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Count me in!

13 (61.9%)

No, but maybe I'll watch

8 (38.1%)

Total Members Voted: 20

[Dorsidwarf]

Rule 1 of role playing with people in a game:
'My character would never do/allow that so therefore I will veto/sit it out.' is not how you play.

Find a reason. Bend the edges of your characters morals. Your backstory is not to dictate that you cannot do this or that ever, even if it says so. It's there to add flavor and plot hooks to the story, to help immerse yourself and others into the game.


Nothing breaks a game faster than a player refusing to cooperate with the other players because they wrote a backstory saying they don't. My bard's backstory may give him no reason to visit the dungeon, but if I walk away and go looking for the Lost Trombone my characters backstory says I am seeking, I'm not going to be invited back the next week.


In less serious tone, color me interested in this game.

[WillowLuman]

I don't like hard scifi. If I wanted to play something based off real life in the possible future I'd find it. I want to play a game where aliens do cool shit in space.

Hard leaning. Since the theme at the outset is scientific exploration, some hardness is due, but things can be argued and discussed. I just don't want people bringing in psionics/time travel/phlebotinum.

MORE NOTES:

FTL: The method of FTL in this setting requires accelerating to relativistic speeds first, then performing a warp jump. So, it's not simply moving through space conventionally at superluminal speeds, but rather more like taking a running start before jumping. Given the energy requirements, it necessitates a ship of a certain size, and a good chunk of any FTL voyage is taken up by that initial "running start" of accelerating to the neighborhood of C. In short: necessary for interstellar travel within a convenient time frame, but wholly impractical for traveling "short" distances (within a system).

Units of Measurement: For completeness sake, so you don't have to worry about these too much if you don't want to. There is a (somewhat) dominant race in this setting who's standardized units of measurement have become more or less accepted all over. Of note are the Span (defined as the average distance between their home planet and their home star; roughly equivalent to 1.24 AU) the Cycle (how long it takes their home planet to complete 1 orbit, roughly equivalent to 1.82 years) and their Meter (defined as the measured wavelength of one of their often-used radio frequencies in a vacuum, almost exactly 1.1 meters). From these we get derivations like the Lightcycle, which is the distance covered by light in 1 cycle.

Just asking, since you wanted us to mention specific skills and abilities related to our character in addition to our general race description does that mean that we will have to worry about forgetting to mention specific "obvious" abilities that our race should have? For example I believe my guy should be able to form a dust cloud in a desert that obscures an enemies vision by flapping his wings very hard which kicks up dust. Would I have to specifically mention that in the character sheet or would you just let the action play out if it made sense to you?

Also I add that ability to make dust clouds to my character sheet. I haven't done it yet but I'm going to

Reasonable applications of existing capabilities are acceptable. Though it's indeed good to bring these things up ahead of time in case we have different definitions of "reasonable."

Actually I probably won't be joining, I don't have any ideas for a race and don't think I'll be getting any anytime soon.

EDIT: Original ideas at least.

What unoriginal ideas do you have? Chances are we can tweak it into something a bit more unique.

-snip-

You don't necessarily need to bring an asteroid aboard to mine it. You might just rendevous/capture it then take it apart as needed.

[~Neri]

Small astroids are better to bring aboard. Large ones you dump robotic mining facilities on. Maybe engines if you intend to keep it around for a while while you disassemble it.

[Pencil_Art]

Actually I probably won't be joining, I don't have any ideas for a race and don't think I'll be getting any anytime soon.

EDIT: Original ideas at least.

Hey, my one wasn't that original. It was inspired by the Sloe Sapperling from the Monster-Blood Tattoo series.

[~Neri]

I'm basing the AI vaguely off of The Culture from several books by Iain M. Banks. They won't be anything like them, but the idea prompt was from The Culture.

[blazing glory]

Actually I probably won't be joining, I don't have any ideas for a race and don't think I'll be getting any anytime soon.

EDIT: Original ideas at least.

What unoriginal ideas do you have? Chances are we can tweak it into something a bit more unique.

...

...

I just realized I have no ideas what-so-ever, I believe my mouth fingers were rambling without me really thinking about it.

That was embarrassing.

[Arcvasti]

+1 to solar panels. Nuclear reactors are fun too.

Be as detailed as you like.

Challenge accepted.

Sheet:

Spoiler: Race info (click to show/hide)

The Yilgs, as the closest verbally pronounceable version of their true name sounds, are essentially giant ameobas. They can manifest pseudopods capable of crude but powerful manipulation of objects and share information via connecting directly to other Yilgs. While they are capable of making almost any sound with their surface membrane, Yilgs do not usually talk to each other verbally. They are asexual and they are physically incapable of creating more of themselves. The closest thing to reproduction they have is Schisming, where an EXTREMELY conflicted Yilg will split into two halves, each with a different stance on the controversy and fight each other to the death. This odd phenomenon is defended fiercely by the Yilgs and is considered semi-sacred. Since Yilgs cannot create new Yilgs and shun cloning technology as unholy, there have been no new Yilgs since the species was born. Attrition has slowly lowered the population until they now stand near the brink of extinction, with only a few million surviving Yilgs. While they naturally cannot be any form other then large blob, they can fit themselves into suits to assume different forms. Usually, when they must leave their native planet or when they need to perform fine manipulation, they occupy two-armed bipedal spacesuits to appear relatively normal and gain the use of articulate limbs. The surface membrane of a Yilg will freeze at low temperatures, rendering the Yilg immobile, but fully alive and conscious as it slowly dies from starvation. Cold and winter have a special stigma in Yilg society, being almost synonymous with death. Yilgs don't speak of their religion with outsiders, but its apparent to anyone who inquires that they HAVE one. Yilgs require sustenance, water and oxygen like most races, but seem to have no limits as to their natural lifespan. Yilgs are rarely seen off their home planet, whose only importance is as a resupply stop between two important trade systems. So it came as a surprise to everyone when the race collectively booked a valuable spot on the vessel that was to enter the Dark Star.

Spoiler: Character info (click to show/hide)

Name: Cathelyn

Background: Cathelyn spent nearly their entire several-million year lifetime performing heavy lifting to create the gigantic stone block citites the Yilgs are famous for. Later, when the Yilgs were discovered by explorers, Cathelyn was one of the few Yilgs to ever leave their home planet, leaving to study genetic synthesizing and advanced microbiology on a prestigious off-planet university. When the initiative to enter the Dark Star was announced, Cathelyn was chosen as the one to go through by lottery. Cathelyn, like a sizable faction of the Yilg population, believe that the long-lost gods and creators of the Yilgs lie on the other side of the Dark Star.

Skills and Abilities:
Abilities common to all Yilgs:
Amorphousness: Cathelyn can fit through tiny spaces and is naturally a blob, but cannot form any limbs more complex then a pseudopod or shape themself into any specific forms. Cathelyn requires a special suit to do that and starts with a basic two-armed bipedal suit that allows it to perform tasks like a normal humanoid.

Cold vulnerability: Cathelyn's exterior membrane freezes and traps them at approximately 0 C, rendering them helpless, but unharmed.

Schisming: If extremely conflicted by a moral dichotomy, Cathelyn might split into halves, each on one side of the dichotomy, which will then battle to the death. The victor declares itself Cathelyn and has all of their memories and skills.

Mimicry: Cathelyn can make any sound they have ever heard by vibrating their exterior membrane at a certain pitch. They also have a near perfect audio memory, although this does not extend to anything else.

Skills possessed by Cathelyn proper:

Genetic Synthesizeation: Cathelyn can, given the correct facilities, combine or modify DNA or any genetic structure similar enough to it to achieve a given purpose. This takes time and may require rare genetic samples which are not always on hand.

Architect: Cathelyn is a master of identifying the purpose of structures, their composition and structural stability. Cathelyn also has considerable experience building stone structures with their pseudopods and can draw out and read detailed 3D building plans nearly effortlessly.

Personality: Cathelyn is curious to a fault, especially about the complex gender and reproductive systems of other races. They are usually calm, but can be roused to white-hot fury if they or anyone they care about is threatened with cold, even if they wouldn't be harmed by it like a Yilg would. Cathelyn comes off as emotionless and is often compared to an organic computer, but they do have standard emotions and can develop fairly normal relationships with others. Cathelyn speaks in eerie fragmented snippets of speech in the voices of others they have heard. As Cathelyn learned many of the words it uses in casual conversation from a computer training program, they mostly speak in an electronic monotone, reinforcing the impression of a robot.

Role on the ship:Cathelyn will probably serve as a survey officer, one who would examine and analyze any lifeforms found on the other side of the Black Star.

EDIT: Due to potentially being too similar to Pencil_art's race, I may have to change it.

DOUBLE EDIT: ^Actually, nah. I think they're different enough that it'll work.

[Pencil_Art]

However detailed you are, look at this.

Spoiler: Race (Prepare for a wall of text) (click to show/hide)

Description:

The Salavrand:

The Salavrand is a unique creature, surviving mostly because of it's ability to bond together temporarily with others of it's kind to become bigger. They are basically slugs with multiple connection nodes on their bodies, which can connect to another Salavrand's nodes to share thoughts. These 'nodes' allow them to communicate effortlessly amongst one another when connected, though in larger bondings there is often one Salavrand elected to control the others. The nodes also can carry a gas(that is the equivalent of oxygen for Salavrands) and food along, thereby relieving the need for worms deep inside the structure to breathe. The worms can survive on their own, as they each have their own set of organs. A worm that has had it's nodes removed has it's ability to bond reduced drastically, and is considered an outcast to others of it's kind. Each worm is roughly 1/4 of a widely accepted Metre. It's eyes are very small and as such it's sight is very limited. Hairs on the body, however, can sense disruptions in the air, including where the disruption originated from and it's size. Using this, the Worm or Bondling can determine whether it has met whatever-it-is before. It can also sense disturbances in the air bouncing off other objects, such as walls or the ground or the ceiling. As such it can navigate with relative ease.

Reproduction:

A singular worm is asexual and may or may not carry eggs in it at any particular time. If a worm has eggs in it, and it is not hibernating as part of a Bondling, It will go to a nearby corpse of relatively large size(unless it is of a Salavrand worm) and lay it's eggs in it. The eggs will hatch and the resulting newly-born worms devour the corpse, and in extreme cases, each other, to gain energy. The growth process takes, roughly, one widely-accepted fortnight.

History (to explain some stuff):

At one point in history, the Salavrad realized the need to create a larger, uniform.....form, to be able to make advances in the field of, well, anything useful really.

Like many other races, they reached the pinnacle of technology that was space exploration. They launched multiple ships, making their space-suit the priority for improvement, since they needed adaptability. Eventually, they made a space suit that houses a bipedal bonding similar to a human, with multiple slots on the side for suits that can be equipped by individual Salavrand so that exploration is made much more streamlined by the ability to launch several worms at once. The gas required of individual worms is quite high compared to larger, bonded forms, considering the lower metabolism in a larger bonding because of the very large amount of worms that are not doing anything exceptionally useful, except being there to maintain integrity of the whole. These worms slip into a state akin to hibernation. To counter the fact that individual worms could not carry large gas tanks, they simply made along, flexible but durable hollow coil that connects the worm suit to the suit of the whole.

Terminology:

- Bondling - A bonded entity composed of Slaravand worms.
- Worm - A singular worm.
- Host - A corpse in which a worm has laid it's eggs.

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

A Bondling

Still editing!

[Arcvasti]

However detailed you are, look at this.

Spoiler: Race (Prepare for a wall of text) (click to show/hide)

Description:

The Salavrand:

The Salavrand is a unique creature, surviving mostly because of it's ability to bond together temporarily with others of it's kind to become bigger. They are basically slugs with multiple connection nodes on their bodies, which can connect to another Salavrand's nodes to share thoughts. These 'nodes' allow them to communicate effortlessly amongst one another when connected, though in larger bondings there is often one Salavrand elected to control the others. The nodes also can carry a gas(that is the equivalent of oxygen for Salavrands) and food along, thereby relieving the need for worms deep inside the structure to breathe. The worms can survive on their own, as they each have their own set of organs. A worm that has had it's nodes removed has it's ability to bond reduced drastically, and is considered an outcast to others of it's kind. Each worm is roughly 1/4 of a widely accepted Metre. It's eyes are very small and as such it's sight is very limited. Hairs on the body, however, can sense disruptions in the air, including where the disruption originated from and it's size. Using this, the Worm or Bondling can determine whether it has met whatever-it-is before. It can also sense disturbances in the air bouncing off other objects, such as walls or the ground or the ceiling. As such it can navigate with relative ease.

Reproduction:

A singular worm is asexual and may or may not carry eggs in it at any particular time. If a worm has eggs in it, and it is not hibernating as part of a Bondling, It will go to a nearby corpse of relatively large size(unless it is of a Salavrand worm) and lay it's eggs in it. The eggs will hatch and the resulting newly-born worms devour the corpse, and in extreme cases, each other, to gain energy. The growth process takes, roughly, one widely-accepted fortnight.

History (to explain some stuff):

At one point in history, the Salavrad realized the need to create a larger, uniform.....form, to be able to make advances in the field of, well, anything useful really.

Like many other races, they reached the pinnacle of technology that was space exploration. They launched multiple ships, making their space-suit the priority for improvement, since they needed adaptability. Eventually, they made a space suit that houses a bipedal bonding similar to a human, with multiple slots on the side for suits that can be equipped by individual Salavrand so that exploration is made much more streamlined by the ability to launch several worms at once. The gas required of individual worms is quite high compared to larger, bonded forms, considering the lower metabolism in a larger bonding because of the very large amount of worms that are not doing anything exceptionally useful, except being there to maintain integrity of the whole. These worms slip into a state akin to hibernation. To counter the fact that individual worms could not carry large gas tanks, they simply made along, flexible but durable hollow coil that connects the worm suit to the suit of the whole.

Terminology:

- Bondling - A bonded entity composed of Slaravand worms.
- Worm - A singular worm.
- Host - A corpse in which a worm has laid it's eggs.

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

A Bondling

Still editing!

Bolded bits are paralells between the Bondlings/whatever and my Yilgs. Well. That's sort of embarassing. I suppose that's what comes from not looking at anyone else's sheets before submitting my own.

EDIT: On reflection, the two races are pretty discrete. I thought you were getting at something else with that post. Bluh.

[Pencil_Art]

Your character description is still better then mine, though.

However detailed you are, look at this.

Spoiler: Race (Prepare for a wall of text) (click to show/hide)

Description:

The Salavrand:

The Salavrand is a unique creature, surviving mostly because of it's ability to bond together temporarily with others of it's kind to become bigger. They are basically slugs with multiple connection nodes on their bodies, which can connect to another Salavrand's nodes to share thoughts. These 'nodes' allow them to communicate effortlessly amongst one another when connected, though in larger bondings there is often one Salavrand elected to control the others. The nodes also can carry a gas(that is the equivalent of oxygen for Salavrands) and food along, thereby relieving the need for worms deep inside the structure to breathe. The worms can survive on their own, as they each have their own set of organs. A worm that has had it's nodes removed has it's ability to bond reduced drastically, and is considered an outcast to others of it's kind. Each worm is roughly 1/4 of a widely accepted Metre. It's eyes are very small and as such it's sight is very limited. Hairs on the body, however, can sense disruptions in the air, including where the disruption originated from and it's size. Using this, the Worm or Bondling can determine whether it has met whatever-it-is before. It can also sense disturbances in the air bouncing off other objects, such as walls or the ground or the ceiling. As such it can navigate with relative ease.

Reproduction:

A singular worm is asexual and may or may not carry eggs in it at any particular time. If a worm has eggs in it, and it is not hibernating as part of a Bondling, It will go to a nearby corpse of relatively large size(unless it is of a Salavrand worm) and lay it's eggs in it. The eggs will hatch and the resulting newly-born worms devour the corpse, and in extreme cases, each other, to gain energy. The growth process takes, roughly, one widely-accepted fortnight.

History (to explain some stuff):

At one point in history, the Salavrad realized the need to create a larger, uniform.....form, to be able to make advances in the field of, well, anything useful really.

Like many other races, they reached the pinnacle of technology that was space exploration. They launched multiple ships, making their space-suit the priority for improvement, since they needed adaptability. Eventually, they made a space suit that houses a bipedal bonding similar to a human, with multiple slots on the side for suits that can be equipped by individual Salavrand so that exploration is made much more streamlined by the ability to launch several worms at once. The gas required of individual worms is quite high compared to larger, bonded forms, considering the lower metabolism in a larger bonding because of the very large amount of worms that are not doing anything exceptionally useful, except being there to maintain integrity of the whole. These worms slip into a state akin to hibernation. To counter the fact that individual worms could not carry large gas tanks, they simply made along, flexible but durable hollow coil that connects the worm suit to the suit of the whole.

Terminology:

- Bondling - A bonded entity composed of Slaravand worms.
- Worm - A singular worm.
- Host - A corpse in which a worm has laid it's eggs.

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

A Bondling

Still editing!

Bolded bits are paralells between the Bondlings/whatever and my Yilgs. Well. That's sort of embarassing. I suppose that's what comes from not looking at anyone else's sheets before submitting my own.

EDIT: On reflection, the two races are pretty discrete. I thought you were getting at something else with that post. Bluh.

Nope. I was just posting because you were like 'challenge accepted' at 'be as detailed as you like'. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

[Gooderthangood]

Hey, I'm a new guy. Don't blame me if this is bad.

Spoiler: THE INCOMADS (click to show/hide)

 

THE INCOMADS

Appearance: Not much. A dark figure with red eyes. The uniform - which Incomads are born with the intelligence to make - is a cloak and a mask.

Behavior: Dubbed 'Wanderers' due to the fact that they roam across large expanses of land alone. Incomads train themselves into merciless hunters at the age of three cycles. They seldom communicate with anyone they meet.
They don't seem to have set up civilization anywhere in particular. Many theorize that they had once been together, but some sort of 'tragedy' had broken the race apart, resulting in the Incomads. They seem to have access to extreme intelligence.

Skills: As mentioned before, they are trained into adept hunters. Born with hyper-developed reflexes. Acute hearing.

Reproduction: Incomads disintegrate upon death, leaving behind an egg. Occasionally they are born with more than one.

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

MORKAD ABVOD

Background: Morkad was born in a cave as an only child. After somehow finding his way out, he became a wanderer as all Incomads were. Apart from his racial uniform and a wooden staff, he did not own any possessions.

Many lonely years passed.

Morkad came across a city. When he heard news of the dark star, being a born explorer as all Incomads were, he did not hesitate to join. Not that he expected to be let in, of course.

SKILLS

Skills that are a result of being an Incomad:

JUMP: Advanced use of leg muscles allows Incomads to jump to incredible heights.

INTELLIGENCE: Born smart. Very smart.

Skills that Morkad possesses:

HYPER-DEVELOPED SENSES: Helps with being a hunter.

NIGHT VISION: That's what comes of being born in a cave.

LIGHT BLINDNESS: He can't bear sunlight, or any other source of light for that matter. Also what comes of being born in a cave.

(Note: The name sounding like the noun 'Nomad' is a complete coincidence.)

[~Neri]

How do they birth with the knowledge to design and create a mask and cloak?

Why do they wear them?

[WillowLuman]

Maybe they are an artificially created species?

What role would Morkad serve on the crew?

[Gooderthangood]

How do they birth with the knowledge to design and create a mask and cloak?

Why do they wear them?

"They seldom communicate with anyone they meet"; they don't want anyone knowing who they are either, after the 'Tragedy'.

"They seem to have access to extreme intelligence"; they may have been genetically modified when they were still one civilization.

[Gooderthangood]

Maybe they are an artificially created species?

What role would Morkad serve on the crew?

"Dubbed 'Wanderers' due to the fact that they roam across large expanses of land alone"; an explorer/scout, most likely.

"Incomads train themselves into merciless hunters at the age of three cycles"; possibly a hunter?

And maybe they were artificial. The discovery of that fact may have been the 'Tragedy'.