SDN Worlds 4 Commentary Thread I

[Coyote]

The Central Alliance may buy some off of you; we have no psi or magic of Force or any of that stuff; so my people will be extremely concerned about the spread of that.

You're literally on the other side of the map from us...it will be a while before we even hear of your little Outside Context Nation.

Yeah, until we start seriously searching for people with anti-psyker field generators. We'll probably also hit up the Shepistanis, etc.

[Norade]

My first story post is up, those who are familiar with TIE Fighter's story will recognize things in the post immediately.

[Simon_Jester]

Yeah, until we start seriously searching for people with anti-psyker field generators. We'll probably also hit up the Shepistanis, etc.

Well... might want to wait until the issue of just what their generators are capable of is nailed down. I'm very dubious of the head-asplode proposition, even without regarding the fact that the Mods No Like It.

[K. A. Pital]

I see there's so many nationalist separatists folks with legitimate grievances against the hegemony and imperialism of the greater powers. Hmm.

[Simon_Jester]

Well, don't go trying to subvert everybody at once; that never ends well.

[Steve]

So, now that the diplomatic communique thread is up... what do we do about diplomatic notes that are a matter of public record? I presume that there are cases of such- for example, certain correspondence might be published deliberately by one power or the other, as a way to keep things above board.

Would go there too. Mark it as a public statement instead of an official communication.

[Steve]

I already said what the generators can do. At most, the most powerful active system can render an ESPer unconscious if they get too close to the generating source.

[RogueIce]

Just as an FYI, I added a new little snippet to my prologue post that I wanted to make you aware of, if you'd already read it.

[Coyote]

Anyone with psi-field nullification generators will probably be contacted by the CA at some point. Even though I am hoping to play my people as "somewhat resistant/more difficult" to crack, they are still from a reality that does not have this sort of thing and will perceive any such ability to be a major vulnerability.

[RogueIce]

Anyone with psi-field nullification generators will probably be contacted by the CA at some point. Even though I am hoping to play my people as "somewhat resistant/more difficult" to crack, they are still from a reality that does not have this sort of thing and will perceive any such ability to be a major vulnerability.

I likely do, though I haven't gone into any such detail as of yet.

Speaking of details, my first story post is now posted, setting up events to come. Not sure yet exactly where I'm going to take this Doma Crisis, though I do have some objectives I'd like to accomplish with it.

As for the hint of "outside support" I haven't yet made up my mind there. I do have one idea tossing around in my head, though I'm still open to various possibilities. If you're interested in either your Nation, some faction thereof, or an independent organization you've created playing some part in this, send me a PM. I make no promises I will use any of it, but I'm open to ideas.

Oh, and sorry Stas, but it probably won't fit you. These guys want to establish the old Kingdom of Doma and the monarchy that would go with it, so they're probably not a fit for the Commune. Incidently, for others interested, keep that in mind as the general end goal.

And, of course, if your government is involved and that involvement is discovered, it would naturally lead to a considerable souring of relations. So if we're already allies or on generally friendly terms...consider carefully. Unless you have a non-Nation affiliated group, of course.

[Steve]

Anyone want to conceive of minor states for minor story purposes? Nearby neighboring worlds and such? It'd be logical if sectors directly between us that are unclaimed house settled worlds, though the hyperspace networks through these sectors might be less developed (alternatively, such states may yet still exist because while too weak to assert interstellar sovereignty, they were able to play surrounding powers against each other and guarantee continued independence).

I already intend to draw up some independent "world-states" in Sector X-13 (which is between Anglia and France, so their independence should be obvious).

[PeZook]

We should totally have XXth century level worlds so that we can cruise by and shock the shit out of the natives

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Whatever happened to the planet where the first SDN World was set, anyway? We should probably insert it in somewhere just for the hell of it and say that the people there are more or less permanently stuck at late 20th to early 21st century tech because they're caught in a constant cycle of nuking and rebuilding. They mastered space travel, but it certainly didn't look like they were going to develop Heim drives anytime soon.

There's also the fact that many of the native cultures there would be sources of great interest to the people of Earth and Nova Terra in quite a few ways...

[Norade]

Toss the Sepan sector in at S19. I really hope that people are getting what I'm doing there by now.

[Steve]

Toss the Sepan sector in at S19. I really hope that people are getting what I'm doing there by now.

Afraid I don't, but I'm adding them.

[PeZook]

Whatever happened to the planet where the first SDN World was set, anyway? We should probably insert it in somewhere just for the hell of it and say that the people there are more or less permanently stuck at late 20th to early 21st century tech because they're caught in a constant cycle of nuking and rebuilding. They mastered space travel, but it certainly didn't look like they were going to develop Heim drives anytime soon.

There's also the fact that many of the native cultures there would be sources of great interest to the people of Earth and Nova Terra in quite a few ways...

Heh...after fifteen centuries, when scientists of the UN have just about given up trying to explain Nova Terra, BAM! Two PeZookias?! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

EDIT: And then Dr. Blitzschlag reveals himself to the world and we proceed to KILL Q!

REVENGE MILLENIA AFTER!

[Simon_Jester]

Hmm. The minor states of greatest interest would be:
-Ones in the Badlands, difficult to reach and marginally habitable; many of them are controlled by orks, and most of the human exceptions are loose protectorates of Umeria (in the sectors bordering Umeria) or other states (as applicable)
-Single planet states between Umeria and its nearest neighbors (Tianguo, Shepistan, the Union of Four Stars, the French powers, and the enigmatic Regency of the Engine).

But I haven't got any specific ideas, yet.

[SDNW4-verse comparative social scientist] Maybe it's the SDNW cultures that are "natural" and the Earth cultures that are an abberration? After all, if there are two PeZookias but only one Poland, it stands to reason that a PeZookia is more normal, right?

We should totally have XXth century level worlds so that we can cruise by and shock the shit out of the natives

One such planet is already incorporated into the Technocracy; the Phosako were at a twentieth century tech level when the hairy space aliens landed in their flying saucer assorted-shape ships and offered membership in an interstellar polity.

They were even advanced enough that their first planetary representative was able to formally board the Umerian task force flagship in orbit in a native vehicle, though it was the equivalent of a guy in a canoe paddling out to a Victorian armored cruiser to be received as a dignitary.

[Darkevilme]

I see there's so many nationalist separatists folks with legitimate grievances against the hegemony and imperialism of the greater powers. Hmm.

Yes, but we sent the worst offenders to somewhere their communist twoddle would be more welcome. Have fun with them Stas.

[loomer]

If we're adding minor states, I could dig through my books to bulk them out.

[KlavoHunter]

Requesting that BannedWolf's United Corporate Front be re-included as an NPC of whatever size moderators wish, where it previously was.

[Simon_Jester]

With respect to the question of minor states: again, I fully intend to create a few, but they haven't gelled yet.

With respect to Darkevilme's comments:

Hmm. You know, that could actually be a serious problem for the Commune. Given their stated policy of regarding all avowed communists in the galaxy as their citizens, and being willing to make trouble over political oppression of their "citizens," it makes a lot of sense for people to deport leftist groups to the Commune.

Which wouldn't be so bad... except that it leaves the Commune having to deal with every random bunch of freaks in the galaxy who call themselves communists, regardless of whether they're willing to play nicely with other communists. It's all very well to draw a bright line on the political spectrum and say "here begins Red, no enemies to the left of this line!" But realistically, the political far-left has produced groups too insane and dysfunctional to fit in a civilized society (the Khmer Rouge during their time in power come to mind), just as the far-right has.

Of course, that's a problem that can be solved by vigorous internal policing, in effect duplicating the role of the Communist Vietnamese in putting an end to the Communist Khmer Rouge. But it is still a problem: having claimed responsibility for a large fraction of known space's political misfits, how does the Commune keep those same misfits from either entering its own ranks and influencing state policy in dangerous ways? And how does it keep them from provoking foreign wars that it cannot afford?

Also: how does the Commune's doctrine treat alien species whose biology lends itself to a social structure entirely different from that of humans?

[MKSheppard]

I already said what the generators can do. At most, the most powerful active system can render an ESPer unconscious if they get too close to the generating source.

That's the most retarded pile of bullshit ever. Psykers can do all sorts of things like pick up people, toss them around, throw things at people, invade people's minds, or burn their minds out; but nobody in this universe has gone: "Can we find a way to first nullify the psyker advantage and then go on the offensive against them?" all the more so if Psykers are rare in your race?

Also, I love the idea of "ha ha ha ha null fields only nullify psyker powers and if of sufficient power, render them unconscious, they will be fine once the null field passes" -- I bet a lot of people who suffer from chronic hearing loss would love it for the world to behave like that. You don't get your hearing back 100% after being exposed to 15 minutes of 100 decibel noise.

Thinking some more.

Head burn-out wouldn't happen unless the teep was exposed to a really intense short range anti-psyke field like say... a thrown anti teep grenade; or a directed anti-teep weapon that focuses the energy instead of radiating it out omnidirectionally like the typical Blitzschlag Field Generators do.

And head burn out amongst teeps exposed to blitzschlag generators would not be much of an issue -- because after a point, the teep would stop advancing towards the BFG; because the noise in their head would get to a point where they say "hey you know, fuck this" -- keeping them out of secure areas; because they value their lives more than whatever piece of information they needed to grab in Shepistani Military HQ.

And as a side bonus; extended exposure to BFGs would tend to burn out the Psyker section of the brain -- in the same way being exposed to loud noise continuously deafens people. So you could send a teep into the Shepistani Federation, and he'd come back alive; but he wouldn't be able to do anything, due to all the noise filling his head; and he'd come back with his psyker powers permanently reduced; perhaps even to the point of teeplessness.

[PeZook]

Of course, we live in a universe with FTL, cloning, mind imprinting and uploads, so why would it be a problem to fix up the damaged portions of the brain, or furnish a psyker with a completely new 100% fresh body?

Your examples don't work if corporate executives can buy a mind-state backup service and just shrug their shoulders at an assassination of a colleague (with radioactive isotopes to ensure the body can't be repaired, necessitating a brand new one)

[MKSheppard]

Of course, we live in a universe with FTL, cloning, mind imprinting and uploads, so why would it be a problem to fix up the damaged portions of the brain, or furnish a psyker with a completely new 100% fresh body?

Hmm yes, you do have a point.

*goes back to lethal killfield mode*

[Darkevilme]

snip

Or like other folks without psychers but with a healthy paranoia your system for dealing with psionic agents sent into your nation could just rely on say...shooting them in the head or something similar?