway, so most of these factions and government will be hand in glove with the church.

So my top three would be

1) Stewardship
2) Noble Fief
3) Merchant League

Edit: I'm quite taken with the idea of the world being recently taken over and all the conflict that would breed, and I think that concept could work with any form of government. A Merchant League could have received its charter from the Dunedin in exchange for guranteeing military or industrial products

Quote from: Illegible SmudgeI'm starting to reassess the whole pirates, space stations and space miners thing - the reality is that the focus is always going to be on the world, and including those elements may just lead to confusion and incongruity. I really don't see how a pirate lord is going to fit with that world except at the periphery. In my opinion, it's usually best to keep things simple and focused, so it might be better to jettison the extraneous elements.

I don't agree. I would like starpilots to be part of the game, and space stations and/or pirates facilitate that.

I also don't see the problem of keeping space stations and the ilk in the game. From memory travel in BE is meant to be handwaved with the higher the tech index the longer the distance to be handwaved. At low index my reading is that travel across the solar system is analagous to intercontinental travel today. And even if it isn't strictly so in the game I don't see the problem with making it so.

At this point the main impact is deciding if we are going to 'spend' a faction point on them. Otherwise they are just colour at the moment and if we don't develop them much in the game then I don't think we've lost anything.

I also like the idea of the planet being reasonably cosmopolitan with lots of traders and parties coming and going and plenty of space pilots faciliate this.

Hmm... okay, not using the official terminology but just firing from the hip based on what I've read so far, here's my view:

Theocratic rule of a dystopian industrialized tide-locked world. Its tide-locked intentionally (in an earlier era) for industrial reasons: nearside is essentially covered with massive solar arrays and focusing mirrors being used to power... something. Thinking along the lines of the Star Forge from "Knights of the Old Republic" on a smaller scale. Maybe its defunct now, or maybe only partially works, or could work again if anyone knew how to get it going. Farside is used for waste disposal as well as disposal of political and religious heretics, leading to an interesting "rebel" problem. Technology is functional, gothic, and bleak. Grav tech is flavor-only. No nanotech.

Howzzat?

The idea of harvesting the sun's power is a great idea. Now we just need to figure out what they're doing with that power. Maybe they're powering thousands of space elevators and factories?

As to the government, I favour either a Merchant League or a Military Dictatorship. Don't forget that we can introduce alternate power groups in the Factions stage (which I'm putting off to the end) - a commune representing the space miners, a royalist line if anyone wants to play a noble, theocratic institutions, a helpful imperial court, etc.

But I think Merchant League or Military Dictatorship are the two I like the most at this point for the actual dominant government. The Merchant League if we want a more diffuse kind of power, the Military Dictatorship if we want to have the dictator appear as a figure of note for the PCs to win over, overthrow, or compete for the favour of.

Illegible> I think we can fit the pirate lord in. Don't worry. I really want those space stations.

Quote from: WerekoalaTheocratic rule of a dystopian industrialized tide-locked world. Its tide-locked intentionally (in an earlier era) for industrial reasons: nearside is essentially covered with massive solar arrays and focusing mirrors being used to power... something. Thinking along the lines of the Star Forge from "Knights of the Old Republic" on a smaller scale. Maybe its defunct now, or maybe only partially works, or could work again if anyone knew how to get it going. Farside is used for waste disposal as well as disposal of political and religious heretics, leading to an interesting "rebel" problem. Technology is functional, gothic, and bleak. Grav tech is flavor-only. No nanotech. ?

I like it. And I hadn't really been considering Theocracy, but I'm not sure why not - this is a Dunedin world after all. I could see that being very cool, with a neat spin on the whole space miners thing - the asteroid belt as a haven not only for pirates and free-thinkers but also for heretics and atheists fleeing religious persecution. You could have little Puritan and Quaker-like mining communities existing uneasily side by side with outlaws and pirates, hiding out from roving Inquisition patrols. Meanwhile, on the planet, the punishment for apostasy and other religious crimes is being dumped in either the hot zone or cold zone as a kind of trial by punishment.

As for the rulership itself, it could be run by the equivalent of the Knights Hospitaller, the world being an ancient stronghold granted to the Knights to defend with the support of the Mundus Humanitas. It could even be a Darikahn conquest, as NiallS suggests, though if that is the case, I'd rather it was a relatively old conquest - I'd like the culture to be predominantly Dunedin not Darikahn.

I have to say I don't like the theocratic government. I'm all for having the ruling faction very religous and an active church faction but I'd be more interested in a secular govt. I also really like the idea of the space stations being analagous to puritans/heretics. They exist on the dark/light side and in the slums as well, but its the stations that are the most organised but I'd like some 'realistic' rationale as to why they weren't being blown up and if they have something the government needs this could lead to an uneasy peace. I feel a theocratic govt might hang the consequences

Perhaps we don't need to put it on the border of Darikhan space - that idea came about because of the book which focuses the brief description on the anti-Darikhan crusade. The Cormoran empire, also next to the Dunedin is riven by civil war between those who support the established church and the Cyreans (sp?) who seem to fill the puritan role of being firmly of the Burning Wheel religion but opposed to the institution of the church.

This border world could have been captured from the Cyreans by Dunedin cursaders who couldn't make the journey to Darakhin space or simply be a Dunedin one on the border which has been heavily influenced by Cyrean doctrine and perhaps has undergone one or more revolutions. Currently its in orthodox hands but for some reason the powers that be lack the will or resources to push into the space stations.

In any case the more religious we make the ruling govt, the clearer the reason we should establish why they aren't moving against the heretics. Ithink in BW terms it would be a mjor source of conflict and something the worm would exploit.

I'd still go for noble fief/steward or merchant league. However I could compromise on a dictator - what would be the difference between that and a noble fief/steward? Lack of legitimacy? Rules by military power alone?

I'd favour the religion being a faction - I like a strong church, but I'm not sure I want them in charge.  A merchant league with strong support from the church could be cool - it'd have an Italian or German city-state feel.

Quote from: NiallSI'm quite taken with the idea of the world being recently taken over and all the conflict that would breed, and I think that concept could work with any form of government. A Merchant League could have received its charter from the Dunedin in exchange for guranteeing military or industrial products

I like this idea a lot.

The main problem I foresee with the world being on the Dunedin/Comoran border is that makes it about as close to a core world as it gets, so we'd potentially have to rethink the outworld decision. I'd prefer to leave it on the fringes of Dunedin space, where it's more vulnerable to the worm.

As for the Theocracy, I'm not committed to it by any stretch of the imagination. I've already said that Merchant League or Dictatorship would be my preference (much like you guys with religion, I have no problem with nobles being a faction, but I don't want them as the ruling government). Since most of us seem to have Merchant League as at least a secondary preference, that might be the best option.

I do quite like the idea of a Theocracy though - I really dig the idea of having crusading religious warriors on the streets, maybe with a bit of that hospitaller / Kingdom of Heaven feel. We could even take the Merchant League as the government and religious orders for predominant military...

Quote from: Illegible SmudgeThe main problem I foresee with the world being on the Dunedin/Comoran border is that makes it about as close to a core world as it gets, so we'd potentially have to rethink the outworld decision. I'd prefer to leave it on the fringes of Dunedin space, where it's more vulnerable to the worm.

The world used to be a hot player within the empire, thus leading to the vast amount of overpollution, but has since been forgotten as resources have become more scarce.  I prefer Merchant League for this reason.  The reason it has become the enclave for religious groups is because the Merchant League is all about profit, let the people do want they want within reason as long as it's not cutting into the bottom line.  The pirates are trying to exploit the remaining resources and the eco-terrorists are trying to stop production, both cutting into the bottom line.  It's like Pittsburgh during the waning days of steel production.

Yeah, it looks like we're getting close to a consensus on Merchant League. Don't forget that you can introduce factions like Theocratic Institutions to mimic powerful churches that don't quite rule but get close.

Speaking of which, let's do Factions now instead of later (I originally hoped to do them at the end).

The idea behind factions is that they represent power wielded by groups other than the main government and its military. They don't necessarily act in opposition to it (though they can), but they have their own purviews and concerns that are distinct from the government's.

So, to review the faction rules:

Everyone gets to pick one faction that the world has (they don't have to if they don't want to). Overlapping types are allowed, so long as you're not trying to steal someone else's thunder. Picking a faction means you want it to appear in play somehow. One of the things you're eventually going to try to do is take over or destroy the factions (for sweet, juicy disposition points). Factions are also a good way to bring in lifepath settings that otherwise wouldn't be native.

Types of Factions:

Civilian Communes - Democratic governments in opposition to the main government. Makes the Commune lifepath setting "native" (easier to take). Might be good to take for the satellites if anyone wants to involve them in play.

Cult Churches - A powerful church that is not the Mundus Humanitas (the main church of the setting). The Theocratic setting is native, but characters are not members of the Mundus Humanitas or its sects.

Imperial Bureaucracy / Court - A vast, sprawling bureaucracy with a will of its own. It assists the main government in running the planet. Makes the Stewardship and Court setting native (good for anyone who wants to run a courtier, or a noble who isn't a warrior).

Indigenous Life-Forms - Unusual lifeforms which the Worm could find useful. It makes it easier for the Vaylen by opening up some of their lifepath settings.

Kerrn Diazpherah - Plant/Frogmen who help humanity against the Worm. Makes the Kerrn Diazpherah setting native.

Merchant League / Corporate Entity - As a faction, instead of a government, this would mean a rival merchant league, perhaps trying to horn in on the government's monopoly?

Military Junta - A powerful military organisation that is independent of the government. Makes the Hammer (space navy) and Anvil (planet based forces) settings native.

Organised Crime - There's organised crime around. I'd suggest that if anyone wants to be a pirate, or involve pirates, this would be a good faction to take.

Psychologist Foundation - "Psychology" is what BE calls psychic powers. A Psychologist Foundation is a psychic cabal of some sort, whether hidden or not. They make Psychology lifepath settings native, so if anyone is thinking of playing a psychic, make this your choice.

Rebel Line / Royalists - Disempowered nobles struggling to regain their birthright. Makes the Nobility setting native. Could be good if someone took this to represent the Darikahn nobles who switched sides after the capture.

Slaves and Serfs - There's an underclass exploited brutally by the elite. They can be slaves, serfs, morlocks or anything similar. Taking it as a faction makes the Servitude and Serfdom settings native.

Theocratic Institutions - The one you've all been waiting for. A powerful branch of the Mundus Humanitas or one of its sects is found on the planet. They don't run the place, but they're highly influential. Makes the Theocracy setting native.



At a glance, Organised Crime, Civilian Communes, and Theocratic Institutions all seem like good choices for our game. If anyone wants to play a Noble, Rebel Line / Royalists is almost necessary.

I'm holding off my choice for now. I want to see what you guys pick first.

Psychologist Foundation - open, I'd think, and working with the Church. Make dandy Inquisitors.

Cool. That means that the church would not only have High Inquisitors (a special kind of church-trained psychic that takes a lot of lifepaths to get to) but also psychic operatives at lower levels.

Psychic powers are the result of ancient genetic tinkering. Maybe the church clones psychic genelines to produce additional operatives (using Merchant League technology), with the Foundation helping to train them in exchange for getting to keep some of the "recruits"? That would also provide us with a cool explanation for the Religious Orders military option if someone eventually wanted to go with it - cloned religious soldiers!

Yup, and just as the Good Book says - God made us in His image, so we're just continuing the mandate.

Its not clear in the book whether you would have to choose theocratic twice to get the Cyreans and the established BW church, or if one pick would be sufficient to bring both into play. Just in terms of thinking about the idea of two religous factions, otherwise two people would have to pick theocratic each. If the spacers were cults of course then that would be two picks.

I like the idea of having the religous types as the soldiers so we can leave that to the next bit about predominant military. I think I'll go for rebel line/royalists. They can be either a cadet branch of the Dunekin Overlord looking to expand their own power base (perhaps exiled after a failed coup?), a Darikhan hold-over or a third group of native nobles dispossed by the all the changes. The details can be hammered out when we see the other factions. In any case they still have some clout, are pissed off and looking for allies to restore them to their rightful place on top of the heap. Probably have quiet contacts with those heretical spacers (and perhaps share the same beliefs?) whoever they are.

Well, here's my first house-ruling then: To avoid redundancy and bring more factions in, when you pick a faction it means that there are simply organisations of that type. Whether there's one, two or a dozen of them, and whether they all agree with one another is a matter of colour, and we can work it out as we go along.

I like the idea of the ex-Darikahn nobles best of the options you presented, Niall. If the planet was conquered by clone troops from the Mundus Humanitas and mercenaries from the Merchant League, maybe the Dunedin nobles haven't moved in yet? The Darikahn titles are still recognised at least partially, by the populace.


Here's a quick recap of what we have so far btw, so that everyone can keep track:

Physical:
Outworld
Partial Life Supporting
Predominantly Land
Broad Range of Conditions

Cultural:
Dunedin
Merchant League Government
Low Index

Factions:
Psychologist Foundation
Rebel Line / Royalist

Colour:

An ex-Darikahn world recently conquered by Dunedin crusaders. An intentionally tide-locked industrial world run by a Merchant League backed by the Mundus Humanitas. A vast wealth disparity between the elite (the Merchant League, the Church, the Nobles) and the plebs. Plenty of psychic inquisitors and agents working for the powers that be. Anarchic space stations scattered throughout the system, supporting plenty of piracy. Militant religious orders filled with clones and under the power of the Mundus Humanitas.

A few comments:

I like what's shaping up so far in the colour. We're getting close to the point where we should start trying to weave all of this together into a little potted history and anthropology of the system. Once we get the military and factions done, we can race through the economic stuff.

So, start thinking of character ideas, and some relationships they might have. Remember, you need at least one relationship to someone on the other side - someone who will be working against your team (though they don't actually need to be a worm, they just need to oppose your goals). And one relationship to a "Figure of Note" - someone important to the story of this world's conflict with the Vaylen (who isn't a PC). It can be the same person - you might know someone very important who is working against your goals.

The non-native Human settings at this point include: Stewardship and Court, Commune, Hammer, Anvil, Servitude and Serfdom, and er, Theocracy unless someone takes Theocratic Institutions or Cult Churches as a faction. ;) Currently native: Merchant League, Psychologist, (civilian) Spacefarer, Freeman, Outcast and Criminal, Nobility.

Characters from non-native settings, though not impossible to play, do tend to be at a disadvantage, so if you want to play a character from one of the non-native settings, now's the time to pick a faction that'll let you do so.

Maybe the nobles could be Dunedin crusaders (or their descendants) who helped conquer the world in the name of the Church, but now feel that their contributions have been overlooked. They shed their blood to take this world damn it - surely they deserve some compensation for their toils.

As for my choice, after much deliberation I've decided to go for Civilian Communes, to represent the freedom loving mining communities and anarchic trading posts out in the Belt, along with their sympathisers on the planet. I kind of like the idea that there is a democratic underground resistance movement on the planet, a people's movement opposed to the inequity of all the wealth going to the corporations and the nobles (and maybe the Church, if it gets included).

Maybe mix it up a bit by having some communist elements in the resistance - make it a broad and fractious church of discontent. The resistance might even go some way to explaining the success of the free stations and renegades - their support runs deep enough that they can often get advanced warning of mobilizing military crackdowns and pass word to the ramshackle pirate/freeman alliance operating out in the Belt.

I think this works better for my pirate lord than organized crime, since it creates a symbiotic relationship between the pirates and the anarchic space stations - the pirates need a home base and community to operate out of, and the stations need the pirates to help defend them from the military. Plus taking Communes opens up the Commune setting, whereas the Outcast and Criminal setting is in play anyway - we don't need Organized Crime to play pirates.

One note though - we haven't picked Theocratic Institutions yet, and that's fine - I quite like the idea, but we each only get one choice and the communes came first for me. But people should be aware that we need Theocratic Institutions in play if we want to take Religious Orders for our predominant military.

We still have three people who can pick factions - Gunslinger, hgfs, and myself. Now that Commune and Psychologist Foundation have been picked, I'm  perfectly happy to bite the bullet and pick Theocratic Institutions as my faction choice. ;)

Re: noble faction. I think its best to see what Gunslinger and hgfs pick as factions before deciding who the nobles are. Both the Dunedin and Darakhin as nobles have possibilities but if someone else picks military junta or even imperial bureaucracy this could readily represent the Dunedin crusaders. I'm easy for either though as I get the feeling people are happy with the core concept.

I'll go with organized crime as my faction of choice.

Ok, we just have hgfs's faction left. He can post it whenever he gets the chance, and we'll alter as appropriate. Let's move onto the next set of questions.

Here's another biggy:

What's the system's attitude towards the Vaylen?

Educated or Informed - The populace is educated, albeit not to a high degree, about the Vaylen, how hulling works, and they know that the Vaylen want to infest all of mankind without exception. Generally, this is done through propaganda rather than systematic education.

Hysterical Fear - This doesn't necessarily mean riots in the streets, but it does mean constant pressure on the government to act against the Worm, whether the threat is real or not. Witch hunts and sporadic violence against "worm lovers" are common, but the populace is generally more ignorant than effective. Social institutions are under a great deal of strain to do something, anything, to fight off the Worm.

Ignorant - The world doesn't know jack about the Vaylen. They either know nothing at all, or have a completely wrong-headed idea about what they are (Frex, a virus, agents of another government)

Indifferent - The world knows about the existence of the Vaylen, but is too wrapped up in its own affairs to really be interested in fighting the Worm. They know a little bit, but don't consider themselves really at risk.

Paranoid - The population is paranoid on a cultural level. They know a little bit about the Vaylen, and this drives them to suspicion and skepticism about everyone around them. This differs from Hysterical Fear in that violence is generally rarer, and the pressure on the government to fight off the Vaylen is more constant but less extreme. Social institutions aren't collapsing.  Paranoia can range from vicious-but-comparatively-mild McCarthyism to something like the Stalinist Great Terror.

Personal Experience - The world has fought off the Vaylen before. It knows of their existence, their methods and their interest in the planet. It does everything it can to stop them, and the people are much more effective because of the capability their knowledge gives them.

Quote from: GunslingerI'll go with organized crime as my faction of choice.

Cool. Do you want this to be the pirates, or something else? The Merchant League could also have a secret subdivision specialising in goods the Theocracy doesn't approve of.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineOk, we just have hgfs's faction left. He can post it whenever he gets the chance, and we'll alter as appropriate. Let's move onto the next set of questions.

I'm still waffling.  All the best ones have already been said! :p

QuoteHere's another biggy:

What's the system's attitude towards the Vaylen?

Educated or Informed - The populace is educated, albeit not to a high degree, about the Vaylen, how hulling works, and they know that the Vaylen want to infest all of mankind without exception. Generally, this is done through propaganda rather than systematic education.

Hysterical Fear - This doesn't necessarily mean riots in the streets, but it does mean constant pressure on the government to act against the Worm, whether the threat is real or not. Witch hunts and sporadic violence against "worm lovers" are common, but the populace is generally more ignorant than effective. Social institutions are under a great deal of strain to do something, anything, to fight off the Worm.

Ignorant - The world doesn't know jack about the Vaylen. They either know nothing at all, or have a completely wrong-headed idea about what they are (Frex, a virus, agents of another government)

Indifferent - The world knows about the existence of the Vaylen, but is too wrapped up in its own affairs to really be interested in fighting the Worm. They know a little bit, but don't consider themselves really at risk.

Paranoid - The population is paranoid on a cultural level. They know a little bit about the Vaylen, and this drives them to suspicion and skepticism about everyone around them. This differs from Hysterical Fear in that violence is generally rarer, and the pressure on the government to fight off the Vaylen is more constant but less extreme. Social institutions aren't collapsing.  Paranoia can range from vicious-but-comparatively-mild McCarthyism to something like the Stalinist Great Terror.

Personal Experience - The world has fought off the Vaylen before. It knows of their existence, their methods and their interest in the planet. It does everything it can to stop them, and the people are much more effective because of the capability their knowledge gives them.

This I have an opinion about.  When I voted Outworld, it was because I wanted the world to be on the front lines of the conflict with the Vaylen.

Therefore, my vote is Personal Experience.

Go Junta, if you can't think of anything else. Niall's got a good idea for the junta to represent the last of the Dunedin crusading force, while the Royalist faction represents the Darikahn nobles. Also, Junta opens up Hammer and Anvil.

I'm favouring Paranoid personally. I like the idea of being on the frontlines too. The explanation I'd give is that the Darikahn and their populace have fought the Vaylen off before, but the Dunedin invaders brush off the whole thing as Darikahn tall tales.

One more post, for a hat trick. A brief recap of the factions and the tentative colour so far, with a few notes:

Civilian Communes - Anarchic space miners spread throughout the system on space stations. They shelter heretics from the church and are generally opposed to falling under the sway of the government.

NB: Are they working with the Merchant League, or in opposition to it? They're clearly opposed to the Church if they are sheltering the heretics.

Psychologist Foundation - Working for both Church and League, possibly for mercenary reasons?

Theocratic Institutions - The Mundus Humanitas. Powerful enough on the planet that it's nearly a Theocracy. Uses psychology and clone soldiers to enforce its will. Tentatively, the source of the main military might (cloned religious soldiers).

Rebel / Royalist Line - Dispossessed nobles. Either the remnants of the Darikahn nobility or the Dunedin Crusaders. Either way, opposed to League and Church.

NB: I prefer the Darikahn idea.

Organised Crime - Pirates? Or a black market subdivision of the Merchant League? And what's their relationship to the Communes?

We can flesh out the rest in play, don't forget, especially through *-wise skills.

I'd go for Paranoid as well.

Some ideas I've had for colour at this point based on that

One possibility is that the Dunedin invasion was prompted by the threat of the worm. In game terms the Vaylen had won the infiltration phase and the planet's society was breaking up, leaving it open to the Dunedin. The Dunedin were victorious (orbital bombardment of infected area = nuclear watelands?). As it seems we want the Dunedin to have been around for a while then how the clean-up took ages and left a legacy of paranoia and social customs that were used to defeat the Vaylen, compounded by the usual rivalry between conquerors and conquered. The Dunedin believe the Vaylen were a punishment for Darikhan irreligiousness, the Darikhan claim the Vaylen are a type of biological weapon used to soften them up. Add to this that the Merchant League is now in a position where it could not now admit that the worm has returned (or perhaps never left?) because it would threaten their monopoly and also leave them open to accusations of immorality. Besides it all happened long enough ago that few remember what the Vaylen actually did or are.

Although I also prefer the idea of the Darikhan as the noble faction, it occurs to me that Organised Crime + dispossed Darikhan nobles armed with remnants of the hammer could be a winning combination. The Pirate Lords are actual proper lords clinging to their titles even several generations on, as they have nothing else and their alliance with the space stations is the reason the latter survive

Hm. We could split the nobility between the two without much trouble. One group is still semi-legitimate, based on the planet, and seeking to restore Darikahn power. The other is out there still fighting the war, raiding the league and backing the space stations.

Quote from: NiallSOne possibility is that the Dunedin invasion was prompted by the threat of the worm. In game terms the Vaylen had won the infiltration phase and the planet's society was breaking up, leaving it open to the Dunedin. The Dunedin were victorious (orbital bombardment of infected area = nuclear wastelands?). As it seems we want the Dunedin to have been around for a while then how the clean-up took ages and left a legacy of paranoia and social customs that were used to defeat the Vaylen, compounded by the usual rivalry between conquerors and conquered. The Dunedin believe the Vaylen were a punishment for Darikhan irreligiousness, the Darikhan claim the Vaylen are a type of biological weapon used to soften them up. Add to this that the Merchant League is now in a position where it could not now admit that the worm has returned (or perhaps never left?) because it would threaten their monopoly and also leave them open to accusations of immorality. Besides it all happened long enough ago that few remember what the Vaylen actually did or are.

I really like this. It fits in nicely with the 40k theme, with the Dunedin taking on a role quite similar to Space Marine purges of Chaos-tainted planets. And it gives the Inquisition something to do and an appropriate climate to do it in. I was leaning towards Hysterical Fear myself, but I'll throw in my lot with the Paranoid faction.

Not so sure about the bit about the dispossessed nobles as pirate lords. I can see where you're coming from, but it really undermines that whole popular uprising against inequality and religious persecution, with the corporations, Church and nobles all vying for control, while a groundswell of disaffected democrats and communists that wants to get rid of all of them is growing in power. I like the idea that the pirates and space miners are bound together by their love of liberty, a rag tag bunch of desperate and proud rebels facing overwhelming odds.

Edit: Oh, and in case the above doesn't make it clear, my thoughts on Pseudoephedrine's question about the Communes' relationship with the Merchant League was that they were in opposition. The merchant league is the government, after all, and though they may have their differences with the Church, I saw the League and Church as an uneasy alliance of convenience, bound together by necessity - a ruling coalition if you will. The communes want freedom of religion and a redistribution of wealth, making them the enemy of both League and Church (which may partly explain why the latter are allied).

Maybe the Merchant League has something the Church needs or wants (think of the Navigators Guild in DUNE) so that even though they might work at cross purposes, the Church needs the League? Vice versa? Just throwin' it out there.

The cloning tech for the soldiers? The League provides specialists, raw biomass, technology and the funding necessary for the Theocracy to maintain its soldiers? If we do decide to go with the clone soldiers, perhaps we can have them addicted to a substance that the League provides cheaply and in great quantities to the Church?

I don't think it needs to be anything as complicated as that. Interplanteary invasions presumably cost a lot of cash. While the Dunedin and Church may have willingness, devotion and cloned fanatical soldier in spades, they lacked that - especially as the Dunedin are a fractured empire. The League agreed to underwrite the invasion in return for the charter. The Church does want to be in charge - the system would be a major asset but can't act against the Imperial Charter without insulting the Overlord, one of the Church's closest allies, and endangering the crusade. Hence it agitates and tries to maneuver itself into a position where the League looks ineffective so when the charter is for renewal it can apply pressure to the Overlord.

The issue of the communes is definetly a sticking point for the relationship. The League takes the pragmatic view that a war on the stations would pretty much result in their destruction hurting everyone. While the communes are annoying their power isn't enough to challenge the League and the profit makes it worthehile. The Church wants them purged no matter the cost.

Quote from: NiallSI don't think it needs to be anything as complicated as that. Interplanteary invasions presumably cost a lot of cash. While the Dunedin and Church may have willingness, devotion and cloned fanatical soldier in spades, they lacked that - especially as the Dunedin are a fractured empire. The League agreed to underwrite the invasion in return for the charter. The Church does want to be in charge - the system would be a major asset but can't act against the Imperial Charter without insulting the Overlord, one of the Church's closest allies, and endangering the crusade. Hence it agitates and tries to maneuver itself into a position where the League looks ineffective so when the charter is for renewal it can apply pressure to the Overlord.

The issue of the communes is definetly a sticking point for the relationship. The League takes the pragmatic view that a war on the stations would pretty much result in their destruction hurting everyone. While the communes are annoying their power isn't enough to challenge the League and the profit makes it worthehile. The Church wants them purged no matter the cost.

Sounds good.

Cool. So, is everyone on board with the cloned soldiers / Religious Orders for predominant military? And Paranoid for the planetary attitude towards the Vaylen?

If so, let's move onto Primary Production and Regulation and Quarantine. Once we're done that, it's just a name, some figures of note, and we're ready to start character burning.

Primary Production is what role your planet plays in the interstellar or intrasystem economy. What does it export, what does it make the most of, etc.

The choices:

Agriculture

Industrial Capital - factories, robots, construction equipment, vehicles, (civilian) spacefaring vessels, any sort of heavy machinery.

Military Capital - Guns, bombs, ships, assault sleds, spaceships, missiles, artillery and space stations.

Raw Materials

Refined Goods - Consumer-grade products - toasters, ray pistols, space DVDs, flying cars, kitchen sinks and other such stuff.

Services or Skilled Labour - Craftsmen, financial services, specialised training, information hubs, etc.

Unskilled Labour



Quarantine:

Most planets have at least a limited quarantine to prevent weird space diseases that no one has an immunity to from coming in on the next ship.

There are four kinds of quarantine, but only three that are available to us at our tech level.

No Quarantine - You lands your ship and you takes your chances.

Standard Quarantine - Immunisation for travelers, livestock and pets quarantined for a period after shipment, some government interference or restrictions on sick travelers. Doesn't do a damn thing to spot the Vaylen.

Advanced Quarantine - Everybody gets screened for illnesses and infections coming and going; Dogs, cats and presidents included. It does not look for Vaylen specifically, but does have a chance to spot them. It does prevent the importation of the Naiven (the worms before they're implanted in human bodies).

Quarantine can apply to: Fresh fruit and food, livestock, pets, tourists/travelers, off-world labor, medical machinery or cryonic machinery. For a standard quarantine, two or three items are quarantined. For an advanced quarantine, everything _but_ two or three items are quarantined. Things that are quarantined can be harder to get with Resources tests.



Regulation:

There are four levels of regulation of the economy. Regulation will impact the difficulty of Resources Tests for everyone (PCs and NPCs) significantly unless you have contacts with the black market or with the regulatory body.

Unregulated - Caveat Emptor. It's a free market untouched by the government, and there is no black market.

Loosely Regulated - The government dabbles a little bit. It might prevent fraudulent advertising, restrict some dangerous goods (like weapons) or keep immigrant labour out while letting the natives run wild. There's a small black market.

Moderately Regulated - The government monitors, taxes and restricts the flow of goods to protect their own economic interests. "Most Merchant Leagues and Communes are Moderately Regulated Economies." There's a large black market, supported by organised crime. There may also be shortages from things like bank runs, natural disasters and wars.

Tightly Regulated - Even basic things are regulated tightly by the government. There is a huge black market. There are frequent shortages for those without the right permits and licenses.

Depending upon what type of regulation we choose, there's a list of things we pick from. The tighter the regulation, the more things are unavailable, and the more things are regulated (and thus are harder to get).

Military Capital, Advanced Quarentine, Tightly regulated commerce.

Hm. If we go with "military capital" the clone soldiers could be part of that. Maybe they're not only used for domestic conflicts, but produced under contract for the Dunedin?

Here's a somewhat radical suggestion: Most of the planetary population (everyone other than the elite) is made up of clones, whether genetically engineered or not, derived from Dunedin genetic stock. The original Darikahn populace only remains in the space miner communes, the pirates, and the nobles. Maybe the Dunedin really _did_ use biological weapons (as per the suggestion about the Darikahn accusing the Dunedin of using the Vaylen as such) that wiped out most the rest, but left the industrial structures behind.

Industrial Capital seems to be the best fit to me, in terms of sticking with our industrial wasteland and enormous factories dependent on the resources flowing in from the asteroid belt. It also justifies the number of civilian spaceships needed for a system-wide civilization and serious piracy, whereas I think military capital would make it very difficult for outlaws and pirates to withstand the authorities. It also makes a lot of sense given the corporate government.

I'm not really too bothered about Quarantine. I'd go for Standard, simply because it's the standard and seems appropriate for a corporate government - some sensible and pragmatic restrictions, but nothing that would overly cripple trade and commerce.

Regulation: Loose. I'm thinking the Merchant League is something of a laissez faire state, protecting intellectual property rights and cracking down on fraud, but otherwise letting the 'invisible hand' of the market run free.

Oh, and I can't say I'm too keen on the idea of the populace of the planet being mostly clones - it makes things a bit monochrome for my liking.

Quote from: Illegible SmudgeOh, and I can't say I'm too keen on the idea of the populace of the planet being mostly clones - it makes things a bit monochrome for my liking.

Me neither.

I vote for Industrial Capital (with Military Capital a close second), Advanced Quarrantine, and Moderate Regulation.

For the last, why?

QuoteTightly regulated conomies are typically found in either aged, potent bureaucracies, in police states or under religious guise.

QuoteMost Merchant leagues and Communes are Moderately Regulated economies.  They monitor, tax and restrict the flow of certain goods and services within their domain to protect their own economic interests.

I feel the moderate regulation fits better, although tight regulation certainly does have dystopian flavor, and loose regulation would make things easier for us (in addition to having favorable disposition bonuses).

I'm with Illegible Smudge on industrial capital. It seems to fit with what we talked about and in the game its only one step to push the planet from industrial to military capital as an infection move by either side.  

I would go for above standard quarantine and regulation. I like the idea that the Merchant League is less corporations and more a bunch of monopolists (not to say the two can't be the same but with the emphasis on the latter). Their main market is outside the system and the perks of the job are fleecing the people inside the system. As long as the industrial capital is produced they can rake as much cash as they like how they like. This explains the higher levels of regulation and quarantine, plus the latter as a result of Church pressure against the 'spacers'. It also could help explain the low tech index, the disparity in access to tech and the retro/clunky feel to tech people have mentioned.

I like the idea of a large clone population (also explains high quarantine - one disease could wipe em all out!) but perhaps have it as a privileged class while the Darikhan on the planet form the underclass

So I would vote for industrial capital, advanced quarantine (these people are paranoid), and moderate to tightly regulated (these people are paranoid and corrupt). The spacers probably have less regulation but given the relative scale of the impact of the planet's regulation means scarcity for them as well.  

Lots of clones are good but not the whole planet. Perhaps toiling away in factory-cathedrals and drilling for crusades keeping themselves seperate as far as possible from the irreligious merchants, darikhan and even other Dunedin of dubious heritage. Of course being surrounded by all those high walls and security doors keeps the scum out but leaves them trapped when the Vaylen crash the system and start hulling

Quote from: NiallSI like the idea of a large clone population (also explains high quarantine - one disease could wipe em all out!) but perhaps have it as a privileged class while the Darikhan on the planet form the underclass

[...]

Lots of clones are good but not the whole planet. Perhaps toiling away in factory-cathedrals and drilling for crusades keeping themselves seperate as far as possible from the irreligious merchants, darikhan and even other Dunedin of dubious heritage. Of course being surrounded by all those high walls and security doors keeps the scum out but leaves them trapped when the Vaylen crash the system and start hulling

re: clones

I prefer them as cotars1 and sodales2, making up the lower ranks and middle-management of the church and pretty much the entire command structure of the sodality3 right up to (but not inclusive of) the Cotar Fomas4.  And, of course, there are psychic clone inquisitors, whom even their non-clone superiors find extremely off-putting.

I like the idea of the clones as a privileged class, but given that I would prefer the factories to be staffed by the oppressed underclass instead (with the possible except of secret or highly sensitive facilities).

Here's how I picture it: the official church line is that the clones are holy, being consecrated in creation to the work of the church (as the Born on the Wheel trait).  However, there's open contempt in both directions between the clones and the merchant league, and secret contempt towards the clones from the upper echelons of the church.  They're useful, but considered somehow less than human.

Plus, there've got to be scary psychic clone inquisitors.

----
1. Priests.
2. Soldiers in the religious military.
3. Planetary religious military.
4. Head of the planetary religious military.  This role is filled by a lord-pilot in service to the church.

How does hgjs' position on the clones sound to everyone? I like it a lot.


For my choices, I'll go with Industrial Capital, Advanced Quarantine and Moderate Regulation.

Werekoala> It's possible to change the primary production of the planet during play, so keep that idea for Military Capital in your back pocket, and just before the invasion comes, remind everyone to make that a "phase objective".

I think we've now got a majority on Industrial Capital and Advanced Quarantine, so we've just got to come to a consensus on regulation.

I like moderate regulation for similar reasons to hgjs. Moderate regulation lets us have a monopolistic Merchant League that occasionally bows to church pressure, but doesn't force us to constantly have to figure out some way to skirt the regulations to get the goodies we want.

Speaking of which, here's the list of things that can be regulated:

Class 1

Immigrant Labour
Military Manufacturing
Psychology
Slavery

Class 2

Utilities (Power, water, etc.)
Medical Practice / Healthcare
Pharmaceuticals
Non-military Weaponry
Livestock
Sex Trade
Recreational Drugs

Class 3

Food Preparation (e.g. space halal, space kosher)
Waste Disposal
Marriage
Music

Tight regulation means three Class 1 items, two Class 2 items, and one Class 3 item must be regulated. Beyond that, anything on the list that the planet produces as part of its primary production must be regulated.

Moderate regulation is two Class 1 items and one-two Class 2 items. If anything in Class 1 or Class 2 is part of the planet's primary production (Industrial Capital) it must be regulated.

Loose is one-two items from the Class 1 list, and nothing else.

Remember, picking something from the list to be regulated generally means you want me to bring it into the game somehow, or you plan to do so yourself.

I'd vote for Military Manufacturing and Immigrant Labour from Class 1 to be regulated, and Utilities from Class 2.

I'm with hgjs as well on the clones, thats a great idea, and moderate regulation.

Class 1

Immigrant Labour
Military Manufacturing

Class 2

I'd go for non-military weaponry in keeping with the idea there are still resentment and distrust. Also gives us a reason to have melee weapons.  Or livestock as this planet is very polluted.

Perhaps being paranoid we should choose to regulate some class 3 things - marriage maybe, generally a contentious subject in a feudal type society perhaps coming from the methods used to of defeat the Vaylen from the first infection. All marriages need to be sanctioned with proof that both parties are human. These days its a means of income for BW ministers and doctors and a useful tool to block political opponenets.

1:
Immigrant Labour, Military Manufacturing

2:
Non-military Weaponry

3:
Marriage

I'm cool with tacking marriage on. Maybe marriage is strictly regulated because of the clone population? Certain recessive diseases are more common, while mixed marriages between clones and the womb-bred are nearly impossible?

Ok, let's move onto the very last bit before we burn up characters: Figures of Note.

Figures of Note are the major players in the world. Their job is to roll during Infection mechanics that determine the course of the conflict over the entire world. We need three for the human side (they can be PCs) and three for the Vaylen side. Remember, FoNs on the other side are going to be major villains of the story. You're also going to need to have a connection to at least one FoN who isn't a PC.

So, anyone who wants their PC to be a FoN get your post in now, and give us a concept. Anyone with a good idea for a villain, jump in now too. Remember, short and sweet - one line concepts are best. A name is good too, though don't worry if you don't have one. We don't need PCs for all three FoNs on the PCs' side, but I kinda want them to be.

Werekoala> I'd recommend not being a FoN. Your PC can still be very important, and contribute to the macrocosmic conflict without being one (there are usually more than three PCs, after all). It mostly just tells us who hucks the dice at one specific point in the game. On the other hand, feel free to suggest villains or important opposition figures you might want to have a connection to.

Here's my idea:

Piers Harken - A ruthless and ambitious psychologist clone who is the Merchant League's vice president of security and espionage (Vaylen side).

Our world so far:

Physical:
Outworld
Partial Life Supporting
Predominantly Land
Broad Range of Conditions

Cultural:
Dunedin
Merchant League Government
Low Index
Paranoid
Militant Religious Orders

Factions:
Psychologist Foundation
Rebel Line / Royalist
Organised Crime
Communes
Theocratic Institutions

Economic:
Produces Industrial Capital
Moderate Regulation - Immigrant Labour, Military Manufacturing, Non-Military Weaponry, Marriage
Advanced Quarantine

Colour:

A tidal-locked world covered with factories, cathedrals and other sprawling, massive works.

Run by a Merchant League who bought a charter from Dunedin crusaders by underwriting the invasion.

The Dunedin crusaders conquered the Darikahn population with clone troops, using bioweapons.

The Theocracy has control of the clone troops and uses the hot and cold zones to exile religious dissidents.

The Theocracy and the League have psychic clones at their disposal. The original Darikahn nobles are still around.

There are anarchic space miners who aid and abet space pirates and heretics.

Clones and non-clones form distinct social groups within the planetary society.

Edit:

Disposition:

Vaylen
Infiltration: 23
Usurpation: 25
Invasion: 22

Human
Infiltration: 21
Usurpation: 24
Invasion: 30

NB: We should start thinking about what phase we want to play.

We need:

A name, some Figures of Note.

Sorry I've been absent the last few days - I'm in the final week of exams for the semester. It looks like we've already moved on, but for the record, I've no problem with Industrial Capital or Advanced Quarantine, and I seem to have been comprehensively outvoted on Regulations, so Moderate seems a reasonable compromise.

However, I am concerned about some of the proposed goods to be regulated. Unfortunately, I seem to be out of step with the group here, but I may as explain my concerns, in roughly increasing order of concern.

Immigrant Labour: Why? It's an industrial world run by merchant lords and corporations. Surely they'd want as much cheap labour for their factories as possible, keeping wages depressed by bringing in desperate immigrant labour. Plus immigrants are always a nice way to deflect the population's anger and discontent against the outsiders stealing their jobs and away from the factory bosses. And while immigrant labour is an obvious way for the Vaylen to infiltrate the system, do people really want to have storylines about people smuggling and human trafficking? I'm not so much opposed to this as wondering why people want to make an issue of it.

Military Manufacture: Admittedly, this makes a fair amount of sense, but it does make it far more difficult to have armed pirate ships and militarized civilian ships. I guess you can handle the latter in game, with the communes arming themselves as a maneuver, and there is always the black market, but if you want pirate ships aplenty and that Privateer feel in the asteroids (as I certainly do), outlawing military weapons makes that unlikely. This also brings me back to my earlier concern about having both anarchic space stations and an industrial planet comprising the setting together - if the stations are as free and independent as we have them in the colour, then it becomes difficult to deal with questions like regulation, since we effectively have two very different societies.

Non-Military Weapons: All the points from military manufacture apply here and more. This one I am strongly opposed to. A proliferation of small arms is essential to that freedom loving space miner / pirate culture, and given the cross-over between mining operations utilizing lasers and explosives, it'd be we within the capabilities of the Communes to manufacture small arms. Plus, I really like having small arms available to PCs in games. There's a reason I just about never play any modern era game and that's the regulation and prohibition of personal weapons by modern governments (America aside), and the stifling effect on the prospects for adventure and excitement. I sure as hell want every pirate and free citizen out on the belt to have a pistol slung at their belt, and I want revolutionaries on the surface to have some small arms too. I want a world that can easily descend into violence and chaos on the streets.

So what are my alternatives? How about Psychology, Slavery and Utilities? The first makes a lot of sense to me, if the Church wants to keep it as a symbol of divine blessing or whatever, burning anyone who exhibits it outside of the Church as an evil sinner or heretic (this also has a nice 40k ring). That also makes it a good source of conflict, since it's likely people will want to play Psychologists outside of the Church's auspices. Slavery because the planet has already tapped out immigrant labour, and the factory bosses still want more cheap and reliable labour, but this puts them in conflict with the Church, which considers slavery to be a sin.

Utilities because they are going to be valuable commodities both in the industrial hives and in the space stations, meaning that regulation is probably vital to avoid shortages. Of course, this also leaves open plenty of opportunity for exploitation of this control, either in terms of Total Recall style shutting off the supply of air or electricity to rebellious districts, or in the old mood altering chemicals in the water-supply (put there by either anarchists or the government). Oh, and I have no problem with marriage being thrown in as well.

Concerning Clones: I quite like hgjs' ideas on clones, though I'm not so sure on the psychic inquisitors. I rather like the idea that dissidents and heretics are arrested by the familiar blank faces of brainwashed clone soldiers, but they really know they're in trouble when they find themselves plonked at a desk opposite a real human (yes, clones are real humans too, but you know what I mean), because the actual Inquisitors are all human. Maybe because the secret of instilling psychic ability has been lost, and so these people have to be recruited as individuals. Or maybe the Church doesn't quite trust the clones enough to give them that power...they make useful servants, but many of the higher ups are still scared of the power they represent. Either way, the point is that Inquisitors and Psychologists are special, individuals rather than faceless masses. I just think that makes them more interesting.

Edit: We also need to decide on which goods are not quarantined. My vote is for medical and cryonic machinery - why would you? They're not going to carry disease.

I'm happy to swap Immigrant Labour for Slavery with the Church being actively opposed to it - nice to give it some positive aspects.

As to military and non-military weapons my view is that these are regulated in a manner not unlike today. Where the government is strong - on the planet's most habitable bits, the LaGrange stations, wherever the church is, then these things are proscribed. Where the law is unable to force its way then they are more freely available. I also don't see it as a situation where these things are not produced at all, perhaps they are but only for off-world use, or perhaps they are just really expensive. In the game it just adds difficulties to the resources rolls. Finally I see it as a issue of scale - the space stations may be little munition hives but in a system wide sense the planet's attitude is what affects overall availability and cost because the main buyers - Dunedin and the Church only deal with the authorities.

However as the person who suggested non-military weapons, I'm happy to swap for utilities. I can definetly see water being a precious commodity. I do feel Industrial Capital fits the world better though and see the move to a war footing as something to be done in game.

Is regulation of goods one of the things a player can use their final vote on? I don't have the book with me.

Figure of Note

Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange: Emlyn is the Head of Genetic Regulation and Standards Board, the department that authorises all marriages within the system and oversees clone production. As such he has access to everyone's medical records. It also monitors for signs of individuals acting against their destiny by meddling with their genetics. Pious and fairly incorruptible (Human side)

Pseudoephedrine seems to have anticipated my idea for a character of my own, but I am still thinking of someone in security/espionage for the Merchant League. Perhaps now as a member of a Young Turk's group that is disatissfied with the way that security is handled.

Duke Redav: Hideously scarred veteran of the clone wars, more machine than man.  Cotar Fomas of the planet. (Human side.)

As for characters, well I don't have any names yet (I usually don't until I get a feel for the character and that won't be until I start burning them up), but I do have two basic ideas for what I might go. Either could be a FoN, but they don't need to be, and I'm happy to let someone else take the slot if they want it badly for some reason.

The Pirate Lord: Fiercely independent pirate captain turned reluctant freedom fighter and proud citizen of the Communes. Given the age the requisite lifepaths are likely to make him, probably more of a grizzled Adama type than Jack Sparrow.

The Resistance Leader: Radical leader of planet based democratic/communist resistance network. An idealistic revolutionary type in the Che Guevara mould. I must admit part of the appeal is the fact that it might be an amusing challenge to play an ideologue whose politics differ so wildly from mine.

Yeah, you can use your "I'm unhappy and I want to change it" vote for regulation. I'm willing to go with Illegible Smudge most of the way on this. I think he makes a good point for Slavery over Immigrant Labour and Utilities instead of Non-Military Weaponry.

However, I think it might be a good idea to keep Military Manufacture regulated. Doing so doesn't prevent the pirates and space miners from having cruisers, etc. but it does make it harder - every ship they have, they've stolen from the League or the Church or the nobles, making it a precious commodity. The space miners have cobbled together crude batteries and missiles that'll fight off most direct assaults, but the balance of military power remains tilted towards the League and Church. The communes' "warships" are converted Mercators and Civilian Hammers, not ships of the line.

If you're worried, IlS, I'll let you take a military ship for your pirate character for 1 rp if you want one.

As to the psychic clones, how's about we split it down the middle? The Church keeps on trying to mass-clone psychics, with mixed results. Occasionally the results are perfectly fine, but most of the time, mutant horrors emerge, or the clones end up insane, or worse yet (to their creators), they end up perfectly normal but not psychic. So there are some psychic clones, but they're not ubiquitous. Is that a fair compromise?

Figures of Note so far:

Vaylen:

Piers Harken - A ruthless and ambitious psychologist clone who is the Merchant League's vice president of security and espionage (NPC)

Human:

Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange: Emlyn is the Head of Genetic Regulation and Standards Board, the department that authorises all marriages within the system and oversees clone production. As such he has access to everyone's medical records. It also monitors for signs of individuals acting against their destiny by meddling with their genetics. Pious and fairly incorruptible. (NPC)

Duke Redav: Hideously scarred veteran of the clone wars, more machine than man. Cotar Fomas of the planet.

Plus, either a pirate lord or a communist leader, depending upon which IlS prefers.

Comments:

hgjs> Is Redav gonna be your character?

IlS> Whichever one you don't want, I'm snagging as an idea for the Vaylen side. :p

Here are some either proposals. Tell me which ones you like most. If one of them interferes with a character you want to play, nix them and I'll come up with something else.

Arch-heretic Sil Amanto - a former Dregus exiled and stripped of his rank, now the spiritual leader of the miners. (Vaylen) (NPC)

Baron Gurnat - The last Darikahn Forged Lord, rebellious and proud.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineYeah, you can use your "I'm unhappy and I want to change it" vote for regulation. I'm willing to go with Illegible Smudge most of the way on this. I think he makes a good point for Slavery over Immigrant Labour and Utilities instead of Non-Military Weaponry.

However, I think it might be a good idea to keep Military Manufacture regulated. Doing so doesn't prevent the pirates and space miners from having cruisers, etc. but it does make it harder - every ship they have, they've stolen from the League or the Church or the nobles, making it a precious commodity. The space miners have cobbled together crude batteries and missiles that'll fight off most direct assaults, but the balance of military power remains tilted towards the League and Church. The communes' "warships" are converted Mercators and Civilian Hammers, not ships of the line.

If you're worried, IlS, I'll let you take a military ship for your pirate character for 1 rp if you want one.

Thanks, that all seems very reasonable. I may have been giving the wrong impression about the military manufacture anyway - it was always my intention that the communes and pirates would have converted Mercators and Civilian Hammers rather than actual warships, and that they were a cobbled together force that couldn't stand up to the government in a straight fight, but had to resort to harassing attacks, ambushes and raids. I wasn't so much interpreting military manufacture as having a fleet of cruisers as I was thinking of the old Privateer games (or Escape Velocity more recently) where you could just buy a Large Laser Cannon for your ship off the shelf.

Quote from: pseudoephedrineAs to the psychic clones, how's about we split it down the middle? The Church keeps on trying to mass-clone psychics, with mixed results. Occasionally the results are perfectly fine, but most of the time, mutant horrors emerge, or the clones end up insane, or worse yet (to their creators), they end up perfectly normal but not psychic. So there are some psychic clones, but they're not ubiquitous. Is that a fair compromise?

Seems fair to me. Thanks for going out of your way to incorporate my input. :)

No worries mate. Any closer to deciding between the communist ideologue and the pirate?

Anyone else got any ideas for Figures of Note?

Here are some more. I'm presenting the Figures of Note as humans (albeit on the Vaylen side) at this point, but it should be easy enough to hull any of them to make worms. If you like 'em, speak up and tell me.

Mystes-Mater Asha - A widely-beloved candidate for future sainthood, known for her charitable works and loving spirit amongst the plebs.

Comrade-Comptroller Wencelas Nam - A radical communist demagogue amongst the miners who advocates open warfare with the Church and the League, and consequences be damned.

Orvus Gin, Vice President Responsible for Church-League Cooperation - A smooth-talking potentate who shakes your hand so it's easier to stab you in the back.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineNo worries mate. Any closer to deciding between the communist ideologue and the pirate?

Still torn I'm afraid. I may end up waiting to see what other players are coming up with before I make my decision. At the moment, I'm marginally leaning towards the pirate, if only because while I love discussing political philosophy and love playing RPGs, I've always been of the opinion that they are two great tastes that shouldn't be combined. Of course, my communist revolutionary would spend most of his time organizing the cause, distributing propaganda, smuggling in weapons etc, rather than making political speeches, but the point remains.

As for your ideas, I like Orvus Gin and Wencelas Nam the most, with Sil Amanto coming in third.

It's just a shame the game doesn't have Trade Unionist as a lifepath. It could be quite handy for our setting.

Go Pirate then, if you're torn. I totally want some spaceships to zip around shooting lasers and particle beams in this game.

I too am fond of Wencelas Nam. If we go with Piers and Wencelas, then we probably should have someone from the Church as well in on the villainy. That way, PCs will have three angles for relationships. Maybe a Dregus or an Inquisitor?

Dregus-Logoterite Arkan - Chief propagandist for the church, the Dregus-Logoterite is responsible for keeping the population pacified and concerned with Wheel instead of rebelling against their absolute impoverishment.

Ok, planet names while everybody's thinking of Figures of Note and character ideas. Some suggestions:

Lankar
Shars
Entira
Atr-Sors
Gera
Quent

Just thinking about my character background and wondered when people felt this invasion took place. In the last decade? In the lifetime of older characters but not the younger (say, 30 years ago)? Or before any character is likely to have been born?

Edit: Oh, and I'm going with the Pirate Lord...though I'm wondering if I really need to take the Pirate lifepath itself - it really is a pretty rubbish lifepath and it doesn't give me enough resources to take the Owner-Aboard trait, which I really want.

Ok, unless anyone objects, I'm going with Dregus-Logoterite Arkan, Piers Harken and Wencelas Nam as my three main villains and Vaylen Figures of Note. You guys have got Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange, Duke Redav and IlS' pirate lord.

Remember, we need a name for the planet.

Ok, now, character burning.

Who wants to play what?

Werekoala > Give me an idea for your character, and I'll do the hard work of whipping him up statistically for you. Mainly, I need to know what he does now, and anything important you want him to've done in his past, like if he was a pirate or a soldier or whatever.

Sounds good. Still working on my character, but in the meantime, I came up with a few suggestions for the planet's name: Karkarus, Vertanna, Averzhan, Yamerah, Edasar, Ubidaan, Sameric, Marikahn, Oberis, Chentassa. Not sure that any of them are any good, but I figured I might as well widen the selection. Of yours, I like Lankar and Atr-Sors the best.

As to names I like Lankar, Shars or Gera the best, mainly because they are easy to remember

As to character my idea is that he is of Darikhan descent and the assumption is that it has been at least one, maybe two generations since the conquest. He entered the security forces[1] as a way out of the slums and his talent and ability saw him promoted to a relatively high level for his origins, but he is never really trusted. In the past few years he has been part of conspiracy who resent the way the Merchant League runs the system. These Young Turks come from both Dunedin and Darikhan stock. The latter are obviously often excluded from power but so are many of the former. The alliance of Church and League in the invasion led to the concentration of power in very few hands. Dunedin crusaders and those who came subsequently to find work once the industrial facilities opened up have found themselves unable to break through the glass ceiling of the League's charter. They also have had some sympathy from the Church.

I'll put it together in BE terms over the weekend but his main motivation is a contempt for the system under which he works and a desire to replace it. However he is not a Darikhan nationalist (the Empire is a story for most) and he is devout Church member (the book seems to imply that the religion is still stron in Darikhan, just that the church as an institution is banned). Probably one of the Figures of Note, either the Dr or the Duke is a (the?) leading force in the conspiracy and a patron my my character.

[1] On the assumption that the clones tend to be used as the muscle for the security and armed forces but that the natural births [womb-bred vs tank-bred?] hold ranks throughout and that there is always a need for undercover and other work which clones are poor at from reasons of religious upbringing and they all look the same.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineOk, planet names while everybody's thinking of Figures of Note and character ideas. Some suggestions:

Lankar
Shars
Entira
Atr-Sors
Gera
Quent

I vote for Lankar-Sors as the name of the planet, and Lankar as the name of the star system (although people commonly use the terms interchangably).

I like hgjs' suggestion here best so far. Lankar for the system, and Lankar-Sors for the planet itself. Since everyone seems broadly in favour of Lankar, shall we consider it settled?

NiallS> Sounds good.

Colonel Hesse Tamar

Here's the good colonel. I've aimed to spend circles to give him control of part of the security services specialising in recovering taxable assets but don't know if I've made it too cheap. Will expand on his background in a bit.

Description
Mid-forties male of caucasian descent. Hair close cropped with shaved section above right ear with tattoo of Burning Wheel denoting his membership as a devotee of the fire. Face notable for cybernetic implants covering eyes and bridge of nose. Generally seems in good shape and has air of authority. Tends to wear uniform or dark coloured conservative clothing

Beliefs:

• The Merchant League is irredeemably corrupt and must be removed and replaced with a government that wants to rule not rob
• The Burning Wheel has guided me safely in my life. Only through its tenets can happiness be achieved
• I would rather die than return to the slums I grew up in. I must preserve and advance my position for the security of myself and my family

Lifepath

• Born on the Streets 9 Years Circles 1 Traits 2, Skills 3
  
• Urchin 4 years Traits 2, Skills 4
  
• Hive Thug 3 years Resources 1 Circles 1 +1P, Traits 1, Skills 4
  One year to change lifepaths
  
• Devoted to Fire 3 years Resources 1 +1M, Traits 1, Skills 3
  One year to change lifepaths
  
• Security 3 years +1 P, Traits 1, Skills 4
  
• Security 3 years +1 P, Traits 1, Skills 4
  
• Security Officer 5 years, Resources 2, Circles 1, +1M/P, Traits 2, Skills 7
  
• Agent 6 years, Resources 2, Circles 1, + 1M/P, Traits 1, Skills 8
  
• League Official 5 years, Resources 2, Circles 2, Traits 2, Skills 5

Stats
Age 42
Perception 4 Will 6
Agility 4 Speed  4 Power  3  Forte 4

Traits
Orphan, Addicted, Cold blooded, Devoted to Fire, Bored, Thug, Mean, Clean Cut, Determined, Moustache, Opportunist, Paranoia

Skills
1.   Inconspicuous 3
2.   Intimidation 3
3.   Doctrine 2
4.   Security 4
5.   Interrogation 3
6.   Investigative Logic 4
7.   Bureaucracy 3
8.   Close Combat 4
9.   Assault weapons 2
10.   Torture 3
11.   Signals 2
12.   Extortion 3
13.   Streetwise 3
14.   Security rigging 3
15.   Blackmail-wise 3
16.   League-wise 3
17.   Murder-wise 2
18.   Bribe-wise 2
19.   Rebel wise 2
20.   Crowd Suppression wise 2
21.   Frame wise 2
22.   Persuasion 5
23.   Accounting 2
24.   Command 3
25.   Law 2
26.   Tactics 2

Resources 5
Colour: Has a uniform of the security forces, a provided for apartment within a respectable part of the habitable zone, personal weapon and use of an automated car. Has a personal portable computer that acts as a semi-intelligent personal assistant

Hard tech: Cybernetic implants that display scrolling update of world around (+1 Per) – i.e. body temperature and dilation of people, highlights weapons , items of interest, concealed figures, runs face recognition and acts as a communications device providing video and sound.

Circles 3
Affiliations

• Devotees of the Fire (1D),
• Security Services (2D)
• Anti-League movement (1D)
• Hive gangs (1D)

Reputation

• Colonel-Investigator of Asset Recovery Services (2D). Respected as incorruptible and protective of his men. Seen with more negative feeling by smugglers and tax avoiders.

Relationship:

• Laertes Sully, Deputy in Asset Recovery Services
• Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange (Patron and conspirator). Feels loyalty and respect for this man of the Church and his aims of a better world
• Piers Harken (Complicated relationship). My direct boss - dislike and suspicion as someone who was Born on the Wheel and now seeks to advance his own personal profit in service of League

Asset Recovery Services specialise in retrieving items and property on which insufficient duty has been paid - basically customs police equivalent to paramilitary forces as well as some investigative and administrative teams. Colonel has operational control of the division liasing with wider tax bureaus, League members and police.

Instincts:

• Always record my conversations and e-mails
• Never travel without bodyguards
• Always donate to a devotee in need

Steel: 6 (base 3, murdered someone +1, been traumatised +1, Will over 5 +1)

Looks good.

Anyone else done yet?

Hmm... okay, my character is an Adjutant for the Church. Not someone who wields power directly, himself, but who works for those who do, and subsequently knows everything that's going on and can, in a pinch, make things happen.

In the past, he was a Priest who showed a penchant for Administration and "getting things done". He's still very devout, to the point of correcting others (even superiors) on points of Doctrine. Fortunately, he's good enough at what he does (and unfailingly right when he debates theology) that he can get away with it.

Name: Senior Adjutant (or whatever the appropriate title is) Cormyn Bane

What else do you need?

That works for now.

From you, I'm going to need three beliefs, and three instincts.


Beliefs are statements about your character's goals. You're going to use these in play to get a resource called "Artha" which are a kind of "hero point" that allow you to do things like make a roll open-ended (reroll the 6s) or avoid dying in a situation where you otherwise should. There are different kinds of Artha, but I'll explain all that once I've posted your sheet.

"I hate the miners. They must be brought to heel under the guidance of the Merchant League."

"The Church is incorruptible and it's up to me to keep it that way, at any cost."

Usually, they state your character's goals, the means he's willing to use to attain those means, and his attitude towards the situation. The expectation is that you're going to work towards these goals in play, but don't worry if some of them are in friction with other PCs. That's totally allowed.


Instincts are three pre-set patterns of behaviour for your character. It's a set statement about a simple behaviour your character performs without it having to be noted.

For example:

"I carry a loaded pistol with me everywhere."
"I always know where the escape route is."
"I look into the background of anyone who threatens me."
"I always make sure to cover my tracks thoroughly."

You're also going to use your instincts to get Artha (a different kind from the kind you get with Beliefs).


Finally, everybody needs at least one relationship to a non-PC. Relationships are people your character knows. There are beneficial and "complicated" relationships. Beneficial ones are to other people on the Human side (who aren't PCs). Complicated ones are to people on the other side.

There are two conditions that a character's total set of relationships must fulfill (though any individual relationship need not). The first is that you have to have a connection to a Figure of Note (whether on your side or otherwise). The other is that you need to have at least one complicated relationship.

Two or three is a fairly standard number for relationships as well. Relationships have to be bought with a resource called "Circles", with complicated ones cheaper than friendly ones.

I can whip up the rest for you, no prob.

Here's the basics of Cotar-Inquisitor Cormyn Bane

Description: [To be provided by WK]
Beliefs:
Instincts:

Lifepaths:

Born on the Wheel
Student
Notary
Archivist
Interpreter
Cotar
Adjutant Inquisitor
Inquistor
Age: 54

Stats:

Perception 6
Will 6

Agility 3
Forte 4
Power 3
Speed 3

Steel 6 (Competitive, Wil > 5, Per >6)
Hesitation 4

Skills:
Accounting 3
Bureaucracy 4
Church Law 4
Church Records-Wise 3
Divination 4
Doctrine 6
Foreigner-Wise 3
Forgery-Wise 3
Heresy-Wise 3
History 4
Investigative Logic 6
Interrogation 4
Lecture-Wise 3
Mundus Humanitas-Wise 3
Oratory 6
Parish-Wise 3
Research 4
Suasion 6
Temple-Wise 3
Traveler-Wise 3

Traits:

Call-On Traits:
Well-Read (open-skill)

Character Traits:
Harried
Odd
Opportunist
Paranoid
Skeptical

Die Traits:
Born on the Wheel
Devoted to Fire
Keeper of the Fire
Order of the Seeking Fire
Tool of the State

1 free trait point

Circles:

Base Circles 3

Affiliations
Other characters with Born on the Wheel lifepath 1D [from BotW lifepath]
Other characters with Devoted to Fire trait 1D [from Devoted to Fire Trait]
Order of the Seeking Fire 2D [1D from Adjutant Inquisitor LP, 1D from Circles]
Specific Church [with name, location and chief priest to be named by Werekoala] 1D

Reputation
Member of the Inquisition 1D [1D from Circles]

Relationships
[To be described by Werekoala]

3 Circles dice free.

Resources: 8

Technology:
Autothetical Planner - Oratory +2D, Steel +2D only in Duel of Wits [Colour by Werekoala]
Inquisitor's Headset - Investigative Logic +1D [Colour by WK]

Health:
Superficial 3
Injured 5
Maimed 7
Mortal 9

Artha:
1 Fate
1 Persona
0 Deeds

Commentary and explanations for our lycanthropic marsupial pal to come.

Ok, so, here's the basics first:

Your character is an Inquisitor, but not a High Inquisitor. He's got people in charge of him who can give him orders if they want to. He's able to pull a lot of sway throughout the church, but he probably relies more on his position than his likeability to swing that (he's got a low Circles score, but his lifepaths give him a lot of automatic affiliations). He's a helluva debater, but is fragile in firefights, without (at this point) a strong counter to violence.

Specifics:

Your character's lifepaths are those of an ecclesiastical careerist. Notary, Archivist, Interpreter and Adjutant Inquisitor are all functionary positions, while Cotar (Priest) and Inquisitor are the most important positions your character has filled so far.

Stats:

Your character is top-notch mentally - as powerful as a starting human can be. He's very intelligent, and socially powerful when he wants to be. He's fairly strong-willed (Steel 6).but he's not a stone-cold killer or anything like that.

Skills:

Basically, -Wise skills are knowledge skills. You roll them and your margin of success lets you make up on fact about the subject that is true within the game world. So if I beat my Heresy-wise target by two successes, I can say "The heretics are Antecarnationists - they believe souls exist prior to the Burning Wheel" and "Antecarnationists generally only have two ranks - mendicant preachers and laymen." The conditions are that you can't contradict anything else set up so far, either in play or through a previous use of a -Wise skill. Also, if you fail, I can somehow twist or pervert the information you've just given.

-Wise are also useful for giving other skills bonuses. If you can explain how a particular -Wise skill bears on another skill test, you get a bonus.

Your character is excellent at a type of conflict called the "Duel of Wits" which is basically a way of handling arguments between characters. Specifically, he's good at making speeches advancing a particular point of view (Oratory w/Lecture-wise) and at hammering people with guilt and doctrine (Suasion, Divination) until they do what he says. Bureaucracy and Law make him a canny opponent even on an institutional level.

Your character is also an excellent investigator. Investigative Logic is the CSI skill, and he's also got Interrogation, Torture, Research, Bureaucracy, Accounting and Church Law, plus a bunch of useful -Wise skills to help him spot any funny business and bring whoever's responsible to task.

Traits:

There are three kinds of traits:

Call-On traits let you re-roll the "worms" (dice that don't come up 4,5,6) in your dice pool, making it more likely that you'll succeed. You have one Call-On Trait, "Well-Read" which works for any one academic-type skill you choose. You don't have to choose until you actually want to use the skill, but you can't change it once you choose.

Character traits are personality quirks your character has picked up from his lifepath (and from a few choices we made during the World Burner). You can choose how much you want to emphasise or ignore them. I left you an open trait point to buy one more with. Basically, pick any single adjective you think describes your character and write it on the sheet. These character traits don't have a direct mechanical effect, but playing them well gets you more Artha.

One quirk of your character traits is that I gave him "Opportunist" instead of "Crusader". Both are traits Dunedins can pick. Crusader means you're all about destroying the enemies of the church, while Opportunist means you're more interested in using the Dunedin crusades to build your own power base. If you don't like "Opportunist", just change to "Crusader".

Dice traits are the rest - traits that give or take away dice for one reason or another. Most of your dice traits just give you automatic affiliations with one part of the church or another. The interesting one I thought you might like is "Tool of the State". Basically, you get Artha whenever you follow through with an inconvenient order from one of your church superiors.

Circles:

There are three kinds of everything, and circles are no exception. Circles is how socially prevalent your character is. How well known is he, and how much weight can he pull?

Base Circles is a raw "Does anyone know him or care that they do?" stat.

Relationships are personal relationships with other characters who will be NPCs in the story.

Affiliations are institutional power - how much weight can he throw into getting some group of people to do something?

Reputations are just that. What do people think of when they think of him, what do they find when they look at his record, etc.?

Affiliations and Reputations vary from 1 to 3 dice, with 1D being low and 3D being high. 1D is "I need to see the secret files, where do I fill out the paperwork?" 3D is "You could be shot just for asking my name."

Tools:

Your character is pretty rich for a priest, but isn't obscenely so, and certainly isn't wealthy in comparison to merchants of equal importance. If there's any gear you need, now is the best time. In BE, we build technology trait by trait - there's no pre-set gear list - and it's cheapest during character creation.

I've given you two bits of gear, designed to accent the two specialties - investigation and debate. It's up to you to describe them more fully - I've left them vague so you can work them into your concept more easily. They could be cybernetic implants, tricorder-style handsets, or built into your clothing, as you prefer.

One thing you need to fill in broadly is the "Colour Tech" your character has. This is the stuff he owns that has no effect on dice rolls. Does he live in a house, church dormitories, etc. What does he wear for clothing? That kind of thing. You don't have to do it all at once, but it's useful to have it as an idea.

Injuries:

You're not fragile, but you're not tough, and you don't have any skills for in firefights, so it's best to avoid them if you can.

Artha:

You're low on Artha. You probably want to make more by acting on your beliefs, ducking your sensible instincts, and personifying your traits.

Fate points make rolls open-ended - reroll sixes and if they come up sixes again, reroll them and so on.

Persona points add dice (+1D per point) to any roll, and can also be spent to ignore injuries or survive a fatal wound.

Okay, that's alot to absorb at once. I'll mull it over and get you answers you need to finish filling in the blanks in the next day or two. Thanks for all your hard work! Looks like a cool character. :)

No problem mate. Take your time.

Just to let you know that my character is well on his way now. After initially struggling terribly to render him as a Ship's Captain turned Pirate, I had a breakthrough today when I abandoned that approach and shifted straight into the criminal setting after he made Pilot, taking the Criminal lifepath as his goal. I'm seeing the Family trait as representing more of a pirate clan than mafia family in his case, but that may be stretching things a little. I'm really happy with how he's looking right now, so I hope that's an acceptable interpretation, Pseudo.

It sounds totally fine to me. Just remember to include some way he'd know the other PCs.

Lugo Lasserides, captain of the Crimson Claw

Stats:
Will: 4 Perception: 6 Agility: 4 Speed: 3 Power: 4 Forte: 4
Physical Tolerances: Superficial H3, Injured H5, Maimed H8, Mortal H10
Steel: 7 (warrior-type lifepath, has been severely wounded, has murdered, has perception 6)
Hesitation: 4 (Cool-Headed)
Age: 40
Artha: One fate, one persona.

Lifepaths:
Born Citizen, Yeoman*, Sense Rigger, Pilot, Smuggler*, Freebooter, Gunsel, Criminal
* Changed to another native setting

Skills:
Assault Weapons 4
Black Market-wise 3
Close Combat 5
Command 4 (General points)
Crew 4
Criminal-wise 3
Helm 5
Intimidation 5
Outcast-wise 3
Persuasion 4
Pilot 4
Sensors 4
Ship-wise 3
Smuggling 4
Streetwise 5
Tactics 5
War-wise 3

Traits:
Citizen of the Commune, Cool-Headed, Family, Hazed, Idealist, Illegal Crucis, Light Sleeper, Loyal to the Family, Mercenary, Opportunist, Paranoid, Shark-Toothed Smile, Sharp Dresser, Tall-Dark-and-Murderous, We Rule These Streets

Beliefs:

• Give me liberty or give me death! (Idealist)
• War and rebellion is my bread and butter, and therefore, to be encouraged.
• The interests of the clan and the free stations are intertwined: without the stations, there is no future for the clan.
• I will never turn or rat on a brother pirate. (Loyal to the Family)

Instincts:

• Always have a weapon within arms reach.
• Never turn my back on anyone I don't trust implicitly.
• Never say anything incriminating where it might be recorded.

Resources:

• The Crimson Claw, his pirate ship, a large converted Mercator bristling with guns, grappling harpoons, and pirates. [2]
  
• A CEBW pistol. [1]
• Ubidaan Command Eyepatch. What looks like a pirate's eyepatch is actually a sophisticated command instrument that enhances situational awareness by feeding tactical information to a HUD without impairing normal vision. +2D Command, +1D Tactics. [2]
• Fashionable yet practical spacefarer attire, gold earrings, and the cutlass that traditionally serves as the symbol of office for pirate captains. Has a well furnished and comfortable captain's cabin on the Claw filled with antiques and trophies.[colour]
  
• Resources Exponent: 5d

Circles:

• Base Circles: 2d
• Affiliations:
• Other characters with the 'Family' trait (ie. members of the Kayshaan clan) 2d
• Fellow Citizens of the Communes 1d
• Crew of the Crimson Claw 1d
  
• Reputations:
• The most dangerous and ambitious of the Kayshaan pirate lords 2d
• Relationships:
• Karj Nemar (free relationship). His fearsome second in command and blood brother, who he trusts implicitly.
• Wencelas Nam (complicated relationship). Though Lugo tends to dismiss Wencelas as an idealistic fool in front of his men, he secretly admires the man's actions. They have met on infrequent occasion, and though they are not friends, Lugo makes sure he shows the man the respect he feels he is due.

Appearance:
Lugo is a tall man with dark roguish features, and has a dangerous look to him. He appears to be in his late thirties, with olive skin and greasy black hair done up in a pony-tail. His eyes are dark and intense, and he has a predatory confidence about him, which is not even remotely countered by his gleaming white smile. He is always well-dressed, even when forced to obey the dictates of practicality aboard ship, and stays at the forefront of fashion. His manner borders on cocky insolence, yet there is an intelligence behind his eyes that suggests he is more than your usual arrogant pilot or flyboy.

Background:
Lugo grew up in the space stations that dot the asteroid belt, where from an early age he witnessed constant clashes between the freedom loving communes and the forces of the planetary authorities. Their status as enemies was drilled into him, and so like many others who began careers as shipmen and pilots, it was not long before he turned his hand to piracy, and the plunder of the rich League ships that plied the system. If they were the enemy, robbing them was not only acceptable, but commendable, as was smuggling goods past their quarantine and evading tariffs for that matter. He rose quickly within the ranks of the pirate clan he had joined, and only a few years ago, he achieved the status of captain, one of the lords of the Kayshaan clan. He is now one of the most powerful men in the clan, and a potent force out on the belt who demands fear and respect.

Connections with other PCs:
Well, it's fairly easy to see how Lugo and Hesse could have run into one another, and obviously they are unlikely allies, though as is often the case with those on either side of the law, they have a fair amount in common. Of course, both could be very useful to one another if they could get past their prejudices in the name of a common cause. In any case, they'd almost certainly know each other and know how to get in contact.

Admittedly, it's much harder to see how he would come into contact with an Inquisitor.

Hm. Do you guys want me to post the stats for the Figures of Note or just pertinent details?

Quote from: PseudoephedrineHm. Do you guys want me to post the stats for the Figures of Note or just pertinent details?

Personally, I'd like the whole character sheet so as to get a good understanding of what they're like and what they're about. I think we need to know things like their beliefs to properly play the game.

Ok, here's the first of four or five.

Comrade-Comptroller Wencelas Nam

Beliefs:

1) The space stations must be united against the Merchant League and Church by any means.
2) The Vaylen are a fine weapon to be used against my enemies.
3) Might makes right.

Instincts:

1) Avoid being scanned.
2) Always know how to get to my ship from where I am.
3) Shoot first, ask questions later.

Stats:
Will 6
Per 4
Agi 5
For 4
Pow 4
Spd 4
Steel 7 (soldier LP, murdered, competitive lifestyle, will stat > 5)
Hes 4

Lifepaths:
Vibhuuten Clan, Child, Princess, Prince, Sleeper, Captain, High Official

Naiven Age: 40 Human Body Age: 36

Skills:
Administration 3
Balance of Power-Wise 2
Bureaucracy 4
Close Combat 4
Command 6
Commune-Wise 2
Conspicuous 4
Deal-Wise 2
Etiquette 3
Explosives 2
Falsehood 4
Infrastructure-Wise 2
Intimidation 4
Interdiction-Wise 2
Hammer-Wise 2
Leader-Wise 2
Logistics 4
Merchant League-Wise 2
Persuasion 4
Skeletons-Wise 2
Spaceport-Wise 2
Space Station-Wise 2
Smuggling 4
Strategy 6
Tactics 4
Tension-Wise 2
Ugly Truth 3

Traits:

Call On Traits:
Charismatic (Persuasion), Commanding Aura, Peacemaker, Public Face

Character Traits:
Bizarre, Graceful, Handsome, Odd, Unassuming

Dice Traits:
Alien Control, Anvil Trained, Encoder, Psycho-Endoparasitic, Usurper, Vibhuuten, Worm

Resources:
The Alabaster Ark - Hammer Patrol Craft (Res 2) Colour: An Extriate-Class Light Frigate, a popular Dunedin assault model used for picket work and Combat Space Patrols.

Blackside Station (Res 1) Colour: Blackside station is located in the outer reaches of the system on a tide-locked moon orbiting a gas giant. It is a banana republic space station, with Nam as caudillo - drink, prostitutes, fun and money for his supporters, beatings and hard work for the detractors. Tourists love it.

Base Resources: 7d

Circles:
Base Circles: 3

Relationships:
Chief Helmsman "Dowser" Talbot - the pilot and bosun of the Alabaster Ark, Nam's second in command.
 
Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange - Nam claims that the League is his real target, and Grange believes him. Nam has in the past managed to smuggle in obscure and secret biotechnology for Grange. Grange doesn't ask where he gets it from, but he does use his influence to keep Nam from being declared an outlaw in return for regular shipments.

Colonel Hesse Tamar (complicated) - As the figurehead for anti-League sentiment, Nam wants to subvert Tamar to his cause. It's a lot nicer than what he wants to do to Piers.

Lugo Lasserides (complicated) - Wencelas respects Lugo and the Kayshaan Pirates as soldiers who have stood against the League for so long. He badly wants them to join his coalition against the planetary forces, but wouldn't settle for anything less than total control from him and absolute loyalty from them.
 
Duke Redav (complicated) - Everybody says that Wencelas Nam saved the Duke's life, though no one knows how or why. The Duke refuses to talk about it.

Affiliations:
Vibhuuten 3d (other Vaylen or Vaylen-wise only)
Communes 2d
Crew of the Alabaster Ark 2d

Reputation:
Captain of the Alabaster Ark 1d
Defender of the Space Stations 1d

Artha:
To be determined

Physical Tolerances:
Superficial 3, Injured 5, Maimed 8, Mortal 10

Appearance:

Wencelas Nam is a handsome, relatively young man who always seems to be in charge of any situation he finds himself in. He tends to wear a navy-blue hammer captain's uniform without any insignia of rank.

Background/Reputation:

Less than a decade ago, Wencelas Nam appeared with a small hammer claiming to be a mercenary deserter from the Dunedin's crusades. He used his ship to defend the stations against the League's forces and against more than a few pirates, making him very popular with the miners. By talent and luck he has become powerful enough that the League treats him as spokesman for the miners (though the miners don't).

Notes:

Wencelas Nam is the Vaylen Figure of Note for the Invasion phase. Also, he has a true hammer, not just a converted mercator ship. This is the basis of his military power in the system - he is the only miner with a real war ship. I picture him as openly hostile to the League and Church, but not a wanted criminal - he could meet with the PCs without them being expected to try and arrest him or whatever. Finally, he is hulled, hulled, hulled, but no one knows this. If it ever should matter, it's an optical hull.

Piers Harken, Vice President, League Special Sevices

Beliefs:

1) If someone crosses or betrays me, I will pay them back ten-fold, and their friends, families and lovers a hundred-fold for it.
2) The people of Lankar must be protected from the worm, from anarchy, from the stupidity of the church and the arrogance of the nobles, and I am the only one who can do it.
3) The Church's control of cloning must be broken. We are a superior race and need not bow to their dogma.

Instincts:

1) If someone threatens me, I will rape their minds.
2) Before I meet someone, I always look into their background for weaknesses.
3) Never leave a record.

Stats:
Per 6
Wil 6
Agi 3
For 3
Pow 3
Spd 3
Steel 7 (Competitive, Wil > 5, Per > 6, Bright Mark)
Hes 1

Lifepaths:
Born to the League, Foundation Student, Psychologist, Commentariat, Agent, Advocate, League Official
Age 48

Skills:
Accounting 3
Blackmail-Wise 3
Bribe-Wise 3
Bureaucracy 6
Dissent-Wise 3
Extortion 4
Inconspicuous 4
Intimidation 4
Investigative Logic 6
Journalism 3
League Law 4
League-Wise 3
League Court-Wise 3
Propaganda 6
Psychohistory 3
Psychology 6
Psychology-Wise 3
Research 3
Rhetoric 6
Security Rigging 2
Signals 6

Traits:

Call On Traits:
Casuist, Well Spoken,

Character Traits:
Clean Cut, Opportunist, Paranoid

Dice Traits:
Bright Mark, Codebreaker, Cog in the Machine, Cold Blooded, Fearless, Psychologist's Code

Circles:
Base Circles 3

Relationships:
Dregus-Logoterite Arkan - It's always good to have the church's chief propagandist as a friend. They've worked together in the past, and maintain a cordial working relationship.

Agathe Harken, his daughter (complicated) - Clones aren't supposed to have natural born daughters. Officially, as a clone, Harken doesn't. The mother is completely unknown.

Inquisitor Cormyn Bane (complicated)

Colonel Hesse Tamar (complicated) - Harken doesn't trust Tamar, but he does think of him as a useful tool. The good colonel's "roundness" annoys him though.

Affiliations:
League Security Forces 3d

Reputations:
Psychologist 1d infamous
Codebreaker 1d infamous
Head of League Security Forces 2d

Resources: 11d
Colour: Piers has a penthouse office in the capital of Lankar-Sors, and a few cottages scattered across the planet in the less hospitable areas. All are filled with the network connections and computing hardware necessary to do his job. He is otherwise a very rich man. He lives a comparatively spartan but still class-appropriate lifestyle.

Appearance:
Piers Harken is a #7PR4 type clone, with the strong angular features typical of that line. He wears a loose green-black kimono with padded shoulders in a slightly-out-of-date style. He has a shaved head, and the distinctive scar of a psychologist runs across his left eye.

Background / Reputation:
Piers' geneline, as one of the rare success stories in the psychologist-cloning program, was bought in vitro en masse by the League. Most of his history is obscure, locked away in secret archives, until he became vice president of the League's security and espionage branch ("Special Services").

He has since become one of the most feared men in the system, an infamous monster perfectly willing to kill, steal and mindrape any time he thinks it necessary. His superiors hate him, but don't interfere so long as he remains effective.

Notes:

Piers Harken is the Vaylen Figure of Note for the Infiltration Phase. Niall, even thought Piers doesn't have the "Born on the Wheel" LP, it's totally OK for your character to think he ought to be working for the church - most other clones are.

WK> "Codebreaker" is a nastier reputation than it probably sounds. It refers to the Psychologist's Code, and it basically means that at one point or another, Piers has used his psychic powers to jump into someone's mind against their permission and take what he wanted from them. Infamous reputations are just what they sound like. Rather than being famous and well-regarded, you're seen as a terrible jerk.

Also, he has a complicated relationship with you. Would you like him to be blackmailing you? Or would you prefer to be investigating him for something? Anything unpleasant like that would work well.

Piers is an evil, ambitious, manipulative, vengeful bastard. Be forewarned, folks!

Thanks for posting those, Pseudoephedrine. That helps a lot, and they're both cool and interesting characters.

I do feel however, that I might need to dig out the old "Heckler" die trait when it comes to Wencelas Nam. I mean, seriously, those skills are pretty outrageously min-maxed, being almost entirely twos or sixes, with very little in between. Admittedly you've taken lots of skills to broaden the base, but he's still far from a balanced character: it's like you've cut out the middle floors of a pyramid, leaving only the base and the apex. It's a similar story with Cormyn Bane. Piers Harken on the other hand, seems much more reasonably balanced, and it's good to see that you've kept the number of lifepaths down, so full credit on that score. For that reason, I don't want to be too critical, but the problem I see is that this kind of min-maxing encourages, if not forces, the rest of us to do the same if we want to stand a chance of competing, and that's a bit sad.

Fair enough. I'll rework Wencelas Nam. My intention was to make them particularly strong in their areas so that you had to out-think them and confront them in other ways.

Edit: Wencelas is done. It's good you pointed out the skills, because I realised I'd copied out his skills incorrectly anyhow (he gets 43 skill points + 6 general from his lifepaths). He's a bit more balanced now.

I think I'll leave Cormyn mostly as he is for now. WK doesn't have the rulebook after all, and I think it'll be easier for him to be super-good at a few things, and to figure out how to use those cleverly, than to spread himself out too thin through subsystems we'll have to spend lots of time explaining. I did reduce two skills from 6s to 4s and spread those points around a bit.

Cheers, and thanks for taking it so well. :)

It's easy to be gracious now. I'll just let my villains get revenge for me! ;)

BTW guys, I'm updating their sheets constantly, so check back on them from time to time and let me know if there's anything you want changed.

Dregus-Logoterite Arkan

Beliefs:

1) The Church must prevail through faith, not through mere demographics. The clones are nothing compared to the womb-born.

2) The nobility must be brought back to their faith. We need their strength to break the anarchists.

3) All wars are battles between ideas. Men and material are only expressions of the underlying ideology.

Instincts:

1) Talk my way out of trouble (start a Duel of Wits whenever physically threatened).

2) Let someone else do the dirty work.

3) Always have a back-up plan.

Lifepaths:
Born to Rule, Coeptir, Propagandist, X-O, Student, Devoted to Fire, Cotar, Dregus

Age: 44 (41 + non-native setting + setting switch)

Stats:
Per 5
Wil 5

Agi 4
Forte 4
Pow 2
Spd 3

Steel 7 (soldier, Wil > 5, competitive, killed)
Hes 5

Skills:

Administration 4
Archotare-Wise 2
Bureaucracy 4
Church Law 3
Cotar-Wise 2
Divination 3
Doctrine 4
Etiquette 4
History 2
Media-Wise 3
Oratory 2
Parish-Wise 2
Propaganda 6
Regulations-Wise 2
Research 2
Signals Tech-Wise 2
Suasion 6
Temple-Wise 3
Tithe-Wise 2
Unit-Wise 2

Traits:

Call-On:
Well-Read (open)

Character Traits:
Crusader
Paranoid
Wise

Dice Traits:
Clever Bastard
Devoted to Fire
Dregutai
Keeper of the Fire
Mark of Privilege
Scut Work
Your Eminence

Resources 8d

Propaganda Tools - Colour: The church maintains an extensive multimedia broadcast system that the Dregus can use at will. The Dregus himself is a frequent and popular guest on multiple news and discussion programs.

Consolidated Broadcast Control Centre - It's a Signals test with an Obstacle of 3 to broadcast anything on Lankar-Sors without going through the church's system. Colour: The Church operates the networks, the datacentres, the relays and antennas under license from the League. It's extremely difficult to avoid using their networks on-planet.

Circles:
Base Circles 2

Relationships:

Duke Redav - the Duke and Arkan both support the church and the nobility uniting, and work to build bridges whenever possible.

Inquisitor Cormyn Bane (complicated) - Arkan outranks Bane, but is not actually his superior. Doesn't stop him from trying to use the Inquisitor as his hound though.

Cotar-Doctor Emlyn Grange (complicated) - They don't see eye-to-eye on the role of clones in the church. Arkan thinks Grange is an amoral psychopath fixated on mutilating the human soul on the genetic level.

Affiliations:
2d The Ecclesiarchy (from Dregutai)
1d Devotees of the Fire
1d The Forge Cathedral (the Archotare's personal headquarters / megachurch, located in the capital)
1d The old Darikahn nobility

Reputations:
2d Spokesman of the Church (from Dregutai)

Physical Tolerances:
Superficial H3, Injured H5 Maimed H7, Mortal H9

Appearance:

Arkan was once a physically impressive man, but has gone to seed. He usually wears a purposefully-stereotypical cotar's uniform that makes him look like someone's fond memory of a creche-priest. He exudes paternal warmth.

Background / Reputation:

Dregus-Logoterite Arkan was originally Count Arkan, heir to House Cresus, the last of the Dunedin conquering families. He has graciously extended his hand to the Darikahn remnants in the spirit of fraternity.

To the general populace he is "Father Arkan", a church insider who stands up for the little guy against the bosses, struggling for fairness and justice without sacrificing his traditional values.

Inside the church, the most popular and lurid rumour, never repeated in his presence and even then said only in jest, is that he barehandedly crushed the previous Dregus-Logoterite's throat and replaced him with a clone to cover the act.

Notes:

Arkan is the Vaylen figure of note for the Usurpation phase. Think of him as a more ambitious Mr. Rodgers. He's also the "nicest" of the Vaylen Figures of Note - he's not an outright bastard like Piers, nor a worm like Wencelas.

State of the Union: We're waiting on hgfs, Gunslinger and Werekoala to finish their characters. If any of you guys need help or suggestions, post away and I'll do my best.

Just to let you know that I'm still here and keen to play. :)

Ok, Gunslinger's dropped out. That means it's NiallS, Illegible Smudge, WereKoala and hgjs left. HG told me he's working on his character but is crammed for time.

WK> You still interested? I need a bit more info from you before we begin.

So...I guess this is dead then. Dammit. :(

Sorry. Everyone just suddenly stopped posting. :/

Sorry - I'm still up for it, a mixture of waiting for other characters to be posted and moving house last week so have no at home internet and the book is still packed away somewhere.

Am happy to go with however many characters although 3 would be good.

Well, if you two are still game, I am. If we could find one more player, it would be good though.