STGOD 2k8 background thread

[Dark Hellion]

I am actually gothing mine out more Covenant, so don't be scared. I'll be at neutral on the Lulz scale, hopefully.

[Academia Nut]

Bah! Bah I say! Gothic and Depressing is no fun, you just sit around moping all the time and never get any shit done. Not even the "Grim and Dark" WH40k is free from insanity. The insanity is motivation to go out and do stupid shit that leaves people dead and homeless, inspiring the grimness. First comes the madness, then the gothic depression.

[Covenant]

I'm skipping right to the endgame phase. The only form of lulz to be found in my Empire are the sour-orange flavor of lulz you get when you see everything you hold dear get crushed by a rampaging elephant hopped up on amphetamines that someone stuck in the dartgun darts instead of tranqs. Because that is what having Earth die is like.

Note, nobody is going to wear black though, because that's for dorks. Trenchcoaters shall be prosecuted.

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Regarding the appearance of Haruhiist ships, I'm leaning towards the general aesthetic of the Musaka and Rewoola class ships from Char's Counterattack; I'm also partial towards the Argama and Gwadan class ships from Zeta Gundam. The Haruhiists are a civilization of otaku; of course they'd take their designs from anime sources.

Needless to say, the Haruhiists are second only to the Metalkönige on the lulz scale.

[Academia Nut]

Yes, that is a space longship, and yes, it will fuck you up. All credit goes to Hawkwings for this one.

[Crossroads Inc.]

I have decided, after a VAST left turn in the layout of my Empier, that all mys ships shall resemble those of "GunBuster" with my Dreadnaught being an Exelion look-alike

[Hotfoot]

Forgive the crap sketches, I spent more time recording than drawing today.



I hope at least this gives an idea of what I had in mind, but feel free to completely ignore that.

[SirNitram]

While the Enclave isn't 'dark', even in this doomsday scenario, they are not haha funny. They are soldiers trapped in a hostile area with a lifetime or more before their reinforcements come. The pressures are immense. The regulation of their lives is ironclad. They may take a soft, flexible approach with civilians, but the military, which ultimately is the true Enclave, is rigid and under the clock.

[Covenant]

While the Enclave isn't 'dark', even in this doomsday scenario, they are not haha funny. They are soldiers trapped in a hostile area with a lifetime or more before their reinforcements come. The pressures are immense. The regulation of their lives is ironclad. They may take a soft, flexible approach with civilians, but the military, which ultimately is the true Enclave, is rigid and under the clock.

BTW, do you have any opinion about what the Imperial vessels should look like? I've drawn two very distinct styles, and also offered the idea that Imperial vessels are really a hodge-podge of the nation state's hulltypes with just upgraded powerplants, shields, and weaponry. So, in that sense, they'd look like us--but with better equipment.

[SirNitram]

While the Enclave isn't 'dark', even in this doomsday scenario, they are not haha funny. They are soldiers trapped in a hostile area with a lifetime or more before their reinforcements come. The pressures are immense. The regulation of their lives is ironclad. They may take a soft, flexible approach with civilians, but the military, which ultimately is the true Enclave, is rigid and under the clock.

BTW, do you have any opinion about what the Imperial vessels should look like? I've drawn two very distinct styles, and also offered the idea that Imperial vessels are really a hodge-podge of the nation state's hulltypes with just upgraded powerplants, shields, and weaponry. So, in that sense, they'd look like us--but with better equipment.

Well, my thoughts is this: When the Empire spread and did it's mojo, it would have set down extremely sensible ships. They would, while not being the 'Flying murder brick' bluntness of the Enclave, be obviously warships. And as the decadence set it, the would keep the same basic ships, but with more and more ornamental crap tacked on.

I actually can see the Home Fleet, guarding Sol(And thus, little more than a parade unit for people to retire to) being so over-ornamented that it crippled their effectiveness.

[Covenant]

I think that's probably a good way to do it--having old ships essentially encrusted over time with bullshit, rather than simply poorly designed. It's more reasonable, gives them a more venerable feel to their ships without being moronic. I'd prefer they were Nazi-esque stupid with overly large and ineffective ultraweapons (that would, in 50 or so years, be fielded in an improved form) rather than some kind of moronic failure to remember how to build a proper warship.

But do you have a favorite artstyle from any of the pics posted? I'd like to play an Imperial remnant faction, and I'd like to be able to draw my ships, if I could--but I'd like to know what style I should be using, and so far we're not getting too much consensus. Since we all share these ships, it makes sense to give everbody a vote.

[Academia Nut]

For the Imperial ships, I'm somewhat partial to the giant gilded spheres engraved with trenches. I sort of see this image of these various geometric shapes criss-crossing the ships in an arcane but organized sort of way, with energy flowing through them in different patterns to produce enormous beams of energy capable of cutting through most lesser ships or pummelling a planet's defences into rubble.

And maybe the downfall was that the ships around Sol became more and more planet-busting in nature, such that they became over-optomized and ceremonial. With the other Imperial fleets and hordes of vassals, a rebellious world could first have its ships knocked out and then the kill ships from Sol would trundle in and in a show of overwhelming force obliterate even the most hardened bunkers. Over time they replaced much of the anti-ship equipment with bigger, more impressive guns, until eventually the ships were impressive on paper, but only really good for hitting stationary targets.

[Crossroads Inc.]

And now ladies and gents... Story Time!
=========================

Genea Solwynn was more than a model Kushawni. At a young age she knew her place was among the stars, unfortunately, her studies never quite lived up to her expectations. While she dreamed of leading one of the newly constructed massive Tradeships, her placement tests relegated her down to a simple cargo barge. Staying true to her Innate Kushawani nature, she never gave up, and continued to work hard to be the best cargo barge captain she could be!

She met with a good friend of hers and together they received credit for a more reasonable ship which, together they named “The NovaOutlaw.”

When war finally came to the their proudly independent province, Genea leapt at the call of the CityMind for “all able bodied ships to arm themselves for war” At over 80 meters, “The NovaOutlaw.” was a respectable size, yet after evaluation, she was allotted armourment that barely rated her a corvette. Despite this, she was still determined to Aim for the Top.

That Aim however had currently lended itself to a bit of a ‘side-trip’.

“We are crossing the military borderline now, estimated time of contact less than 40 seconds.” A softspoken voice echoed from the computer mic as Max clenched his seat.

“We are going to get killed for this! We are going to be picked up by the National Guard or worse!” Max bellowed as Genea grinned.

“Not before we reach the Bentuselon!” she spoke, her heart fluttering with excitement…

The Bentusilon The single largest Tradeship created by the great Kushawni people. Built at the time when contact with the Imperium was re-established, when fresh resources and funds flowed into the “Lost Colony” of the Kushawni, Since their Province had first reached great wealth they had built massive Trade ships, serving as moving cities and places of commerce, a small part of their whole nation that could move and make wealth. But with the influx of new wealth and vast resources from the empire directly, a new Trade ship was commissioned, one that would be called the very Avatar of the CityMind.

At over 5000 metres in length the great ship was a massive sprawling structure, yet constructed as a Harbour, it’s main section a great circular home that the people of the Kushawni could come to, live and work and strive to be the best.

Yet when War came to the Imperium, this time from a force that could not be ignored, the great ship, the pride of the Civilian fleets, the Avatar of the CityMind, was the very first ship to be “drafted” put into drydock at the largest and most valuable shipyard it’s people had. There it was shrouded in secret from its people, to become a great weapon to defend them and save the Imperium.

“And we’re just 30 seconds from visual range Max! 29! I cannot wait! Years and years of it hidden from us! And I Genea Solwynn shall be the first outside of the dirty military to see it! My Hope and Dreams shall be within my grasp!” she shouted, a sparkle beginning to form around her.

That was when the 30-meter Buster Machine dropped down.

The emergency Thrusters on Genea’s ship flared dramatically as a half dozen independent weapon systems activated on the Buster Machine and targeted her.

Attention unauthorized vessel! You have violated military space and are subject to immediate termination! The massive Machine bellowed over the ships comms as the weapons powered up…

An eerie quite took over the bridge as Max hid under his chair… Finally Genea could contain herself no longer and began to laugh.

“Yensriko? You do a lousy job of trying to intimidate!” Genea said over her comms as the immense machine powered its weapons down.

“That’s BusterMachine #14 thank you very much! And how could you have possibly known I’d be patrolling this area?” The Machine spoke as Genea chuckled.

“I always got the better of you Yensriko, even way back in High School.”
“Perhaps, but which one of us advanced to the Buster Corps?” Genea snorted.
“Are you going to let us see it or not?”
“I hate to disappoint you Genea, but you are hardly the first to try and see the Bentuselion Though I must admit, you showed impressive Guts to simply try and speed your way through to it. Most sneak aboard transports, or hide away on ships that actually have clearance. As for the Bentuselion I’m sorry, but secrets are secrets, no one without clearance is allowed near it.

Genea sighed and slumped back in her chair as #14 prepared to leave, tapping on the cargobarge.

“But, I’ll let you in on one secret old friend, you will not have to wait very long for you to see it… For everyone to see it.” It finished before blasting away. Genea’s heart soared, It could only mean, at long last it was finished, it had become the Great Weapon for the Kushawni people. But, if it was to be launched, it also meant the horrible war, that had ravaged the Imperium, was coming to the Kushawni…

[Darkevilme]

How much of the drednaughty look are you planning on adrian?

It should look recognizably like a battleship in Space, but also have a reasonable design for a space-ship. I don't want Space Battleship Yamato.

big prominent slab sided turrets?

Yes, but different from those in real life battleships. My ship's turrets should be able to direct fire along the x and y axes just as well as along the z axis. They would be shaped like squat isosceles trapezoids and allow the gun to fully traverse 180 degrees.

Nautical lines?

A little yes, but still squarish in shape. Look at SMS Radetzky, USS Conecticut, and USS Vermont for a general idea. They will be capable of setting down on large bodies of water, but they don't have to steam smoothly through them.

Turrets on the top only?

No, that's stupid. There should be turrets at the top and bottom. Probably might be a good idea to put the wing turrets on the sides.

superstructurey tower bits sticking up?

Yeah, flying bridge, comms antennas, detection equipment, etc. Nothing vital though.


While I am pretty settled on the kind of ships. It suddenly occurred to me that Austria-Hungary (in space) might be more fun to do than Ottoman Empire (in space). I'd get to call my navy the K.u.K Krigsmarine, but on the other hand I wouldn't get to name one of my ships Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Is this anything like what you were thinking?

Edit: @hotfoot: While i dont think it's really imperial i'm sure someone will want that design.

[Redleader34]

Ok then. In a few hours I'll be posting OOB 2.0. Would a group of shiping companies with their protective groups of mercanaries be a good group for this End of Empire style of space based STGOD? Trade is natural, and the military units could be an extension of mercanary technology.

[Dark Hellion]

Some teaser material to all my fans.

*************************************************************

Faint light filtered into the one-hundred and twenty-second story, washing Laurel's room in a pale orange glow. Laurel slept heavily, in the gilded wrought iron bed her father had bought. It was from Terra, home of humanity, and was worth a fortune. Laurel didn't care about that though, only that the bed was hosting one less occupant than she would have liked. Lord Berkshires son was a handsome boy, and adorably sweet, but he was so shy. She would normally let him make the first move, for traditions sake, but laurel was getting desperate; she hadn't been properly fucked in a month, and she was getting tired of the run around. He was frightened because she was older, but she wasn't even thirty, she still had ten years to mess around before she had to start taking adult responsibility, plenty of time for the two to complete a courtship. He was so rich and if Becky could be trusted, so big as well. Dwelling on it had made it hard to go to bed, so Laurel had dosed some SLEEP, and now snored under the heavy comforter of Terran Polar Bear. It was night in Landau, and gears started to turn.

"Wakey! Wakey! Wake up little princess, the kingdom burns!"

Laurel's mind burst into consciousness, her brain dosing to counteract the SLEEP. A tall, thin man stood, bent double on the head rest of her bed, face hovering a foot above hers.

"Terra is gone, little princess. The Empire really is dead. No more military contracts, no more protection fleets. No more leash. Isn't it exhilarating!'

Monotone till the last sentence. Slightly crazed. Some young nut from the military, getting his knighthood and breaking into her apartment. What a joke. She might as well play the game though.

'H-how did you get in here?'

A stutter, well timed, putting him off guard. The military boys always fell for the damsels in distress.

"Shield cutters, stealth, spoofers, the standard drill. Please, little lady, it wasn't too hard. Of course, if you had a living person on the floor, or if you didn't sleep in your drug induced stupor..."

Little lady! She swung out a backhand with a guttural grunt. The grunt wasn't very ladylike, and she sure as hell knew the backhand wasn't. Twisted, molten chunks of iron and gold splattered the windows, as Laurel dug a ten centimeter deep gouge into the armoured walls. The disruption field flickered out and Laurel stood and waited for the smoke to clear and survey the damage. Jackass deserved anything he got.

"Temper, temper, sweety. I like it. A bit of aggression to go with that look."

She got a full look at him. Tall, thin, wearing a baseball cap to cover his face. Nondescript, military, special forces. A fucking douche bag. But he was way to close, still in arms length. A crack rang out as her jab broke the sound barrier.

"Stop it! You'll embarrass yourself! Stop flailing, stop bouncing around those bioscupted tits, and listen!"

Her hand was held very lightly in his. Her heart raced. And she was pissed. The jab could have destroyed a ground car, and she wasn't even sure what he had done. And he was ogling her. Com lines where jammed. This was some kind of setup.

'Get the fuck outta here you bastard. Do you know who my father is? This is trespassing. Disappear, now and I won't have you praying every night that the guy who ass pounds you is gentle.'

It was petulant and childish, but fuck she was pissed.

"A little vulgar too. I kinda like you princess. Because of that, I'll disappear."

And he was gone. Even flicking through every spectrum of her wildly enhanced vision, Laurel saw nothing. And then a light touch across her buttocks. Then a warm hand gripped her ass cheek.

"I know who your father is. Tell him that the Empire is dead. Get this pretty little ass on the Ghost Council. Tell him the DeathPact is ready for independence. We fought too many little wars for ungrateful masters, so learn to be grateful, and do that politics thing you do so well. We'll do the kill every motherfucker who breaths thing we do. Remember that? I know you do. And don't try to fight us. The Death Lords will always spank your ass!"

He gave a hard slap. Laurel swung with a roundhouse that would have gutted a normal man. She followed through, slamming the bed, twisting the five-hundred kilo frame.

"Play nice, or I'll be the one ass fucking you. And knowing you, you won't want it gentle. Till next time, farewell my little princess."

She was alone again. A Death Lord, in her weekend house? Society just got exiting again. Fuck Berkshire, who was that man? Whoever he was, Laurel needed a cold shower.

The shower sprays a mist and Laurel thinks about the possibilities. The unknown figure appears again on the foot of the bed. The room lights come up, the jamming disappearing. The man speaks to the air.

"The name is Darien Viest. Next time, try to impress me, Laurel Danielson. Lets see what you can do."

[Adrian Laguna]

Is this anything like what you were thinking?

Hey, that's a really nice design. Did you make that for me, or was it something you had lying around? Either way, thank you very much.

Though it doesn't quite match-up with what I had in mind in a couple of ways. The flying bridge is too high and the lines too smooth. The bottom might also be too deep, not sure about that, though. Looks more like USS Texas than the examples I gave.

Is different from what I had in mind. I was picturing two guns at the top, two at the bottom, and two on either side. This allows the ship to fire a 12 gun broadside up, down, left and right. However, it limited it to an 8 gun barrage on the front and back. The arrangement you went with allows it to fire 12 guns forward, backward, and to either side, while sacrificing the weight of the up and down barrage. I actually like this arrangement much better. If an enemy is above or below, rolling to bring the broadside to bear is no biggie. But if the ship is being pursued, being able to bring fire full broadside weight directly behind is rather useful. Plus, the casemated secondary guns you put in work better with a broadside focus. The wings are also good for adding PD and tertiary guns.

[Darkevilme]

I made it for ya, here's an alternate i made this morning. weak downward volley on this one, but fairly good everywhere else.


And another ship i felt inspired to make in Dahak's style last night while the forum was down.

[Covenant]

Ok then. In a few hours I'll be posting OOB 2.0. Would a group of shiping companies with their protective groups of mercanaries be a good group for this End of Empire style of space based STGOD? Trade is natural, and the military units could be an extension of mercanary technology.

I could see that working out pretty well. I'm still undecided myself, honestly. I'll either be running my Spheres independantly, as an extension of the human ascendency movement that Earth was pushing for, or I'll be running an Inquest group that's operating out of Sphereoid People territory, given that they'd be ideologically compatible and an Inquest force has no logistics without an alliance. I'm not sure which to go with, honestly. I think an Inquest group might be interesting, but I'm not sure if they should take primacy, or if people would prefer the Spheres. I want something creepy--and the spheremen can be that, but the Inquest group is an interesting plot hook.

I'd like some feedback there. Not that it's required, but if everyone likes one idea more than the other, it's something for me to consider while I play with the ships.

[Adrian Laguna]

I made it for ya,

Extra thanks then!

here's an alternate i made this morning. weak downward volley on this one, but fairly good everywhere else.

That one is very nice as well. In fact, I'm not sure which one I like better.

[Darkevilme]

@Adrian: Well the second one is i feel closer to what you said you originally intended based on your feedback to the first model. But choose which one you like best and i may make a third 'bigger more gunz' version in either the sleeker or the broader style.

As for everyone else, anyone else wanna ask for something done?

[Crossroads Inc.]

Sure... Ever watch "GunBuster" ?

My ships shall be variatoions of the Exelion with various raised turrets.

[Adrian Laguna]

@Adrian: Well the second one is i feel closer to what you said you originally intended based on your feedback to the first model. But choose which one you like best and i may make a third 'bigger more gunz' version in either the sleeker or the broader style.

Since I like the two designs, I was thinking of using them both. The first one as the big bruisers and the second as the more bread 'n butter ships. Though with secondary and terciary guns added in places. Didn't mention their lack of them in either design because I figured it'd be too much work to be adding those all over the place, and besides I haven't really decided on their type and placement.

If you'd like to make a third, and I'd would certainly appreciate it if you do, I think a mix of both would be ideal, with the overall leaning toward the latter design. One thing though, the main hull could be a tad less deep.

[Beowulf]

Ten Propositions Regarding Space Power
Colonel Michael Bau, Achaean Royal Navy

1. Space is the ultimate high ground.
2. Whoever controls space generally controls the surface.
3. Space Power is an inherently strategic force.
4. Space Power is primarily an offensive weapon.
5. Space power leverages a nation’s economic and military centers of gravity.
6. Space superiority starts with assured access to space.
7. Controlling space requires eyes, ears, shields, and swords.
8. Space is a distinct medium; space forces require space-focused theory, doctrine, and policy.
9. Space power is a function of a nation’s total space capability (space unity of effort).
10. National space power reaches its full potential when a nation commits to a separate, independent space force.

---

Yeah, renamed my nation.

[Darkevilme]

Final one for Adrian.

now i gotta go look up Gunbuster *has not watched the anime, google time*