Обсуждение участника:Kopistko: различия между версиями

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Отыгрыш в Space Station 13 - один из важных факторов. Этот гайд поможет вам кое-что узнать об Отыгрыше. Главное правило при отыгрыше - не [[rules|метагеймить]].
 
  
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== General Tips ==
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Fluff (or more commonly referred to as Canon) is a collection of official statements about the world of BS12. You should thus get an overview of the information in this page, and make sure your character's backstory, or your statements in game, don't contradict with the statements here.
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First thing's first, you are your character. You know absolutely NOTHING that they do not know. If you are an [[Assistant]], you aren't going to know all the things the [[Medical Doctor]] does, how to start an engine, or what have you. If you, personally, don't know something (like a complicated medical procedure), but your character should, it is safe to assume that you will be able to perform it.
 
  
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On the flipside, if a situation calls for you character to do something they aren't familiar with (e.g. performing first aid, or working a piece of equipment out of their knowledge), but you do, your character should NOT suddenly gain the appropriate knowledge. Try to roleplay doing something badly (e.g. applying bruise packs to the wrong body part, or not understanding a medical scanner readout). Remember, even if it only takes a couple of clicks from your side, it will be much more complicated for your character.
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== Quick Start Guide ==
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* You're employed by the NanoTrasen megacorporation to work on one of their stations. When you left for the job, everyone you knew seemed to think you weren't going to come back in one piece, but look, at least the pay is good.
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* As human, your home might be on one of the inhabited planets in Sol, or otherwise one of the large colony space stations. Your workplace is not your home, however, and you only spend your working shifts there.
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* The primary mission of your station is to perform research, but all tasks that help keep the station intact are equally important.
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* You're bound by contract to perform work for NT. You have to follow orders by your superiors, or otherwise risk  a permanent termination of your contract.
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* There's a lot of dark rumours about NanoTrasen, but to the outside they seem pretty okay. If your character has a history with NT, you might have experienced a few things to think of your employer as "profit-centered, murderous, amoral scumbags who could not care less about the lives of fellow human beings", but the majority of people do not really know the details.
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* The year is 2556 AD. NanoTrasen started going big around the start of the century, so if your characters is around 50 years old, they'll have seen a lot of that development.
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* Alien species were discovered and started working for NT around 20 years ago. You're probably not quite used to them yet.
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* All rounds begin at 12:00pm station-time. This is the beginning of the shift and it is generally accepted that everyone who spawns at the beginning of the round knows each other from previous shifts aboard the station.
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* Life on the station adheres to strict guidelines. Specifically, keep in mind the [[Chain of Command]], [[Space Law]] and [[Code Red|Standard Operating Procedure]]
  
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You should also try to act according to your position, e.g. be subservient to your superiors. You have no right to ignore the [[Captain]], unless, of course, you are the [[traitor]] (or he is and the entire station knows). This is especially true of your direct superiors; you need to try and listen to your section head: the [[Research Director]] for the science team, the [[Head of Security]] for the security officers, the [[Chief Engineer]] for the engineering crew, the [[Chief Medical Officer]] for medical, and the [[Head of Personnel]] for civilian roles.
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== In The Past ==
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'''Main Article: [[NanoTrasen: The 26th Century Giant]]'''
  
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Try using emotions in Roleplay, it helps to bring out your character. Being a completely emotionless, unafraid, Rambo-like character, is a bad thing to do. If, say, you're a Medical Doctor (or Scientist) you can try being shy, or wimpy, have a stutter, etc.
 
  
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This goes for the same in serious situations. Do '''NOT''' run into an area where a hostage(s) is being kept captive, and try to take out the hostage takers. That is a very good way to get banned.
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== Present Day ==
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The current year to 2556 AD (As of New-years 2012), a few years after the decommissioning of the [[NSV Luna]]. The [[NSS Exodus]] is one of NanoTrasen's newest research space stations.
  
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Set your [[Skill System|skills]]! The [[Skill System]] give you some flexibility when roleplaying your character, giving you a little leeway and some defence for your actions. Without it, you're going to have a hard time justifying anything.
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It has been roughly 50 years since the beginning of the so called "Orange Rush."  NanoTrasen Incorporated, BioTech Solutions, Einstein Engines Incorporated, and many other leading research corporations continue their struggle to research more uses of (and gain as much profit from) "Plasma."  And now, when Humanity thought they had been alone, other races are appearing - some friendly like the [[Tajaran]], others dangerous.   It is a brave new world.
  
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In terms of [[metagaming]], there are some very bad examples. For example, calling someone a 'Syndicate' or 'Syndie' if you happen to see someone committing a crime is very bad RP.  
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=== Space Travel ===
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Many spacecraft are operated by either a trans-stellar corporation or a colonial militia, but it is not uncommon to find vessels that are privately owned and operated.  Large freighters transport cargo, guided by the best profit margins.  Warships defend planets and trade lanes from harm. Piracy is uncommon in major systems, but is a fact of life in both distant and less populous systems.  Transports and stations are the most common targets of pirate raids, but no ship is safe from attack by these menaces.  To the citizens of most star nations, space travel is commonplace.
  
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Unless you're a [[Head of Security]] or [[Captain]], you probably won't have much, if any, knowledge of what the Syndicate is, or what equipment they have access to (for example, your character would really have no idea what an emag is in most circumstances). Crying traitor all over the ship just because you found a mysterious package (which to your character is simply that, a 'mysterious package' and NOT C4) is a big no no too. For further information, see [[Identifying Antagonists]].
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Commonly, spacecraft are classified by their deployment capabilities; that being how long they can go without being restocked, as well as their ΔV.  (Delta-V, or the craft's total capability to change it's velocity)   The vessels with the lowest endurance and ΔV are inter-ship shuttles and surface-orbit transports, and are classified as simply "shuttles."  In order from lowest to highest, the classifications are: Satellite, Shuttle, Interplanetary, and Interstellar.  There is lots of lee-way in each class of spacecraft, where a satellite could be either a orbiting communications relay or a massive battle fort deployed to oversee a major trade lane. Classifications are determined by the Institute of Spacecraft Engineers (ISE), a non-profit standards agency.
  
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Using words like 'cultists', 'revs', 'revolutionaries', etc. is a very good way to have people label you as a metagamer. Don't do it.
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Space combat is usually in the form of missile exchanges punctuated by energy fire.  The most important part of which is targeting, due to the massive ranges involved.  Targeting is accomplished by a variety of methods; LiDAR, RADAR, passive thermal imaging, GrDAR ('''Gr'''avitational '''D'''etection '''A'''nd '''R'''anging; pronounced similar to "grader"), and a battery of passive emissions sensors. When not in combat, most vessels will use their passive senor suite for navigation.
  
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== Getting In Character ==  
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=== Faster Than Light ===
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Getting 'In Character' can be hard, but the below should give you an outline as to how to do it.
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While FTL was thought of as impossible in centuries past, it is now a reasonably well developed field of study.  While expensive, some trans-stellars have opted to install bluespace derived communications arrays, allowing communications links that are approximately seventy times faster than traditional lightspeed links.
  
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The first challenge of understanding your character is to get an idea of what they're like. Experienced roleplayers will notice that the personality of your character changes and evolves over time, but it's still useful to start out with a general idea. A few questions that you should be able to answer include:
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=== Humanity in the 25th Century ===
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Many planets have been colonized during humanity's rapid growth. Hospitable worlds are largely inhabited, while less livable worlds are marked by heavy industrial presences.  [[Space Law]] varies from region to region, planet to planet and station to station, as do punishments.  The main form of currency is "Credits" which are represented by the symbol "Cr." (e.g. 130Cr)  Credits are almost entirely digital, with some smaller stations (and the like) occasionally printing physical currency.
  
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* To strangers, is my character shy/extroverted/friendly/arrogant?
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== Other Characters ==
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* How much does my character value his job / How obedient is she towards her higher-ups?
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In regards to other peoples' characters, your character has no preexisting relationship with anyone without the other player's consent. If you do have the other players consent then you do not know their character from a previous round. Due to things like the station blowing up and people dying, inconsistencies can occur.
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* How would my character react to stress / a combat situation / blood and gore?
 
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* How much pain can my character take? / Is my character afraid of death?
 
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* What skills does my character have outside her department?
 
  
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Ask yourself these questions one by one and answer them. If you can't answer them right away, look at the way your character behaved so far, and use that as answer.
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== Trans-Stellar Corporations ==
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While any company that operates in multiple solar systems could be considered trans-stellar, the term is usually used to refer to the biggest and most powerful businesses in known space.  Typically controlling large fleets of vessels, multiple space-stations, and (rarely) whole planetoids; big trans-stellars (by which they are commonly referred) take advantage of the lack of enforced laws and regulations in space to turn massive profits, often cutting corners and disregarding ethical concerns. Often headquartered in in space, they are most commonly known for high salaries, good benefits, and a high chance of injury or death...
  
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Now, there's a bit of a special case here. Is your character a person who can stay calm in any situation, regularly ignores orders, doesn't have a problem with bashing in someone's skull with a toolbox if needed, never even feels slightly sick at the sight of gore, can take crazy amounts of pain without going crazy, and is only mildly afraid of death? If most of these points apply to your character, chances are, you haven't been playing your character. You've been playing with your own personal goals in mind, while neglecting the feelings of the virtual entity on the screen.
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=== [[NanoTrasen]] ===
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NanoTrasen (commonly known simply as "NT") is one of the largest corporations in known space, focusing on the development and production of medical technologies. Primarily based in deep space, NanoTrasen is most well known for their quick and brutal actions during the "Orange Rush," which gave them a lead over their competitors in researching "plasma."  While this lead to much discontent from their competitors, as well as the ire of those harmed by their rash actions, the profits made off of "plasma" (and derived technologies) is generally considered to outweigh the damage caused.  However, half a century after the initial brutality, NanoTrasen is still feeling the repercussions of their actions;  terrorist raids and sabotage seemingly have become an everyday concern for NanoTrasen officials. None of this is helped by the rumors of research being preformed which has been made illegal on most civilized worlds.
  
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Sure, you may be playing a character who can take a lot of pain, who isn't afraid of death and who doesn't raise an eyebrow at the sight of someone's exposed intestines. But quite frankly, these types aren't just rare, a lot of the time they're also pretty boring to play. If you have a character like this, I have a few suggestions for you to try out. And don't worry, if they don't fit your favorite character, you can always make a new one with different character traits.
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* [[NanoTrasen Rules and Regulations]]
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* [[NSS Exodus]]
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* [[Job Fluff]]
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''Overview: Large medical corporation, made people angry, has a lead in research on "plasma"''
  
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* Try being shy. Use emotes like "blushes", or "can't hold eye-contact and looks to the ground"
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=== BioTech Solutions ===
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* Try reacting to pain. When airflow smashes you against a wall, scream and shout your pain out for a minute. When someone takes blood from you, clench your teeth.
 
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* Similarly, react to hunger. Why not ask your colleagues out for a meal?
 
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* You're in space with a strict hierarchy. If you want to carry out a research project, maintain engine, etc., ask your higher-ups first. People who act on their own and mess up also will take all the blame, and you really don't want to be fired.
 
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* As a Head, keep your crew in check. Invent working shifts (with unrealistically generous breaks), give out orders, ask people who missed a deadline to come to your office. Punish disobedience with measures such as docking their pay or suspending them from work.
 
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* Talk with your colleagues about things. This is difficult in-game because you can't talk and do stuff at the same time like in real-life, but really, take the time. Talk about topics like your opinion of people on the ship, the quality of food, that hole in the window near arrivals. Also feel free to make facts up that happened outside of the scope of the ship.
 
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* If you need help with something that your character is inexperienced with, ask an in-game friend, the responsible department, or a head.
 
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* When someone is killed in front of you, scream, run away, cry, or otherwise show that this causes extreme emotions with you. Don't just continue on as usual as if nothing happened.
 
  
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These are just a few small suggestions, and some of them don't fit all characters, but some of these things are simply not done enough. If you haven't played our your character to this extent yet, really, try it out. Talking with someone else's character about fictional topics for half an hour and enjoying a virtual beer, before puking because the roboticist decided to bring his latest extracted brain with him to the bar, can be way more rewarding than winning a traitor round.
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=== Einstein Engines, Inc. ===
  
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== Antagonists and The Syndicate ==
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=== Other Trans-Stellars ===
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This is important. '''THE SYNDICATE IS MOSTLY UNKNOWN ORGANIZATION. HARDLY ANY KNOWLEDGE IS KNOWN ABOUT THEM OR THE EQUIPMENT THEY USE.''' Yelling 'syndies' or 'traitors' is going to get you reprimanded in very short order. Again, see [[Identifying Antagonists]] for knowledge on what you character can, and cannot, identify.
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Generally not as large as NanoTrasen (but as technically advanced), other trans-stellars are often highly jealous of NanoTrasen's success in plasma research and strive to overtake NanoTrasen in terms of profit.
  
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As above, shouting 'revs', 'cultists', 'nuke agents', or the like is a hallmark of a bad roleplayer. Try your hardest not to do it. There are some situations where there is a logical reason to do it (revolutionaries outing themselves and calling themselves revolutionaries would give a valid reason for example), though in general it's a bad idea.
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== Governments and Companies ==
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While the trans-stellars are the big fish in the galactic pond, they are not alone. These are the corporations and governments that otherwise compete known space.
  
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As an antagonist, you should also try to roleplay. Killing your targets or converting people without saying anything is a bad way to go about it. Try to make it interesting for the other party. The general rule here is to not annoy the other person. If they believe they had an 'enjoyable' experience, you are much less likely to get reprimanded.
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=== Governments ===
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There are many governments ruling humanity, be they controlling a single colony or dominating a dozen star systems.
  
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Admittedly, not everything can be fully played out, but if you're going to make a hasty kill/convert, you should adminhelp (before or after the fact) to make sure you're not going to get shouted at.
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==== Union of Humanity ====
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Near the beginning of the diaspora into space, the Union of Humanity ruled all human colonies.  Within a half of a century, however, the union had splintered as it was unable to maintain timely communications with its distant colonies due to the lack of any Faster-Than-Light communications methods at the time..  Currently remembered as noble, but doomed to fall.
  
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== Not Being Suspicious ==
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==== Federation of Sirius ====
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Not reading this may result in you throwing a tantrum in a brig cell, because you were accused of doing something you "are not responsible for" or is "not that bad".
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Named for the star near the heart of its control, the Federation of Sirius is composed of four star systems and operates on a distributed representative democracy.
  
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Remember that whenever a [[Security Officer]] stands besides you and asks "What are you doing?", or tries to perform a random search, not complying is suspicious, and it's his job to arrest suspicious individuals, so don't behave like one.  
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==== New Terra ====
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Based on Mars, New Terra administrates the Sol system after Earth was deemed unsuitable for the seat of government.
  
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Do your job, and go only where you are supposed to go, unless given an order from one of your heads. Beware what you carry with you, because a barman is not supposed to carry a [[taser]], and that will look suspicious.
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==== Milky Way Federation ====
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A loose governmental organization spanning a half dozen stars, the Milky Way Federation operates as a Unitary state, with most power over individual star systems delegated to the system's capital.
  
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'''ALWAYS COMMUNICATE!''' This might seem obvious, but you should know that, in a heavy roleplay game, you talk with people around you a lot. And tell them what you are doing, or want to do, since that's how people behave in the real life.  
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==== Colonial Governments ====
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Many colonies are self-governed, and thus will have their own laws and regulations.  However, they are not always able to enforce these laws, as many trans-stellars greedily exploit.
  
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Do not be an idiot and start making art in the ground with the wires while taking off floor tiles and expect security to cheer your artwork, when you are apparently vandalizing the station.
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=== Corporations ===
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These corporations are powerful, but not trans-stellar.  
  
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If you aren't doing anything wrong, stop where you are, don't run away. Criminals run away, and you're not a criminal, right? Explain what you were doing. Don't assume people won't understand, don't start calling names, and generally speaking, don't be an idiot.
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==== Huygens Hydrocarbons ====
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One of the oldest continuously running operations in human, Huygens Hydrocarbons is a mining operation on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, that has been operating since the Union of Humanity was still in it's infancy. Providing water and hydrocarbons to spacecraft operating in the outer solar system, Huygens has almost always turned a profit, even during economic recessions.
  
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== Command Tips ==
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== Other Organizations ==
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You're at the top. The highest of the of those around you. The elite of elites. You were elected to this position because you are superior in your career to everyone else, and also because you have the leadership ability that only a few people have.
 
  
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What the station needs is what you need, and what you command is what happens. The simple tasks that require someone to actually work are not to be handled by you, but instead by your underlings. However, it's not because those are menial tasks not fit for a leader, but because if you lose time with those simple tasks, other parts of the station may end up being ignored and disasters will happen. As a Head, you oversee your part of the station, you don't step in unless absolutely necessary. If something goes wrong, you don't blame the engineers, you blame the Chief Engineer for not supervising them. You take responsibility for everything your team does. Be it great advancements or terrible mistakes.
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=== [[The Syndicate|"The Syndicate"]] ===
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"The Syndicate" is a semi-secret conglomeration of groups opposed to the major trans-stellars, mainly due their disregard for human decency and governmental laws. Mostly this organization targets NanoTrasen, but not exclusively. This organization is composed of a "syndicate" of crushed rival corporations, criminals and pirates, opposing politicians, and others harmed or threatened by the power of the trans-stellars. Most NanoTrasen employees have at least heard rumors of this murky syndicate, while security personnel generally know of its existance.
  
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* [[Captain]]
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''Overview: Murky group of people who hate trans-stellars. Especially hate NT.''
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With great power, comes great responsibility. Being Captain means you only oversee one part of the station. All of it. It's quite a daunting job, and only you can handle it. Be confident or the crew may doubt you and mutiny may occur. The way you solve situations depends entirely on how you role play, either as an inflexible and rigid captain, or as a caring, charismatic leader. It WILL have repercussions, no matter how you solve it. But that's why you're the captain, because you are the only one with the courage to step forward and manage a whole ship. Always remember the guts it takes to hold that job, when you take on the responsibilities of the Captain.
 
  
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* [[Head of Personnel]]
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=== Space Wizard Federation ===
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You're a bit of a pencil pusher. You're not security, engineering, science, or any department really. You manage jobs and make sure each department is staffed fully. Apart from that you assume the job of captain if he died, and you handle jobs and positions for everyone else. Total freedom means you can role play whatever you want, but don't expect people to remember you often, since you don't tend to interact much with them outside of your office.
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The Space Wizards Federation (commonly abbreviated to "SWF") is known to few people; generally restricted to NanoTrasen officials. While neutral to NanoTrasen from a political point of view, they will happily infiltrate NT's stations and ships if they desire something aboard.
  
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* [[Head of Security]]
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Little is known about this organization except that it is composed of eccentric humans with a knack for 'magic'.  The exact nature of this 'magic' is unknown, be it the result of advanced technology, bioengineering, or some other phenomenon. Either way, the Space Wizard Federation will periodically send out agents to find and (re)claim artifacts and other 'magical' objects; from enchanted crowbars to ancient alien machinery, they will not allow a 'lesser' man to possess these objects. Agents of this organization are considered extremely dangerous, and should be avoided if you so value your life.
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The top in the security chain, you coordinate your team in any crisis. Remember that if there are two situations happening at the same time, you must decide how many officers head to each, and you're the one who makes the plans in a hostage situation. You give tactics and battle experience, and you decide everything that has to do with security in the station. You can role play a battle hardened veteran or a paper pusher with little field experience but that is a brilliant technician and knows a lot of space law, for example.
 
  
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* [[Chief Engineer]]
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''Overview: Secretive group of people with special powers of some sort.''
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The engine, atmospherics, EVA, the AI, Telecomms, and a lot of repairs to make can be a huge responsibility, but you can take it. You are the CHIEF because you can hold the dam while your team fixes it. You are the master beaver, the one that finds the holes in the dam and knows how to fix them. But you don't do it yourself. If you were fixing a hole, you wouldn't notice the other four that just opened. Instead you have a whole team of "beavers", your engineers, that will fix all holes you point to, change the light bulbs in any room you tell them too. You have a simple job. Prevent station damage. And that's both serious and hard. That's why you are the CHIEF. Everyone can close a hole. But only you can find them all.
 
  
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* [[Research Director]]
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=== The Order of Nar'Sie ===
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You supervise the team that gives a purpose to the station. The science team is a weird bunch, all quite different and with the tendency to not communicate much, since they have more important stuff to do. Which is fine with you since that's what you want most of the time, a productive and working science team. You could role play as the typical paper pusher, since you don't need to get in the labs;. You just need to tell them what you believe is more important right now. You can role play as a rigid director with a limited budget and time schedule, or you can be an eager scientist and a dreamer, hoping to see science changing the world around you, as your team discovers more and more ways to amaze the whole crew.
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The Order of Nar'Sie an obscure and hidden order; little is known about them, and few know of their existence.  Only those with extensive theological learning have any inkling as to their religion or methods.
  
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* [[Chief Medical Officer]]
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Their magic is based around blood runes, sacrifices and ghostly constructs. They work to further the goals of Nar'Sie, and work to bring Him into our world.
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The medbay is your domain. You're the one who knows all the anwers when people walk through that door. You know people and how they work. You keep people sane and keep them healthy. Considering the crew you have to work with, this can be an almost impossible task. In times of medical crisis, it's your job to command, control and quarantine. You're an expert in your field, and you need to show it. For some reason or another, you're not seen as important by the other Heads. Next time there's a virus outbreak and everyone is in medbay yelling for someone to help them, you might be able to make them think otherwise.
 
  
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== Security Tips ==
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''Overview: Cultish religion, wishes to bring their god into our world.''
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Security personnel should not take this job as a joke. At all. Unlike many other jobs, you'll be handling something much more dangerous than bombs, or singularities. Criminals. Human minds hellbent on making the whole station go kaput. And why are they more dangerous then bombs and singularities mixed together? Because it tends to be them who mix them. You're a trained para-military professional. Act like it. Don't abuse your power, and keep the station safe.
 
  
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* [[Security Officer]]
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== Locations ==
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You're well trained, well armed and ready for everything. Most of the time. You may actually be quite the opposite. The only thing you have to remember is that your job may be a bit dangerous, and the most important thing to role play is how you cope with it. Do you show patience with the crew, or do you brig everyone that steals a nickel from you? Do you ask and investigate the crimes or do you threaten and coerce a confession? Are you the good or the bad cop? Regardless, keep the station safe, don't abuse your power, and keep on going.
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Humans come from a wide array of planets and colonies. The entire Sol system has been colonized, as has much of the outer lying systems and galaxies beyond.
  
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* [[Warden]]
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=== Earth ===
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You're less about running, and more about securing security. You're in charge of the brig. If someone tried to break in (or more likely, break out), it's your job to deal with it. Any criminals brought in are under your watch. You're there to make sure some over-zealous officer doesn't assign a ridiculous time for the crime. Keeping calm and collected is an important part of the job. Prisoners may hurl insults at you and try to break out. Just deal with it as it comes, and remember that criminals are there to be treated fairly, but firmly.
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Planetary Capital - N/A.  
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The home of the Human race, it has become a large poisonous ball of pollution and industrialism. Long, brutal wars have scarred it's surface and overpopulation has caused irreversible effects in the planet's atmosphere.
  
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* [[Detective]]
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====Luna====
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You are the prime investigator. You're part of security, but not the running around catching pickpocket type of security. You're there for bigger fish. The high risk theft, the silent dead bodies, the locked room mysteries. Life and crime is one big puzzle, and you're there to put the pieces together. That's the big difference between you and the average security guard. You go into a crime scene and you get the proof. You go to the trial and you make sure the guilty party is locked up.
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Earth's moon.
  
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* [[Lawyer]]
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=== Mars ===
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Technically, you're under the Head of Personnel, and are actually a civilian. This doesn't mean you can't be a part of security however. You're there to make sure prisoners are treated fairly, and in accordance with the law. You're probably well read, and at least partially intelligent (unless you got your law degree on mail order), so you should act like a professional. Make sure to attend trials and either help dig up the truth, or defend your client as much as you can.
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Planetary Capital - Lowell City.
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Primarily an industrial and mining colony, Mars has been supplying the fleets of Earth with resources for years. Home to the illustrious Martian Institute of Technology, it is the industrial capital of Sol.
  
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== Engineering Tips ==
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=== New Magnitka ===
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Engineering is the brawn and muscle aboard the ship. You do the hard labour, and without you, the station would fall apart. You give air, power, and stability to everyone else. They need you, and they know it, even if they don't like to admit it.
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Planetary Capital - Labourtown.  
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A mining colony with a handful of NanoTrasen research facilities. Violent civil war in 2548 was forced to end 4 years later by NanoTrasen in order to protect its facilities.
  
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* [[Station Engineer]]s
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== Other Life ==
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You care about the station. The station is your home. And a man's home is his castle. Engineers and the like are know to use their brawn for unarmed combat, and they aren't defenseless. Being frequently exposed to life threatening situations tends to make you bold and as such you don't tend to fear death as much as Chemists for instance. Be wary of attacking engineers. They're pretty tough and fairly close. Taking one out may give you more trouble than it's worth. In the end, it's all about keep the station alive, and you can do that spectacularly.
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It is a well established fact that we are not alone in the universe. Multiple alien species have been discovered by the human race. Some are friendly and well understood, while some are rarely seen and never caught, presumed dangerous and usually avoided. Due to the significant scientific breakthroughs with alien research most NanoTrasen crews have at least one Xenobiologist.
  
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* [[Atmospheric Technician]]s
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=== [[Tajaran]] ===
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They're an odd group. They control the air, which is needed more often than not. They tend to be a bit quirky, or even geeky. Knowing how to decipher the mess of pipes that is Atmospherics can do that to you. You're not an engineer, but you know enough to keep your precious atmosphere inside the station. You're also the main one to call to fight fires that steal away your precious air. You keep everyone breathing. And in the end, that's all the really matters.
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The Tajaran hail from Ahdomai, the smaller of two twin planets. It is very cold and icy, and they possess fur for the purpose of self-heating and feline attributes for stability in their environment.
  
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== Medical Tips ==
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=== [[Soghun]] ===
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With the exception of some Med/Sci jobs, the pure medical department is rather small. Regardless, your job is to keep the crew alive and healthy. That dealing with anything or anyone that comes into medbay and treating whatever ailment they have. This is a tough job that attracts a wide variety of people, with a single goal, keeping people alive.
+
Originating from the planet of Moghes, the Soghun live in an extremely sexist society, with women being considered property. War is common in the history of Moghes and is deeply ingrained into Soghun religion. Most who follow the religion shun dishonourable guns. All Soghun possess a strong family tie to their clan.
  
−
* [[Medical Doctor]]
+
Most Soghun working for NanoTrasen seek safety and freedom from the Soghun military. Members of this military are part of a peon caste on the homeworld.
−
You can role play a doctor tired with all mountains of whiners that complaining, no matter how bad they are, but you still stick with them to help. Or you could role play a helpful fella with a smile in his face, ready to be kind and courteous to anyone and everyone. You're a bit of a general medic, dealing with anyone that comes into medbay and making sure they leave fully healthy. You basically know how to use and abuse everything and anything in medbay. Chemical mixing, cloning, and complicated surgery is probably a bit beyond you though.
 
  
−
* [[Surgeon]]
+
Outcasts are branded with crescents and generally considered pariahs on the homeworld.
−
All [[Medical Doctor]]s have access to the operating theatre, and you're no exception. However, delicate surgeries, such as limb reattachment, or eye surgery, are best left to your precise hands. The most patient contact you have will usually be while they're asleep, so you may be a bit abrasive at times. You're highly skilled individual however, so don't be afraid to flaunt it. You're skills are mostly centred on the equipment in the operating theatre, but you should know a bit about general medicine too. Just don't go playing around with the cryo cells or other such things.
 
  
−
* [[Emergency Physician]]  
+
=== [[Skrell]] ===
−
A stressful job. You're constantly dealing with patient hovering on the brink of death, and it's your job to tip the balance. With the help of the [[Roboticist]] you can operate the Oddyseus and be able to transport critical patient back to medbay. You're not there to deal with the Janitor who comes in complaining about a burn from touching a lightbulb, but more often than not you'll be pulling double duty. This job attracts those who can deal with the stress, but it's tough. You're probably a bit abrasive and commanding, you need to take control in emergencies after all! At the end of the day though, you're the reason those people are still alive, and others will have to accept that, no matter how grudgingly.
+
A amphibious space faring race currently more technologically advanced than humanity. They emphasize the study of the mind, over progressing in other fields.
  
−
== Science Tips ==
+
=== [[Metroid]]s ===
−
The NSS Exodus is a research station. Therefore, the main reason the crew is out there is because of you, the science team. It's your job to develop new contraptions, or chemicals, or any other type of improvement that will help the general well being of the crew.  
+
Metroids are a common and dangerous pest on many worlds. The body of a Metroid consists of a thick gelatinous membrane and contains a set of three or four red, raspberry-shaped nuclei.
  
−
You are seen as a bit of an elitist group, with the exception of some of the Med/Sci crossover departments, such as Geneticists or Roboticists. Geneticists and Medical Doctors may not have much of a problem with blood and corpses, since they see that all the time, but the Scientist and Chemist wouldn't tend to handle them well.  
+
=== [[Blob]]s ===
 +
A mysterious life form similar to Earth fungi, but much more destructive. The term 'Blob' is an informal one, as no one knows much about them. They are gelatinous, translucent green organisms that have immensely powerful enzymes capable of dissolving steel and almost everything else, and can somehow survive in the vacuum of space.  
  
−
Also, you are a '''Science Team.''' Not a Wrestling Team, or a Shooting Squad. That means you are most likely to run and call security then handle it yourself. You are valuable, and you use your brain, not your brawn. Let security handle the dangerous criminals, while you handle the dangerous chemicals, bombs, and diseases
+
Blobs begin their life as tiny spores floating through space. When they land on a suitable surface - for example, a station - they will grow, consuming the material. Many blobs can grow to be kilometers across. When they are large enough they will eject more spores to continue the process. Blobs are complex organisms and are composed of several different 'organs' - Blob Cores appear to act as the energy sources for growth, for example, and other nodes can discharge small 'mini-blobs' that patrol the organism and attack any intruders.
  
−
* [[Chemist]]
+
Their composition and origin is unknown, but classified as a bio-hazard under NanoTrasen classification. If any NanoTrasen vessels happen to come into contact with it, research on its structure, and prevention of damage, is utmost priority.
−
You tend to have your chemical dispenser and consider it your "little world", caring little for what people do around the station as long as they don't touch that. However, remember that many people, especially doctors, expect you to make some medicines for them. You probably have a very good knowledge of medicines and how they work with the body. You are probably less good at the practical side of medicine however, and are probably unable to use complicated medical machinery (health analyzers, medical huds, body scanners, cryo, etc.)
 
  
−
* [[Geneticist]]
+
=== Space Carp ===
−
You're a curious guy. You can basically role play it how you like. Just remember that not backing up people is considered incompetence, and that you probably are quite curious, which explains your interest in fiddling with genetic code. Also, if you want human test subjects, (i.e. things that are not transformed monkeys), you should be nice with other people, to convince them. However, since you play with corpses all the time for cloning, it's fine if you're a bit odd. You probably don't freak out as much as the rest of the crew about clones, and probably see death as a less of a serious thing. As for your medical knowledge, it is usually expected that you have a limited understanding of it, and can at the very least operate the cryo cells. Don't go around trying to be a Medical Doctor though.
+
Space-dwelling, four-eyed, gigantic pink carp. Supposedly a genetically engineered weapon designed by either NanoTrasen or the Syndicate, the experiment failed and the carp were ejected into space. However, the carp proliferated and have become renowned pests, stalking space facilities and attacking those unwary enough to venture outside.
  
−
* [[Virologist]]  
+
=== [[Xenomorph]]s ===
−
You're another job stuck in the middle of Med/Sci. You cure and research disease, so it's unlikely you'll be a social butterfly. However, you're probably good at what you do, and unafraid to show it. When people come in dying of Radian's Syndrome, you're the guy who knows just how to cure it. That might inspire a bit of a 'God Complex' in you. You probably don't have a lot of patient contact, so the practical side of medicine may elude you. You may be called in to help in emergencies however, so you're expected to at least know the basics.
+
Xenomorphs are not an intelligent civilization, but predatory creatures with no higher goals than the propagation of their species and the destruction of life that could pose a threat. Like wasps or termites, Aliens are eusocial, with a single fertile queen breeding a caste of warriors. The Aliens' biological life cycle, in which their offspring are violently implanted inside living hosts before erupting from their chests, is in many ways their signature aspect
  
−
* [[Roboticist]]
+
== Religion ==
−
You're the invisible helping hand of the station. Whenever a bot helps someone, it's because you made it, therefore, you are responsible for another life being saved. (Well, it's hard to imagine a clean bot having that much importance, but you get the point...) However, don't expect people to recognize you for that, since they saw the bot and not you. You main skill is your ability to make cyborgs and exosuits. These can change the station into a more durable and serious state, since cyborgs are all metal and no emotions, and exosuits increase productivity dramatically. You are not expected to be very emotional or social, much like the robots you make. Corpses don't bother you as much either, since you do some lobotomies from time to time. Performing live lobotomies is iffy. Try to get a Medical Doctor to do it for you. If you wish to undertake it yourself, always, always, use sleeping gas.  
+
Over the years religion has come and gone. Some faiths have faded out entirely on one colony but remain strong on another. Due to this many religions have been founded. Some worship gods, others, technology. Atheism is perfectly acceptable and common. However, not all faiths are permitted by NanoTrasen.
  
−
* [[Scientist]]s
+
Some religions include:
−
You have many jobs, such as crafting plasma-based weaponry (especially bombs), dealing with lethal aliens, and creating highly experimental weaponry. You have a dangerous job that can potentially put all the crew in danger. Keep that in mind. It may make you a bit wacky, or more serious, but no matter what, you like what you do (probably, or you're one depressed scientist...). You know the power and responsibility in your hands and you're sane enough to keep yourself in check. Usually.
+
* Acolysm; the unifying of many major Earth religions.
 +
* Technologism; the belief that robots and cyborgs are holy
 +
* Order of the Great Lady; the belief that the human race was gifted with the knowledge and ambition appropriate by a large, dragon-like alien who we now call Lady Elzra.
  
−
== Civilian Tips ==
+
== Plasma ==
−
Civilians have an easy life. Generally, if you role play this, you get to make any type of character, with no restriction whatsoever, but a common characteristic is that you want a simple life. You don't have the brain for a science position, the brawn for security or the know-how for engineering, but you always wanted to go to space. So you ended up as a one of those rather simple roles.  
+
When Plasma was new, it was hailed as the new Oil, relatively easy to extract, required almost no refining, and burnt like a Roman candle out of hell. Everyone wanted it, only one corporation could supply it fast enough, and eventually outbid all competition. Enter NanoTrasen. With plasma monopoly established, prices shot up and profits soared, despite increasing reports of its excessive toxicity and difficulty to contain the substance. The arcologies of Earth /needed/ energy. Any energy, to stem the inevitable collapse of society just a little longer, Plasma was a godsend. And NanoTrasen its prophet.
  
−
That doesn't mean you are not valuable. It just means you have an easier job, and people don't expect as much of you, so less stress for you. However, that also means that violence, death, and any other strange stuff like aliens and what not tend to make you freak out. Unless you are roleplaying a really bold individual (which is usually bad), or someone with no emotions...
+
Most accidents of containment breaches or uncontrollable plasma fires were swept under the rug, much like how a addict will forgive his dealer for his character flaws. Falling apart even as he craves his next fix.
  
−
* [[Assistant]]
+
=== Super Matter ===
−
This is a completely free role. Roleplay however you want! Just remember, you must have done '''something''' to get on a space station.  
+
Super Matter is extracted from the cores of super plasma giants, at great expenditure of effort and material, by robotic armored probes, shielded and designed to withstand the intense pressure that solidifies Plasma into a stable almost inert but highly volatile form.
  
−
* [[Bartender]] and [[Chef]]
+
The super matter has a similar density to neutronium and expels a massive amount of energy and gaseous plasma when properly processed. - Being super-dense, Zero Point Lasers are used to shave off plasma molecules from the crystal lattice matrix. These lasers can not interact with less dense matter in a significant fashion, such as organic tissues and are thus perfectly harmless. The Super Matter however is not.
−
Essentially the same in terms of function, since they are supposed to provide food/drink to the crew that wishes so. The only difference however is the fact that booze makes you "happy" while food just fills your stomach, making food a more healthy option. Play that card well and you can use it for good effects on role play.
 
  
−
* [[Chaplain]] or [[Counselor]]
+
Extensive and costly experimentation have determined that while stable at the near vacuous existence of hard vacuum or one standard earth atmosphere, super-matter begins to come unravelled when reaching pressure levels similar to its origins, - thus attributing to its expenditure in harvesting it. Heat further weakens the crystal matrix structure.
−
Remember this is a role play job only. It's all you do, role play. So it becomes extremely important to know how to correctly role play this. The Counselor is the one in charge of the talking, as in, the discussion of the personal problems of people. Death tends to maim people psychologically, and you'll be needed to help them cope with it. It does not mean it doesn't affect you, but you must be strong and help the traumatized. Less stressing tasks may include someone choosing a new career if they are not happy with the one they have now. While as a Chaplain you may introduce a religious side to your consults, your main purpose is the above.
 
  
−
* [[Janitor]]
+
Should the matter come unraveled, it will do so extremely rapidly and explosively, ripping not only through the hardest alloys like wet tissues, but the very fabric of time itself, thus giving rise to the curious phenomena where one can in fact survive a Super Matter detonation by simply outrunning the explosive wave as it tears steel bulkhead to shreds. Slowly. It is still recommended to evacuate the site of such a explosion without delay.
−
Quite a messy job. Since you only tend to have work when someone messes up. Usually the cause of the mess is long gone when you arrive,  so this is quite a laid back job, and you can get quite a lazy life with almost no one complaining. You can role play just about everyone, from a clean-freak that must every spot in the station clean to a lazy fat dude, that walks slowly and cleans even more slowly, since cleaning for him is a distraction of his lunch.
 
  
−
* [[Quartermaster]]
+
Super Matter is currently only used in the NSV Luna for fuel and propulsion purposes. And is estimated to outlast the ships service period by a factor of 15. With proper care and maintenance. And barring any accidents.
−
You are the one that supplies. You get stuff. You give people what they need. They also know you can't give everything to everyone, and as such, you can get a lot of people being nice to you just to get on your good side. Enjoy it as much as you want, and even turn to corruption if you wish, but remember there will be repercussions if the medical supplies ordered by the captain don't arrive...
 
  
−
* [[Cargo Technician]]s
+
== Death ==
−
Really nothing more than a bunch of crate pushers and mail men. You do what the Quartermaster says, but apart from that, you're about as free as an Assistant.
+
With the advancement of science, new ways of cheating death became available. No longer potential victims of fate or luck had to hold on to life to be saved but now could be called back even after death. While many religions found some of those ways unethical, economical profits and mankind's natural fear of death helped them become regularly and openly practiced especially in environments where there was shortage of properly trained personnel, such as space colonies, stations or high-class star ships.
  
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* [[Shaft Miner]]s
+
=== Cloning ===
−
A bunch of real labourers. They tend to be strong burly types, and generally thing of the station population as a bunch of wusses. They risk life on the fringes of a giant asteroid all day with almost no interaction with anyone but each other. That can inspire some rather deep connections, or just a bunch of weird loners. Most people don't care as long as their materials arrive on time. It's a tough job.
+
Most controversial of them all, an idea stemming from the almost ancient past became improved upon to the extent allowing total recreation of organism from just a couple of samples, including general knowledge and skills of the subject at the moment of sample-harvesting. Additionally, newer models of DNA-restructuring equipment became connected to some of ship's components providing general outline of the events happening in the time-span between a person's DNA backup and their original death, allowing for, for example, technical personnel to quickly return to work.
  
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* [[Botanist]]
+
At the same time though, cloning is being looked down upon by some as there is no way for practitioners of most religions or otherwise spiritual people to make sure whether it's really the person - including the soul - who gets another chance to live or just a copy, completely different human being with memories, raising, experiences and skills stolen from the individual who already passed permanently (or, depending on belief, is on his way to be reborn traditional way).
−
You love plants. That's fairly obvious. Maybe you like cooking to them or talking to them. Either way, you wouldn't have taken this job if you didn't like them. Right? Maybe you like them more than other people and are a rather introverted person. Or maybe you're just a friend to all living things. Just don't expect the living things to be friends back.
+
 
−
[[Category:Guides for New Players]]
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=== Cyborgization ===
 +
'''See Also''': [[Cyborgification Contracts]], [[Cyborgification Regulations]]
 +
 
 +
Common name given to the process of transplanting subject's brain into machine body. If done properly, patient becomes half-machine and so, such procedure is being undertaken only in case of emergency and/or with both patient's and his commanding officer's permission. Reason for that lies in trauma caused by existence in the shell so different from regular human body. Because mechanical bodies are created with practicality and efficiency in mind, they lack substitutes of many organs or glands and so, have limited possibilities of feeling - both by senses and feeling of emotions. Additionally, to prevent situations where traumatized - or even brought to the brink of insanity - cyborg would start wreaking havoc, all standard models have coded blockades in the form of Laws (typically hard coded into artificial intelligence personalities). Aside from that, cyborgs created for specific tasks in the same facilities usually share their own communication channels and are permanently connected and commanded by main computer and it's AI, although they still possess some degree of autonomous behaviour in case of lack of any watcher (even if it's greatly limited as by default those machines often are to be just extension of an AI construct). It should be noted that to cut on costs of deploying specialized cyborg models, general frame is first constructed and then outfitted for it's job. This way, no new cyborg model series has to be created for every work necessary.
 +
 
 +
Becoming a cyborg is usually undertaken by desperate people, strongly driven by their devotion to their work and corporation, or simply those who take the perspective of losing a large part of their own humanity lightly.
 +
 
 +
== Research ==
 +
=== Artificial Gravity ===
 +
In early 2500, after several catastrophic losses of life caused by malfunctioning prototype gravity plates<sup>'''1'''</sup>, NanoTrasen stood at a minor crisis.  Their entire fleet of ships and stations had been laid out with the decks parallel to the thrust provided, thus preventing the use of inertial gravity.  With grav-plating proving unviable, and crews proving unwilling to work in zero-gravity<sup>'''2'''</sup>, a new solution had to be found.  NanoTrasen approached this with a characteristically... Lateral.. Solution<sup>'''3'''</sup>.
 +
 
 +
NanoTrasen's fledgling Cloning Laboratory located the corpse of infamous 20th century reality bender MC Escher, and ordered him to find a solution.  Applying his particular brand of insane genius, he was able to utilize inertial gravity in spite of the obvious physical difficulties.  Despite some early psychological issues<sup>'''4'''</sup>, which resulted in the thruster units being sealed away from the crew to hide the issue, this solution worked wonderfully.  Mr Escher - or a clone of him - is now happily working in the Blue Space Research Division, where he is very happy<sup>'''5'''</sup>.
 +
<div style="font-size:80%">
 +
1: See Incident Report 75-AXB-12H-FINEPASTE
 +
 
 +
2: Logged crew remarks include: "Oh Christ, the lab monkey's been sick again..."  "GAAAH!  Why do they not teach the difference between mass and weight at crate handling school?"  and "Dear Christ pouring sulfuric acid in zero-g hurts!"  The only positive evaluation was received from the Security division, who reported that with proper bracing it was now possible to knock a suspect the length of a primary hallway with a good baton swipe.
 +
 
 +
3: Cross-reference:  Singularity Drive (destroyed); Crew Morale Program (abandoned following Clown Riots); Employment Pre-Screening Checks (still outsourced to Lucky 8 Ball).
 +
 
 +
4: Audio log:  "CAPTAIN!  Oh god!"  "Remain calm, crewman, there's nothing to worry about.."  "Captain, you just walked out of a light switch, and are now standing on the wall."  "This closet is full of stars!  Who BUILT this thing!"
 +
 
 +
5: Employee Happiness Measurement Accounting techniques not available at your pay grade - nevertheless, all employees are happy.</div>
 +
 
 +
=== Psionics ===
 +
Since ancient times people believed in forces and phenomena not tied to the material plan of existence and different orders, cults or research institutes were exploring notions and possibilities connected to such beliefs. Over years many occult paths leading supposedly to the ascension or command over mystical forces unknown to grey masses were developed but only one, grounded the most in scientific background surfaced and had drawn interest of corporation executives. Psionics, allowing access to the great power through rigorous training - usually backed up (and in even more extreme cases, substituted with) high-level grade implants connected to the brain and nervous system - offered greatness to those who were determined, possessing proper mindset giving them necessary potential, bold and rich enough to try to claim it. While as a serious area of research with importance big enough to grant industrial uses, psionic is young and so - very crude, recent developments in high energy systems and DNA restructurization (mostly discovered by NanoTrasen mega-corporation) are like a promise for it's bright future.
 +
 
 +
=== Space Sleeping Disorder ===
 +
Space Sleeping Disorder (SSD) is a common condition affecting about 50-60% of humanity. It is caused by the combination of a lack of day/night cycle on board spacecraft, the presence of the inky black void in all directions, and long hours. In these conditions, in some individuals, adenosine production is stunted, and the human body "forgets" to become tired and want to sleep. When SSD occurs, the person afflicted, after working for long periods, suddenly has the overwhelming desire to sleep. This is caused by the body realizing that it needs sleep and producing vast amounts of adenosine. Once they fall asleep, the sleep is intensely deep, and they cannot be roused. The person wakes up normally about 8-12 hours later.
 +
 
 +
A variant of SSD is known as Rapid Onset Space Sleeping Disorder (or ROSSD). This occurs frequently in those working on extremely long shifts with a lack of stimulation. In ROSSD, the body, instead of creating an intense sensation of tiredness, instantly falls into deep REM sleep. This usually happens during periods of no stress or stimulation, but occurrences of this during more "exciting" times have been reported. Due to its resemblance to the popular conception of narcolepsy, ROSSD is occasionally mislabeled as "space narcolepsy". A somewhat uncommon term for people who have this occur is that they have been "rossed". Some sufferers have mistakenly been declared "brain dead", however, ROSSD causes no damage to the brain or body on its own, barring any external trauma from the sudden loss of control or the body hitting the ground. Once asleep, there is no fundamental difference between ROSSD-caused sleep and SSD-caused sleep.
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== Editing this page ==
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The '''Fluff''' page is for IC additions to the world (which includes the backstory). Fluff is also used partially for game design decisions and is therefore relatively important. Due to this now being the de facto fluff, only specific users are allowed to edit any fluff pages. Please post any proposed fluff here: http://baystation12.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=767
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[[Category:Fluff]]

Версия от 21:56, 29 декабря 2012

Fluff (or more commonly referred to as Canon) is a collection of official statements about the world of BS12. You should thus get an overview of the information in this page, and make sure your character's backstory, or your statements in game, don't contradict with the statements here.

Quick Start Guide

  • You're employed by the NanoTrasen megacorporation to work on one of their stations. When you left for the job, everyone you knew seemed to think you weren't going to come back in one piece, but look, at least the pay is good.
  • As human, your home might be on one of the inhabited planets in Sol, or otherwise one of the large colony space stations. Your workplace is not your home, however, and you only spend your working shifts there.
  • The primary mission of your station is to perform research, but all tasks that help keep the station intact are equally important.
  • You're bound by contract to perform work for NT. You have to follow orders by your superiors, or otherwise risk a permanent termination of your contract.
  • There's a lot of dark rumours about NanoTrasen, but to the outside they seem pretty okay. If your character has a history with NT, you might have experienced a few things to think of your employer as "profit-centered, murderous, amoral scumbags who could not care less about the lives of fellow human beings", but the majority of people do not really know the details.
  • The year is 2556 AD. NanoTrasen started going big around the start of the century, so if your characters is around 50 years old, they'll have seen a lot of that development.
  • Alien species were discovered and started working for NT around 20 years ago. You're probably not quite used to them yet.
  • All rounds begin at 12:00pm station-time. This is the beginning of the shift and it is generally accepted that everyone who spawns at the beginning of the round knows each other from previous shifts aboard the station.
  • Life on the station adheres to strict guidelines. Specifically, keep in mind the Chain of Command, Space Law and Standard Operating Procedure

In The Past

Main Article: NanoTrasen: The 26th Century Giant


Present Day

The current year to 2556 AD (As of New-years 2012), a few years after the decommissioning of the NSV Luna. The NSS Exodus is one of NanoTrasen's newest research space stations.

It has been roughly 50 years since the beginning of the so called "Orange Rush." NanoTrasen Incorporated, BioTech Solutions, Einstein Engines Incorporated, and many other leading research corporations continue their struggle to research more uses of (and gain as much profit from) "Plasma." And now, when Humanity thought they had been alone, other races are appearing - some friendly like the Tajaran, others dangerous. It is a brave new world.

Space Travel

Many spacecraft are operated by either a trans-stellar corporation or a colonial militia, but it is not uncommon to find vessels that are privately owned and operated. Large freighters transport cargo, guided by the best profit margins. Warships defend planets and trade lanes from harm. Piracy is uncommon in major systems, but is a fact of life in both distant and less populous systems. Transports and stations are the most common targets of pirate raids, but no ship is safe from attack by these menaces. To the citizens of most star nations, space travel is commonplace.

Commonly, spacecraft are classified by their deployment capabilities; that being how long they can go without being restocked, as well as their ΔV. (Delta-V, or the craft's total capability to change it's velocity) The vessels with the lowest endurance and ΔV are inter-ship shuttles and surface-orbit transports, and are classified as simply "shuttles." In order from lowest to highest, the classifications are: Satellite, Shuttle, Interplanetary, and Interstellar. There is lots of lee-way in each class of spacecraft, where a satellite could be either a orbiting communications relay or a massive battle fort deployed to oversee a major trade lane. Classifications are determined by the Institute of Spacecraft Engineers (ISE), a non-profit standards agency.

Space combat is usually in the form of missile exchanges punctuated by energy fire. The most important part of which is targeting, due to the massive ranges involved. Targeting is accomplished by a variety of methods; LiDAR, RADAR, passive thermal imaging, GrDAR (Gravitational Detection And Ranging; pronounced similar to "grader"), and a battery of passive emissions sensors. When not in combat, most vessels will use their passive senor suite for navigation.

Faster Than Light

While FTL was thought of as impossible in centuries past, it is now a reasonably well developed field of study. While expensive, some trans-stellars have opted to install bluespace derived communications arrays, allowing communications links that are approximately seventy times faster than traditional lightspeed links.

Humanity in the 25th Century

Many planets have been colonized during humanity's rapid growth. Hospitable worlds are largely inhabited, while less livable worlds are marked by heavy industrial presences. Space Law varies from region to region, planet to planet and station to station, as do punishments. The main form of currency is "Credits" which are represented by the symbol "Cr." (e.g. 130Cr) Credits are almost entirely digital, with some smaller stations (and the like) occasionally printing physical currency.

Other Characters

In regards to other peoples' characters, your character has no preexisting relationship with anyone without the other player's consent. If you do have the other players consent then you do not know their character from a previous round. Due to things like the station blowing up and people dying, inconsistencies can occur.

Trans-Stellar Corporations

While any company that operates in multiple solar systems could be considered trans-stellar, the term is usually used to refer to the biggest and most powerful businesses in known space. Typically controlling large fleets of vessels, multiple space-stations, and (rarely) whole planetoids; big trans-stellars (by which they are commonly referred) take advantage of the lack of enforced laws and regulations in space to turn massive profits, often cutting corners and disregarding ethical concerns. Often headquartered in in space, they are most commonly known for high salaries, good benefits, and a high chance of injury or death...

NanoTrasen

NanoTrasen (commonly known simply as "NT") is one of the largest corporations in known space, focusing on the development and production of medical technologies. Primarily based in deep space, NanoTrasen is most well known for their quick and brutal actions during the "Orange Rush," which gave them a lead over their competitors in researching "plasma." While this lead to much discontent from their competitors, as well as the ire of those harmed by their rash actions, the profits made off of "plasma" (and derived technologies) is generally considered to outweigh the damage caused. However, half a century after the initial brutality, NanoTrasen is still feeling the repercussions of their actions; terrorist raids and sabotage seemingly have become an everyday concern for NanoTrasen officials. None of this is helped by the rumors of research being preformed which has been made illegal on most civilized worlds.

Overview: Large medical corporation, made people angry, has a lead in research on "plasma"

BioTech Solutions

Einstein Engines, Inc.

Other Trans-Stellars

Generally not as large as NanoTrasen (but as technically advanced), other trans-stellars are often highly jealous of NanoTrasen's success in plasma research and strive to overtake NanoTrasen in terms of profit.

Governments and Companies

While the trans-stellars are the big fish in the galactic pond, they are not alone. These are the corporations and governments that otherwise compete known space.

Governments

There are many governments ruling humanity, be they controlling a single colony or dominating a dozen star systems.

Union of Humanity

Near the beginning of the diaspora into space, the Union of Humanity ruled all human colonies. Within a half of a century, however, the union had splintered as it was unable to maintain timely communications with its distant colonies due to the lack of any Faster-Than-Light communications methods at the time.. Currently remembered as noble, but doomed to fall.

Federation of Sirius

Named for the star near the heart of its control, the Federation of Sirius is composed of four star systems and operates on a distributed representative democracy.

New Terra

Based on Mars, New Terra administrates the Sol system after Earth was deemed unsuitable for the seat of government.

Milky Way Federation

A loose governmental organization spanning a half dozen stars, the Milky Way Federation operates as a Unitary state, with most power over individual star systems delegated to the system's capital.

Colonial Governments

Many colonies are self-governed, and thus will have their own laws and regulations. However, they are not always able to enforce these laws, as many trans-stellars greedily exploit.

Corporations

These corporations are powerful, but not trans-stellar.

Huygens Hydrocarbons

One of the oldest continuously running operations in human, Huygens Hydrocarbons is a mining operation on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, that has been operating since the Union of Humanity was still in it's infancy. Providing water and hydrocarbons to spacecraft operating in the outer solar system, Huygens has almost always turned a profit, even during economic recessions.

Other Organizations

"The Syndicate"

"The Syndicate" is a semi-secret conglomeration of groups opposed to the major trans-stellars, mainly due their disregard for human decency and governmental laws. Mostly this organization targets NanoTrasen, but not exclusively. This organization is composed of a "syndicate" of crushed rival corporations, criminals and pirates, opposing politicians, and others harmed or threatened by the power of the trans-stellars. Most NanoTrasen employees have at least heard rumors of this murky syndicate, while security personnel generally know of its existance.

Overview: Murky group of people who hate trans-stellars. Especially hate NT.

Space Wizard Federation

The Space Wizards Federation (commonly abbreviated to "SWF") is known to few people; generally restricted to NanoTrasen officials. While neutral to NanoTrasen from a political point of view, they will happily infiltrate NT's stations and ships if they desire something aboard.

Little is known about this organization except that it is composed of eccentric humans with a knack for 'magic'. The exact nature of this 'magic' is unknown, be it the result of advanced technology, bioengineering, or some other phenomenon. Either way, the Space Wizard Federation will periodically send out agents to find and (re)claim artifacts and other 'magical' objects; from enchanted crowbars to ancient alien machinery, they will not allow a 'lesser' man to possess these objects. Agents of this organization are considered extremely dangerous, and should be avoided if you so value your life.

Overview: Secretive group of people with special powers of some sort.

The Order of Nar'Sie

The Order of Nar'Sie an obscure and hidden order; little is known about them, and few know of their existence. Only those with extensive theological learning have any inkling as to their religion or methods.

Their magic is based around blood runes, sacrifices and ghostly constructs. They work to further the goals of Nar'Sie, and work to bring Him into our world.

Overview: Cultish religion, wishes to bring their god into our world.

Locations

Humans come from a wide array of planets and colonies. The entire Sol system has been colonized, as has much of the outer lying systems and galaxies beyond.

Earth

Planetary Capital - N/A. The home of the Human race, it has become a large poisonous ball of pollution and industrialism. Long, brutal wars have scarred it's surface and overpopulation has caused irreversible effects in the planet's atmosphere.

Luna

Earth's moon.

Mars

Planetary Capital - Lowell City. Primarily an industrial and mining colony, Mars has been supplying the fleets of Earth with resources for years. Home to the illustrious Martian Institute of Technology, it is the industrial capital of Sol.

New Magnitka

Planetary Capital - Labourtown. A mining colony with a handful of NanoTrasen research facilities. Violent civil war in 2548 was forced to end 4 years later by NanoTrasen in order to protect its facilities.

Other Life

It is a well established fact that we are not alone in the universe. Multiple alien species have been discovered by the human race. Some are friendly and well understood, while some are rarely seen and never caught, presumed dangerous and usually avoided. Due to the significant scientific breakthroughs with alien research most NanoTrasen crews have at least one Xenobiologist.

Tajaran

The Tajaran hail from Ahdomai, the smaller of two twin planets. It is very cold and icy, and they possess fur for the purpose of self-heating and feline attributes for stability in their environment.

Soghun

Originating from the planet of Moghes, the Soghun live in an extremely sexist society, with women being considered property. War is common in the history of Moghes and is deeply ingrained into Soghun religion. Most who follow the religion shun dishonourable guns. All Soghun possess a strong family tie to their clan.

Most Soghun working for NanoTrasen seek safety and freedom from the Soghun military. Members of this military are part of a peon caste on the homeworld.

Outcasts are branded with crescents and generally considered pariahs on the homeworld.

Skrell

A amphibious space faring race currently more technologically advanced than humanity. They emphasize the study of the mind, over progressing in other fields.

Metroids

Metroids are a common and dangerous pest on many worlds. The body of a Metroid consists of a thick gelatinous membrane and contains a set of three or four red, raspberry-shaped nuclei.

Blobs

A mysterious life form similar to Earth fungi, but much more destructive. The term 'Blob' is an informal one, as no one knows much about them. They are gelatinous, translucent green organisms that have immensely powerful enzymes capable of dissolving steel and almost everything else, and can somehow survive in the vacuum of space.

Blobs begin their life as tiny spores floating through space. When they land on a suitable surface - for example, a station - they will grow, consuming the material. Many blobs can grow to be kilometers across. When they are large enough they will eject more spores to continue the process. Blobs are complex organisms and are composed of several different 'organs' - Blob Cores appear to act as the energy sources for growth, for example, and other nodes can discharge small 'mini-blobs' that patrol the organism and attack any intruders.

Their composition and origin is unknown, but classified as a bio-hazard under NanoTrasen classification. If any NanoTrasen vessels happen to come into contact with it, research on its structure, and prevention of damage, is utmost priority.

Space Carp

Space-dwelling, four-eyed, gigantic pink carp. Supposedly a genetically engineered weapon designed by either NanoTrasen or the Syndicate, the experiment failed and the carp were ejected into space. However, the carp proliferated and have become renowned pests, stalking space facilities and attacking those unwary enough to venture outside.

Xenomorphs

Xenomorphs are not an intelligent civilization, but predatory creatures with no higher goals than the propagation of their species and the destruction of life that could pose a threat. Like wasps or termites, Aliens are eusocial, with a single fertile queen breeding a caste of warriors. The Aliens' biological life cycle, in which their offspring are violently implanted inside living hosts before erupting from their chests, is in many ways their signature aspect

Religion

Over the years religion has come and gone. Some faiths have faded out entirely on one colony but remain strong on another. Due to this many religions have been founded. Some worship gods, others, technology. Atheism is perfectly acceptable and common. However, not all faiths are permitted by NanoTrasen.

Some religions include:

  • Acolysm; the unifying of many major Earth religions.
  • Technologism; the belief that robots and cyborgs are holy
  • Order of the Great Lady; the belief that the human race was gifted with the knowledge and ambition appropriate by a large, dragon-like alien who we now call Lady Elzra.

Plasma

When Plasma was new, it was hailed as the new Oil, relatively easy to extract, required almost no refining, and burnt like a Roman candle out of hell. Everyone wanted it, only one corporation could supply it fast enough, and eventually outbid all competition. Enter NanoTrasen. With plasma monopoly established, prices shot up and profits soared, despite increasing reports of its excessive toxicity and difficulty to contain the substance. The arcologies of Earth /needed/ energy. Any energy, to stem the inevitable collapse of society just a little longer, Plasma was a godsend. And NanoTrasen its prophet.

Most accidents of containment breaches or uncontrollable plasma fires were swept under the rug, much like how a addict will forgive his dealer for his character flaws. Falling apart even as he craves his next fix.

Super Matter

Super Matter is extracted from the cores of super plasma giants, at great expenditure of effort and material, by robotic armored probes, shielded and designed to withstand the intense pressure that solidifies Plasma into a stable almost inert but highly volatile form.

The super matter has a similar density to neutronium and expels a massive amount of energy and gaseous plasma when properly processed. - Being super-dense, Zero Point Lasers are used to shave off plasma molecules from the crystal lattice matrix. These lasers can not interact with less dense matter in a significant fashion, such as organic tissues and are thus perfectly harmless. The Super Matter however is not.

Extensive and costly experimentation have determined that while stable at the near vacuous existence of hard vacuum or one standard earth atmosphere, super-matter begins to come unravelled when reaching pressure levels similar to its origins, - thus attributing to its expenditure in harvesting it. Heat further weakens the crystal matrix structure.

Should the matter come unraveled, it will do so extremely rapidly and explosively, ripping not only through the hardest alloys like wet tissues, but the very fabric of time itself, thus giving rise to the curious phenomena where one can in fact survive a Super Matter detonation by simply outrunning the explosive wave as it tears steel bulkhead to shreds. Slowly. It is still recommended to evacuate the site of such a explosion without delay.

Super Matter is currently only used in the NSV Luna for fuel and propulsion purposes. And is estimated to outlast the ships service period by a factor of 15. With proper care and maintenance. And barring any accidents.

Death

With the advancement of science, new ways of cheating death became available. No longer potential victims of fate or luck had to hold on to life to be saved but now could be called back even after death. While many religions found some of those ways unethical, economical profits and mankind's natural fear of death helped them become regularly and openly practiced especially in environments where there was shortage of properly trained personnel, such as space colonies, stations or high-class star ships.

Cloning

Most controversial of them all, an idea stemming from the almost ancient past became improved upon to the extent allowing total recreation of organism from just a couple of samples, including general knowledge and skills of the subject at the moment of sample-harvesting. Additionally, newer models of DNA-restructuring equipment became connected to some of ship's components providing general outline of the events happening in the time-span between a person's DNA backup and their original death, allowing for, for example, technical personnel to quickly return to work.

At the same time though, cloning is being looked down upon by some as there is no way for practitioners of most religions or otherwise spiritual people to make sure whether it's really the person - including the soul - who gets another chance to live or just a copy, completely different human being with memories, raising, experiences and skills stolen from the individual who already passed permanently (or, depending on belief, is on his way to be reborn traditional way).

Cyborgization

See Also: Cyborgification Contracts, Cyborgification Regulations

Common name given to the process of transplanting subject's brain into machine body. If done properly, patient becomes half-machine and so, such procedure is being undertaken only in case of emergency and/or with both patient's and his commanding officer's permission. Reason for that lies in trauma caused by existence in the shell so different from regular human body. Because mechanical bodies are created with practicality and efficiency in mind, they lack substitutes of many organs or glands and so, have limited possibilities of feeling - both by senses and feeling of emotions. Additionally, to prevent situations where traumatized - or even brought to the brink of insanity - cyborg would start wreaking havoc, all standard models have coded blockades in the form of Laws (typically hard coded into artificial intelligence personalities). Aside from that, cyborgs created for specific tasks in the same facilities usually share their own communication channels and are permanently connected and commanded by main computer and it's AI, although they still possess some degree of autonomous behaviour in case of lack of any watcher (even if it's greatly limited as by default those machines often are to be just extension of an AI construct). It should be noted that to cut on costs of deploying specialized cyborg models, general frame is first constructed and then outfitted for it's job. This way, no new cyborg model series has to be created for every work necessary.

Becoming a cyborg is usually undertaken by desperate people, strongly driven by their devotion to their work and corporation, or simply those who take the perspective of losing a large part of their own humanity lightly.

Research

Artificial Gravity

In early 2500, after several catastrophic losses of life caused by malfunctioning prototype gravity plates1, NanoTrasen stood at a minor crisis. Their entire fleet of ships and stations had been laid out with the decks parallel to the thrust provided, thus preventing the use of inertial gravity. With grav-plating proving unviable, and crews proving unwilling to work in zero-gravity2, a new solution had to be found. NanoTrasen approached this with a characteristically... Lateral.. Solution3.

NanoTrasen's fledgling Cloning Laboratory located the corpse of infamous 20th century reality bender MC Escher, and ordered him to find a solution. Applying his particular brand of insane genius, he was able to utilize inertial gravity in spite of the obvious physical difficulties. Despite some early psychological issues4, which resulted in the thruster units being sealed away from the crew to hide the issue, this solution worked wonderfully. Mr Escher - or a clone of him - is now happily working in the Blue Space Research Division, where he is very happy5.

1: See Incident Report 75-AXB-12H-FINEPASTE

2: Logged crew remarks include: "Oh Christ, the lab monkey's been sick again..." "GAAAH! Why do they not teach the difference between mass and weight at crate handling school?" and "Dear Christ pouring sulfuric acid in zero-g hurts!" The only positive evaluation was received from the Security division, who reported that with proper bracing it was now possible to knock a suspect the length of a primary hallway with a good baton swipe.

3: Cross-reference: Singularity Drive (destroyed); Crew Morale Program (abandoned following Clown Riots); Employment Pre-Screening Checks (still outsourced to Lucky 8 Ball).

4: Audio log: "CAPTAIN! Oh god!" "Remain calm, crewman, there's nothing to worry about.." "Captain, you just walked out of a light switch, and are now standing on the wall." "This closet is full of stars! Who BUILT this thing!"

5: Employee Happiness Measurement Accounting techniques not available at your pay grade - nevertheless, all employees are happy.

Psionics

Since ancient times people believed in forces and phenomena not tied to the material plan of existence and different orders, cults or research institutes were exploring notions and possibilities connected to such beliefs. Over years many occult paths leading supposedly to the ascension or command over mystical forces unknown to grey masses were developed but only one, grounded the most in scientific background surfaced and had drawn interest of corporation executives. Psionics, allowing access to the great power through rigorous training - usually backed up (and in even more extreme cases, substituted with) high-level grade implants connected to the brain and nervous system - offered greatness to those who were determined, possessing proper mindset giving them necessary potential, bold and rich enough to try to claim it. While as a serious area of research with importance big enough to grant industrial uses, psionic is young and so - very crude, recent developments in high energy systems and DNA restructurization (mostly discovered by NanoTrasen mega-corporation) are like a promise for it's bright future.

Space Sleeping Disorder

Space Sleeping Disorder (SSD) is a common condition affecting about 50-60% of humanity. It is caused by the combination of a lack of day/night cycle on board spacecraft, the presence of the inky black void in all directions, and long hours. In these conditions, in some individuals, adenosine production is stunted, and the human body "forgets" to become tired and want to sleep. When SSD occurs, the person afflicted, after working for long periods, suddenly has the overwhelming desire to sleep. This is caused by the body realizing that it needs sleep and producing vast amounts of adenosine. Once they fall asleep, the sleep is intensely deep, and they cannot be roused. The person wakes up normally about 8-12 hours later.

A variant of SSD is known as Rapid Onset Space Sleeping Disorder (or ROSSD). This occurs frequently in those working on extremely long shifts with a lack of stimulation. In ROSSD, the body, instead of creating an intense sensation of tiredness, instantly falls into deep REM sleep. This usually happens during periods of no stress or stimulation, but occurrences of this during more "exciting" times have been reported. Due to its resemblance to the popular conception of narcolepsy, ROSSD is occasionally mislabeled as "space narcolepsy". A somewhat uncommon term for people who have this occur is that they have been "rossed". Some sufferers have mistakenly been declared "brain dead", however, ROSSD causes no damage to the brain or body on its own, barring any external trauma from the sudden loss of control or the body hitting the ground. Once asleep, there is no fundamental difference between ROSSD-caused sleep and SSD-caused sleep.

Editing this page

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