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Big, Fun Thread of New Rules and Updates
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Sunday, 07 Jun 2015, 10:33 PM | Message # 1 |
 Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
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| The Will of the Force, taking place simultaneously in 2 time periods (one of which is totally unknown to us at this time), is a unique RP. I mentioned before that there would be some changes from previous sites I've run, such as Star Wars: Legends and A Galaxy At War. I also mentioned I'd go into more detail on them as we go along. That's what this thread is for; check back here from time to time as I announce (and explain) new rules for the site. I told you the first one already, but let's mention it here again:
A character's profile must be posted, and approved, before RPing that character.
Personally, I hate making profiles. I prefer to just start RPing a character and then put together a profile while I'm waiting for my turns to post. But this rule is common to a lot of RP sites and it'd been highly recommended to me. The main purpose of this is to prevent minor characters suddenly appearing in the RP for questionable reasons; such as a Dark Jedi suddenly having a previously-unmentioned Apprentice at the precise moment he's losing in a fight and needs reinforcement. So the purpose of having profiles approved first is to assess whether someone is serious about RPing a character or whether it's simply for unfair advantage or momentary gain.
I'm perfectly fine with profiles being bare bones, though. Just be sure to include an image (or an avatar is fine) and basic facts about a character, such as what rank or title they have or whether or not they're Force sensitive. For characters who are Force sensitive, be sure to list Force powers. For the most part, the rules from Star Wars: Legends can apply here as well, though I'm in the process of simplifying them and adapting them to this site.
I think that about covers it, but feel free as always to ask any questions. And as I said, keep watching this thread for more updates.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Sunday, 28 Jun 2015, 7:45 PM | Message # 2 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
Status: Offline
| So you all know by now that Disney tossed out all Star Wars canon that's not from the films, TV shows, and latest books. This needed to be done: the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, for instance, simply had to go. And some changes to Star Wars "history" between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens need to be made to bridge the gap to the new film. The period between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back was chosen for the setting of the RP because it is perceived as the safest from any future changes to the canon (other than the Prequel Era, but no one cares about the prequels anymore!).
Nonetheless, we do need to be careful about what canon material we use. You've probably noticed already some minor changes to a handful of profiles based on recent changes to the canon (for instance, "Imperial Intelligence" has apparently been replaced by "Military Intelligence," an annoyingly minor change that we have to keep on top of). By "we" I mostly mean Jaron. In a turn of events I don't think anyone anticipated, he is now the Canon Master of the site, helping me to stay aware of all the small changes to the canon that have a bearing on the RP.
We've been approaching the canon with a philosophy that basically goes like this:
All previous canon more-or-less stands, unless specifically contradicted by new canon material.
Most of the former canon, according to Disney, is now non-canon. But it'd be impossible to RP with no frame of reference whatsoever, so I'm advancing the idea that it's actually "non-confirmed canon," or in other words, it's assumed to be canon until it's expressly and specifically altered by new events in canon films, books, games, etc. To a certain extent, this requires us to live under a Sword of Disneycles (thank you, thank you!). In other words, we must embrace the fact that, at any time, major details about the setting or our characters might be subject to change.
Like I said, 0.5 ABY was chosen for the setting of the RP to minimize our exposure to any future changes in the canon. It turns out that a lot more material than I expected is being published during this time period, but so far we're mostly safe. Jaron and I (especially Jaron, the eponymous "Gigantic J") will keep everyone informed on what, if anything, needs to change as we get closer to The Force Awakens. In the meantime I say we accept the little changes as a reasonable price to pay to see Star Wars on the big screen again.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Tuesday, 14 Jul 2015, 7:47 PM | Message # 3 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
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| So, now we come to the most controversial part. Please refrain from incredulously spitting your coffee at the screen when you see this, and hear me out. I'll explain why this is a policy that's good for everyone, including you.
All player-controlled fleets are limited to a maximum of 4 ships at a time.
There are three reasons for this; 1.) with a maximum of 4 capital ships deployed at any one time, space battles will be smaller and more manageable, and the stakes will be lower, resulting in fewer OOC disputes. Remember that ships can be replaced, and under this system, even the most catastrophic possible outcome of a space battle (the loss of all 4 of one's ships) isn't that catastrophic. One can breathe, accept the loss, and then go about repairing or replacing the ships that have been damaged or destroyed. It's not the end of the world, and you can even come back and hit the same target again: "The Second Battle of Such-and-Such Place".
2.) It encourages cooperation. Example: Captain Lennox and his 4 Imperial ships are going up against, say, Admiral Rullon and his 4 ships. Lennox now has an incentive to seek out reinforcements from another player, let's say Malcolm Cross and his Imperial-class Star Destroyer, to tip the balance in the Empire's favor. Admiral Rullon now has the same incentive to work with, say, Jela Tarkona and his Acclamator-class Assault Ship. Cooperation is good: it includes more people in the RP and makes battles more interesting. It also makes higher ranks more relevant, because a higher-ranking Imperial or Rebel officer can commandeer a lower-ranking officer's ships if necessary.
3.) Again, fewer OOC disputes. A battle of 4 ships against 4 isn't going to decide the fate of the galaxy, nor, probably, of anyone's planet or company in the RP. I want to free up people to be able to fight each other more without feeling that their factions are constantly in jeopardy. It's no fun having Vjun-style battles in which each post is accompanied by 2 or 3 weeks of OOC protests. I'm convinced that smaller-scale skirmishes will be more fun, and I hope you'll let yourselves be convinced too. And remember again: ships can be replaced.
This leads me to another policy item along similar lines.
Your planets can now defend themselves.
In the past, the system forced players to choose between either offense or defense; that is, you had enough ships to attack someone else's planet, or to defend your own planets, but not both at the same time. It was a nice idea, but this time I really want to encourage people to have at each other more freely, so if you have a faction with a planet or several planets, each one can now have 1 capital ship perpetually stationed there to defend it from attack. This frees up players to go on the offense, while also providing a slight advantage to defenders; that is, a person's 4 ships can be combined with 1 additional defensive ship to add up to 5 total. This provides an extra element of protection to a player's faction while also encouraging characters on the offense to have allies and build coalitions.
As always, feel free to jump into this thread with any questions or comments. I'm not made of stone and neither, necessarily, are these new rules. But I think I make a good case for them.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Tuesday, 14 Jul 2015, 10:39 PM | Message # 4 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
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| To a certain extent, a faction that's aligned with the Rebellion or the Empire does have the advantage of being able to expect Rebel or Imperial reinforcements in the event that they're attacked. But as for you what you say, rather than necessarily building in a disadvantage to a neutral faction, I think we can instead see that disadvantage play out in how selectively requests are approved. For instance, Njon the Hutt has a Lucrehulk-class battleship and a couple of Marauder-class corvettes. Granted, a Lucrehulk is a tough nut, but his 3-ship fleet doesn't really compare even to Captain Lennox's rather modest 4-ship Attack Line. So I think that's probably how we'll see that issue practically approached.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Geoff_Cole | Date: Wednesday, 15 Jul 2015, 10:43 AM | Message # 5 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| I like this rule, to an extent. I'm curious, however, how it will affect the use of certain vessels.
Speaking for my own request, I went back, read these rules and edited my fleet. I feel ships like the Assassin-class corvette, or my personal favorite, the VT-49, will no longer be 'relevant' if 4 capital vessels can be fielded and people, obviously, will go for those with max firepower and support. Skirmish line vessels may well disappear.
Geoff Cole
Moff, Abrion Sector
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| Admiral_Rullon | Date: Wednesday, 15 Jul 2015, 4:41 PM | Message # 6 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| Well depends on what you're trying to do. Are you an escort, interdiction, anti-pirate or raiding force? Do you have a small world realistically unable to purchase big warships? Do you need to get someone, a high value cargo, etc somewhere across the Galaxy fast, securely (with anti fighter and anti capital fire) The Assassin-class Corvette proves a useful ship for above.They are a -perfect- corvette (i.e. Special variant craft optimized for protecting convoys; their speed allows them to circle a convoy fighting off pirates etc. Also tough and fast enough to outrun pirate craft or duke it out with them in all but the most state sponsored pirate groups.) I mean, the reason they used the heavy groups in defense of static positions and very occasionally defending ponderously slow cargo ships like the FSCV... You need an escort to be faster than what its escorting and ideally with what it will encounter unless youre defending something static when you just turn the ship and use it as a floating gun platform which is fine.
Afterall most outer rim worlds according to Mon Mothma are guarded by nothing more than a squadron of snubfighters. The Decimator is a glorified armed transport, similar in role to other patrol boats, etc.. It's in the league of illegally up armed Corellian freighters and numerous other transports. Id suggest since theyre too lightly armed for anything but convoy service, as a long range dropship etc. They are not ships designed to be able to survive turbolaser fire for a sustained period, no more than fighters.
Now. If say an Imperial Moff (of somewhere people care about) wants say a few large ships to represent his power in one formation then fine. If the Rebels want strike craft launching carriers with decent capacity to shoot toothat gives them flexibility then by all means. Would four Corellian Assassin-class ships make a mess of the majority of Rebel Carriers if they get caught with fighters away? Yep. Like real carriers theyre vulnerable to small ships fire especially since theyre slow and ponderous.
If you focus on anti capital ship fire you risk leaving yourself open to fighters
If you focus on fighters you leave yourself open when theyre dispatched.
Oh and the Strike-class isn't abooot yet. Lots of other capital ships appear first time in 3 ABY like the Nebulon B2 etc so keep an eye out on the first appearance and if its around then steer clear unless you think theres a compelling reason not to.
Sigius Rullon
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Vice Admiral, Rebel Alliance Fleet.
Officer in Command of The 7th Roving Line.
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Thursday, 16 Jul 2015, 1:18 PM | Message # 7 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
Status: Offline
| To answer specifically about a possible unintended effect of the rule on smaller support ships, this too I think is something that can be managed by thoughtful moderation of requests on a case-by-case basis. Might someone want larger and more powerful ships because they can only have 4 of them? Quite possibly, but one of my objectives in approaching requests for ships is to maintain a reasonable balance of firepower in the RP. Generally speaking, if someone requests an especially powerful ship, I'm usually going to insist that this be compensated for with another smaller variety of ship (bearing in mind, of course, this depends on a character's rank, etc.).
So I actually expect that people requesting larger and more powerful ships is, in fact, going to result in more compensatory support craft than we might otherwise have seen.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Thursday, 16 Jul 2015, 1:24 PM | Message # 8 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
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| But I would hope that people remember, as I've stressed, that ships are replaceable and therefore it isn't necessary to request the biggest and most powerful ships possible to make up for having only 4.
Also, I was careful to say "only 4 at a time." For now, that means only 4, period. But in the near future I may be open to the idea of a fleet consisting of more than 4 ships, but only 4 of them being used at any particular time. That way you can have a roster of different ships to choose from on a mission-specific basis, as Jamie says. But again, for the time being let's just try 4 ships in total and see how it goes.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Lord_Gemmell | Date: Monday, 20 Jul 2015, 10:32 PM | Message # 9 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
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Lord Colonel Invidious Gemmell
Chief Reliability Officer for the Imperial Military.
Colonel (CompForce), ISB Committee Member.
Inner Circle Advisor to the Emperor on Imperial Morale.
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| Slayd_Solomon | Date: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2015, 8:11 AM | Message # 10 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 11
Status: Offline
| Is there a limit on how many NPCs your character can find themselves in good standing with? And does a recurring cast require their own individual profiles?
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| Jamie_the_Hutt | Date: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2015, 9:37 AM | Message # 11 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 10
Status: Offline
| Jamulon ooched out of the ether behind Solomom stopping a few meters behing and booming out at irritatingly loud volume.. "What'choo doin' in these here parts? Don't look like none of the Garang boys.. He unslung the Blaster/Vibro Ax, the dull vibroblade had a noticeable fairly fresh bloodstain, it was clearly not a weapon for messing around, a Hybrid Slaughtering Device "As them city slicka's say, son... Identify y'all's self." 
Jamulon Desilijic Tiure
known as "Jamie the Hutt"
_____________________
Merchant Venturer
Nephew to Jabba the Hutt
Associate Member of the Hutt Cartel
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2015, 2:35 PM | Message # 12 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
Status: Offline
| Sorry, Slayd—just going to work at the moment. But I'll have a response for you here later tonight.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Wednesday, 22 Jul 2015, 0:52 AM | Message # 13 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
Status: Offline
| So a profile is only required if it's a character you plan to RP directly. If your NPC's are in fairly low-profile supporting roles, I don't think there's any need to post a profile for them, though you can always mention them in your profile if you choose. If the NPC has a more active, high-profile role, to the extent that you think that character should be RP'd directly, then I'd say yes, post a profile. Also, an NPC probably shouldn't be in a position of considerable power over other playable characters in the RP. Other than that, it's up to your discretion.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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| Slayd_Solomon | Date: Wednesday, 22 Jul 2015, 7:57 AM | Message # 14 |
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Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 11
Status: Offline
| Lol one of my biggest weaknesses -- amidst many -- is making profiles, almost entirely because I have a rabid NPC-addiction lol. Some of them end up having more detailed backgrounds than other peoples PCs XD.
Message edited by Slayd_Solomon - Wednesday, 22 Jul 2015, 7:58 AM |
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| Jace_Varitek | Date: Monday, 27 Jul 2015, 9:42 AM | Message # 15 |
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Commander
Group: Administrators
Messages: 180
Status: Offline
| On the theme of smaller-scale skirmishes in the RP, I've been thinking of ways to make starfighter squadrons more relevant. In the past, the problem with a player-controlled fighter squadron is that it's never any more effective than an NPC squadron, and people's characters die at the same expendable rate as NPC's in a starfighter battle. I've come up with a couple of ways that I hope will remedy this and make it more fun and relevant to create your own squadron in the RP.
Player-controlled starfighter squadrons will enjoy certain advantages that NPC squadrons don't.
Specifically, two things; 1.) in a player-controlled squadron, each fighter piloted by a player-character will able to withstand up to 3 hits that would ordinarily be fatal, and each NPC fighter in the squadron will be able to withstand 2 such hits, and 2.) each player-character in a starfighter squadron (not played by the same typist) will be able to call upon one support ship for reinforcement. Nothing as dramatic as a Star Destroyer, mind you. Think Nebulon-B or DP20 frigates, or perhaps Lancer-class frigates on the Imperial side.
Hopefully this will make player-controlled starfighter squadrons more durable, and also more capable of actually affecting the outcome of a battle. For those of you with squadrons that have already been requested and approved (I'm thinking Outlaw Squadron and, I think, Thranta Squadron), please stop by the request forum at your convenience to request the ship(s) you plan to use as reinforcements.
Jace Varitek
Former Jedi Padawan
Pilot of the gas tanker Taloraan Sunrise
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