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I see no problem with asserting that there is some sufficiently bizarre configuration of vacuum tubes and alloys that allows primitive FTL communication. It would have to be something we'd normally never stumble upon if we didn't already know it exists, and it strongly implies that your precursors were actively pulling strings and/or supplying key components to the Crossroadian races to make the system work, but I don't have a problem with it.

Or you can stick the center of your nation inside a blob of shoals. That works too.

Really, what isn't possible with a sufficiently bizarre configuration of vacuum tubes?

Energy efficiency?

Cost and size efficiency? Profit?

It actually working? What? Someone had to say it.

Simon_Jester wrote:I see no problem with asserting that there is some sufficiently bizarre configuration of vacuum tubes and alloys that allows primitive FTL communication. It would have to be something we'd normally never stumble upon if we didn't already know it exists, and it strongly implies that your precursors were actively pulling strings and/or supplying key components to the Crossroadian races to make the system work, but I don't have a problem with it.

Or you can stick the center of your nation inside a blob of shoals. That works too.

Esquire wrote:Really, what isn't possible with a sufficiently bizarre configuration of vacuum tubes?

OK that earned me a good and proper "LOL" moment.
Bizarre vacuum tube FTL Radios? Sure why not
I can even work in something about my "Puppet Masters" seeding the planets with any exotic materials require to make them, actually yeah that would make it work even more! Ok that is something I can go with and still keep the "Plot" as intended. So Simon, consider my planets spaced apart far enough to be on par with most other systems then as needed, though still a 'little' bit close together.

They're certainly more tightly clustered among each other than any of them are with any other planet that harbors native intelligent life.

I'm working up some information about Volscian shipping - I've got a ship called an Assault Landing Cruiser on the list, but I'm only imagining it as having the capacity to carry a couple thousand troops, roughly the size of a modern MEU, not anything approaching even a point's worth of men - so I don't need to worry about including that in the point cost, do I? (I'm only going to have a handful, usually seen when the Navy wants to seize some key point on a lightly defended world - almost certainly one that technically belongs to the Volsci to begin with. Major planetary invasions are left to the Army...)

Oh, and because I'm not sure of how fast I'm going to be able to write more bits of the Volsci story, I'm going to go ahead and spoil a couple of things, since they have something of a game impact:

One, by game start, the Army has been officially outlawed by the Congress (with 'encouragement' from their traditional rivals, the Navy), and;
Two, by the time the Congress gets around to raising a new army, any leftover equipment will have been sold on the surplus market and the money pocketed by corrupt officials, thus forcing the purchase of new equipment. This benefits different people who are responsible for the factories producing cut-rate military equipment. Then, some enterprising young officers will sell their mediocre crap on to planetary militias and Third Galaxy nations, pretend their half-strength unit is full-strength and collect the extra pay, then buy good weapons. This will be the primary source of elite Army units.
(in short - no army exists at game start and will have to be newly raised accordingly.)


Mapping, I'm fine with anywhere on an edge, as I said earlier; I don't really care who's near me, with the following caveat: the more, the merrier! That way they can all squabble over who gets to carve up what, at least until some powerful latecomer steps in with an Open Door Policy. I might change how my points are distributed so I can have some more sectors. (WHAT DO YOU MEAN SIXTEEN IS ENOUGH)

I also have some ideas about a stupidly well-defended fortress world, abandoned some time ago for unknown reasons, and not reoccupied since; the automated defenses being a major problem there. There are many who might take an unhealthy interest in such a place...

Scottish Ninja wrote:I also have some ideas about a stupidly well-defended fortress world, abandoned some time ago for unknown reasons, and not reoccupied since; the automated defenses being a major problem there. There are many who might take an unhealthy interest in such a place...

Mysterious abandoned fortress that no one knows what's inside, with high powered automated defences making it a death trap?

This sounds like exactly teh sort of thing teh Capellans would love to throw wave after wave of people into!

And something that all but the most crazy Arcadians would stay far away from.

We already have our own mysterious and deadly planet to deal with [1], thank you very much.


[1] : "The-Planet-That-Is-Death", see my Nation's Description in the appropriate thread for more informations.

Scottish Ninja wrote:I'm working up some information about Volscian shipping - I've got a ship called an Assault Landing Cruiser on the list, but I'm only imagining it as having the capacity to carry a couple thousand troops, roughly the size of a modern MEU, not anything approaching even a point's worth of men - so I don't need to worry about including that in the point cost, do I?

Not unless those are some comically badass men.

Well, if he wanted a Corps of Jedi then he would need to include them. But I doubt we need to worry about that.

I can think of much more comically badass men than Jedi Knights.

Simon_Jester wrote:I can think of much more comically badass men than Jedi Knights.

Team Dai Gurren?

They qualify, but I didn't think of them.

With regards to my position on the map...hmm. Given that I already have a bilateral trade agreement with Umeria, I'd prefer to be relatively close to them. I'll have to wait for the map to take shape a bit more in order to finally decide my territorial layout, as the positioning of the Covenant and Belkans may complicate things.

I can too, but Jedi was the first thing to come to mind...heh, heh...

You know, I wasn't thinking about it, but now I have the idea of one of those "Assault Landing Cruisers" full of comically badass troops. Given that with that level of badass they should be able to steal one out of mothballs... hmm.

Would they perhaps be badasses who were escaping from some kind of miltiary prison for crimes they didn't commit, and now roam the galaxy helping those in need?

...yes!. That rivals my friend's idea of a micronation consisting entirely of the Old Spice guy.

"Look at your fleet, now look at me, now look at your fleet. Your fleet is now diamonds."

This is officially permitted, although taken by himself, the Old Spice guy's NCP rating would probably not be all that high. Then again, there's no minimum rating for micronations.

Clearly, the Old Spice guy is a rogue Centralist ESPer who got mixed up with a tough crowd of Hellenic philosophers and has been messing with the Forms of things ever since.

Actually, that's worth exploring further - not necessarily the Old Spice guy; wouldn't philosophy move up a notch on the academic totem pole in a galaxy where people really can rearrange matter by thinking at it?

Simon_Jester wrote:I can think of much more comically badass men than Jedi Knights.

ಠ_ರೃ

I know to what you speak sir.