Oh hell, here read this. It's the ground rules for the story. There are also tech limitation lists and ship class lists, limitations for both.
IMPERIA NOVA RULESET
FREEDOMS
Anyone joining Imperia Nova is pretty much free to do whatever they wish in the universe. Each real day that passes is a week story time. This is in order to speed up some processes such as travel and such. There are some rules to actions you perform in the Universe, mainly those affecting other writers or the physicality of the galaxy.
Interacting with other writers
Actions such as talking to, attacking, dealing with, etc. that involve other players MUST be talked out in the discussion forums FIRST. Don’t tread on someone elses toes, it’s improper and can really make life difficult for that player. Killing off another player’s character without talking to them first is grounds for banning from the story. People work hard on character developments, if they want them to die, that’s THEIR decision.
Destroying Planets or Stars
While it’s VERY unlikely that you as a player will be able to do this, in some cases it may be possible. These actions must be confirmed with HeX first. If it is deemed a viable possibility, then let armageddon reign.
Travel
There is no method of instant travel. If you send a ship, or travel on board a ship, then you do so in real-time. The longest journey will be 20 days but I will have that rounded down to 3 weeks (game time) or 3 days real time. That’s if you go the full distance, most journeys can be made in hops if you wish. If you are in cryo-stasis (traveling aboard a warship for example) then you will still be linked to your crew through neural shunts. That means you can still “interact” with them. However, communication with the outside world will not be possible until you reach your destination.
Getting Fleets
You have a real number of ships at your disposal, though the starting number is determined when you design your group (IF you design your group). Ships can be destroyed if you and another player work out a battle (see interacting with other writers above). It’s best to determine how many ships you lost. While the ship chart shows “time to be built”, those are NOT real-time figures. You do not build your own ships. Instead, you look to families and corporations to provide you with new ships. The build time is a relative factor to how likely you are to get that type of ship. Getting a super-cruiser is very unlikely due to their construction times, but if you ask you may get lucky. Meanwhile a Support Frigate is pretty likely to be available. You always will have shuttles and transports though.
You must also look at your income, can you really afford all those ships right away? While I won’t ask that anyone maintain a tally of their money to any degree, looking at your income and wealth figures, can you afford 20 ships or just 3 or 4? Almost everything in this story will be more relative then factual.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTER OR GROUP
CHARACTER STATS
Name: Who you are
Gender: Male, Female, or…Other?
Age: People in this age live to around 250-300 years of age.
Height: Feet and inches please
Hair Color: If you have it
Eye Color: Pick a color, any color
Affiliation: Who are you with or are you independent?
Description: A write up of you PHYSICAL appearance. Include enhancements.
History: Have you got one?
GROUP
Group Name: May be a Corporation, Tradesgroup or Family
Home System: Name and distance in light-years from Terra Prime (Sol)
Holdings: Number of systems you hold. 3 max at start.
Fleet Size: Number of ships. No more then 20 I’d say.
Income: Per year income. Be reasonable.
Strength: Out of 10. 1 = militarily weak 10 = military genius
Influence: Out of 10. 1 = secluded 10 = always listened too
Wealth: Out of 10. 1 = Poverty 10 = Vast riches
Tech Level: Out of 10. 1 = Fission and Titanium 10 = Quantum and Hyper-Alloys
History: Tell about your group.
All groups and characters should be created REASONABLY. Power-characters or super-groups will most likely not be accepted as they unbalance the story. However, over time your status may change! You’ll be informed of any changes that occur to your group that can change your outlook on the story you create. All characters and groups must be approved.
Effector Lists
These will help you to balance your group effectively. Please note that all ratings are RELATIVE. Example: You have a strength of 6 rather then 5 means you may have additional training or ship capabilites that, while not enough to put you up to the next level, give you an advanatage in the category you are in.
Strength: Represents your capabilites as a military force. Related to your fleet size and your groups overall abilities in combat.
0 ships limits you to a strength of up to 2 (ground force and defenses)
1-4 ships limits to 5 strength.
5-10 limits to a strength of 7
10-20 limits to a strength of 8
21+ allows for strength 9 or 10.
Influence: Semi-related to your wealth and strength capabilites but also how well your group is listened to by higher-powers.
1-3 means practically ignored (good for isolationists)
4-6 means you have some decent influence over high-power decisions
7-9 means you are very well heard and often considered
10 means you are pretty much always listened to. RARE
Wealth: A direct realation to your income. Also reflects your treasury (how much money you already have not including income).
Normally:
1-3 < 10 million per year or holdings of <100 million
4-5 10-100 million per year or holdings of 100-300 million
6-8 100-500 million per year or holdings of 300 million to 1 billion
9-10 500 million - 1 billion+ or holdings of 1 billion +
Tech Level: Relates to your groups technological capabilities in terms of reactors, armors and misc.
1-3 - Fission and Titanium
3-5 - Fusion and Tritanium
6-7 - Adv. Fusion and Talvar Composite
8-9 - Antimatter Fusion and Talvar Monomolecular Plating
10 - Quantum and Neutronium (EMPIRES AND HIGH GROUPS ONLY)
Co-Operation Level: How readily you support other groups and causes with donations of ships and money. Can improve your influence rating
1-3 - Barely co-operative. rarely involved with other groups
4-6 - Will offer aid when in your best interests
7-9 - Will offer aid useually with only a small return asked
10 - Offer aid freely! DANGEROUS
THE LIMITS OF TECHNOLOGY
While most of the elements of Imperia Nova are yours to create, I do have some rules on the limits of technologies. While it is okay to take some liberties with technological devices and such, please avoid any over-use of tech-speak. A Quantum Fusion Hyperbolic Cannon is not a viable option. Please do not over-step the technologies of the storyline. See the information in the Technology thread for information relating to the technologies available and their limits. Things that will NOT be allowed:
-Instant Travel
-Psionics beyond low-level (no mind reading)
-Super Weapons and Planet Killers
-Cloaking Devices
-Overuse of Cloning or Nanotechnologies. Both are still in rudementry stages.
WRITING FOR YOUR SELF
The style you use in your writing is up to you really. You are creating your own story in this universe. I do ask that you try and maintain some continuity in designs for things like ships, locales, etc. While many of the ships are diverse in design due to the fact that several groups make them, there has to be some similarities. However, the overall designs should follow the limits of the Ship Design Thread. I do accept some modification and of course personallized touches are always welcomed. (Where you mount that talking Bass in your office is up to you ).
I do ask that you try and keep up with current events however. To this end, I will ask everyone to maintain the Story Log. Short, point-form notes on any changes to the universe you have made. Did you move a fleet? Destroy an enemy force? Loot a city? Change the course of an election? When you story post, please read the current updates first and then add your own. In this way I hope to keep everyone apraised of the galaxy going ons and allow new writers to join up in the middle of the story without being totally lost.
REFLECTION PERIOD
Every month or so, we will have a time known as the Reflection Period. This is a time when for a few days we can relax and reflect on what has gone on in the story. It also allows everyone to catch up on events if they got left behind or lost. This is the best time for new people to join as you will have time to catch up, understand the galaxy, and set yourself up. It is also a time when all writers are encouraged to back-up their work. After each Reflection Period, a new Story Thread will be started and the old one archived.
