SDNW5 Preliminary Discussion Thread

[Skywalker_T-65]

Well, I meant for the one system colony sector to emphasize that they are very newly founded things...they just haven't had time to expand. But it is easy enough to change it to a couple systems per sector. (even my biggest sectors are three major systems).

[White Haven]

Even that is generally pretty gamey. The average is five per sector, subject to wiggle-room for thematic reasons. But being 1-3 in every sector goes way beyond wiggle and straight into 'heheh, I get to concentrate my defenses, suck it' territory. I'm not a mod, b ut that seems really dubious to me.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Then it is simple enough to change it. I wasn't really going for the 'concentrate your defenses' thing, more just the 'this area is recently founded and thus doesn't have many major systems'. Again though, easy enough to change.

EDIT: Added more systems to my Sectors...main ones have four, and Colonies have three. (mind you, these are Major systems...there are plenty of smaller ones.) And it is going to stretch my fleet thinner...new math incoming.

It's now closer to 36 ships per system. Now the fleet is getting spread thin...more credence to the 'abandon the colonies' strategy if war comes.

[White Haven]

I accept that you weren't trying to game the system, but the fact remains that a colony sector with one defended system in it would have equal ground and space defenses to an average core-sector system with the average five planets. I think we can agree that that's a bit out of whack.

However, we don't want to screw the theme for your colony sectors. I would recommend having only one world in a colony sector with high civilian populations, with the others as more fresh-start colonies. They don't have their own home-grown defenses yet, but accordingly they've got some garrison troops and naval-reserve ships assigned there until that changes (AKA their normal, free ground and space defenses). That way you keep the frontier feel without accidentally powergaming the system. Thoughts?

[Skywalker_T-65]

Yeah, when you look at it that way...I can see your point. Wasn't thinking of the homegrown defenses.

Hmm...one major world with several newer ones...that actually works well. I like your plan, it keeps the feel I was going for, without blowing the defenses out of whack.

[White Haven]

Huzzah!

[OmegaChief]

Indeed, the major world could be something akin to the sector capital, which the fleet is based out of due to the simpelf act that none of the other colonies in the sector have quite the level of infrastructure to support a full blown super heavy Arcadian Fleet.

You could perhaps even work in some story elements about the capitals being rushed in development to support this, perhaps putting strain on the more orgnicilly grown colonies in the sector if you wanted?

[Skywalker_T-65]

Hmm...interesting idea OmegaChief. I'll see if I can work that in. Might be a way to extend the next prologue post actually. Also, I'm going to trade in one of my Colonies for a new GDP boost...same GDP, but less strain on the fleet. Everybody wins! (though the remaining two will keep the three system thing I have set up).

EDIT: On second thought...I'll stick with the Three Colonies set up...more conflict, which means more interesting stories.

[Esquire]

Wow, I hadn't even been thinking about deployment densities...

(does some quick math) It looks like I've got enough ships in the Confederate Navy to station at least two cruisers in every system, more if there's less than five systems in a sector, which I'll think about later. That works out nicely - covering every system would tie down the entire cruiser force for the Confederate Navy, keeping them strategically superior to any one major polity but tactically weaker than any one of them. Reinforces the fragility of the political system I'm trying to set up.

[OmegaChief]

And Authorities OOB up!

Yes I realise I don't have class names for my ships yet, it's coming! Along with some desctriptions of the sectors they control, damn I suck at naming things.

[Rabid]

I don't have class names for my ships, because their are all more or less custom-built - the ships are built for their pilots, and not the reverse.

I mean, all ships inside a class all have more or less the same armament and performances (EDIT : during a given time-period) and share more or less the same general appearance, but culturally it's more like soldiers being attributed (customized) standard gears than anything else.


Note : as will be touched a bit in my next prologue post, the Doxa's Navy pilots have, shall we say, a very long service life ; and the fact the ships are totally automated allow for things that would be unthinkable for more common starship conceptions.

[Simon_Jester]

Ahem.

SHIP CLASS NAMES ARE NOT REQUIRED.

I have them because I want to have them, if you don't need them, don't worry at all about thinking of them. The smart move may simply be to wait until enough ship names have occurred to you, then retcon a class name. Or remember that your military may have very boring and generic 'names' for classes. No one bothers to talk about the "FF-3700-class" frigates, even though they represent a distinct category of warship. The Capellan fleet may name its ship types "Type 27 Heavy Fleebelizer" or similarly impersonal things, in which case the class names are boring.

I don't have a whole lot of major systems to guard though (the Colony sectors each have just one major system). I believe I have thirteen major systems to garrison. There are 768 ships to garrison said systems. So I have plenty of ships (if you want to be completely even in ships per system that would be: 59 or so ships). Which is nothing compared to your hundreds of smaller warships, but it should be sufficient to cover a system, considering that the larger ships (destroyer and up) are typically stronger one for one than other nations ships.

Excuse me. How did you get thirteen systems in seven sectors? That is really an unreasonably tight concentration, and triggers very unfond memories for the SDNW4 veterans in the audience.

Well, I meant for the one system colony sector to emphasize that they are very newly founded things...they just haven't had time to expand. But it is easy enough to change it to a couple systems per sector. (even my biggest sectors are three major systems).

Even that is generally pretty gamey. The average is five per sector, subject to wiggle-room for thematic reasons. But being 1-3 in every sector goes way beyond wiggle and straight into 'heheh, I get to concentrate my defenses, suck it' territory. I'm not a mod, b ut that seems really dubious to me.

I accept that you weren't trying to game the system, but the fact remains that a colony sector with one defended system in it would have equal ground and space defenses to an average core-sector system with the average five planets. I think we can agree that that's a bit out of whack.

Actually, if someone tried to go full CN-retard on us like that, I'd impose normal distribution of defenses- you can't pack 1000$ of defense points into one colony system, even if it's the only one in the sector.

However, we don't want to screw the theme for your colony sectors. I would recommend having only one world in a colony sector with high civilian populations, with the others as more fresh-start colonies. They don't have their own home-grown defenses yet, but accordingly they've got some garrison troops and naval-reserve ships assigned there until that changes (AKA their normal, free ground and space defenses). That way you keep the frontier feel without accidentally powergaming the system. Thoughts?

I endorse this interpretation; it works well and makes sense.

Glad this sorted itself out.

Wow, I hadn't even been thinking about deployment densities...

(does some quick math) It looks like I've got enough ships in the Confederate Navy to station at least two cruisers in every system, more if there's less than five systems in a sector, which I'll think about later. That works out nicely - covering every system would tie down the entire cruiser force for the Confederate Navy, keeping them strategically superior to any one major polity but tactically weaker than any one of them. Reinforces the fragility of the political system I'm trying to set up.

The average should be about five systems per sector.

[Skywalker_T-65]

I'm glad it sorted itself out too...I haven't read the SDNW4 stuff, so I had no idea how bad my idea was. At least I have a more workable idea now with White Haven's suggestion.

[Simon_Jester]

The real problem with the "concentrate sector into one system for concentrated defense" is that it was done by a troll-player.

Lessons were learned.

[Skywalker_T-65]

And a lesson was learned here too...make sure to clear stuff with the veteran players first. Because I had no idea that concentrating like that was a bad idea.

[OmegaChief]

Ahem.

SHIP CLASS NAMES ARE NOT REQUIRED.

I have them because I want to have them, if you don't need them, don't worry at all about thinking of them. The smart move may simply be to wait until enough ship names have occurred to you, then retcon a class name. Or remember that your military may have very boring and generic 'names' for classes. No one bothers to talk about the "FF-3700-class" frigates, even though they represent a distinct category of warship. The Capellan fleet may name its ship types "Type 27 Heavy Fleebelizer" or similarly impersonal things, in which case the class names are boring.

Oh I'm quite aware they're not required, and hence why I stuck them up presently un-named just so I could get my OOB just up there and done so anyone could point out if I did a maths error or made any blatently silly mistakes.

The Capellans -would- however go for interesting names in an older version of thier language for thier ships though, it's how thier mindset works, Currently working on (What are no doubt poorly translated, oh god I hope Thanas doesn't play) Latin (or at least Latin themed) names for them.

[White Haven]

Heh. Eheheh. Eheheheheheheh. Heh.

*smug silent look*

[Simon_Jester]

Like that ground-level perspective, Scottish Ninja.

"Ruuun!"

[Akhlut]

I think this might show some of the thought-process that motivates the Grays.

[OmegaChief]

Wow, they don't do half-measures do they?

Well, it should make diplomatic relationships... interesting to say the least.

[Simon_Jester]

Umeria has no diplomatic relations with the Kritarchy, being convinced that they are in fact an extremely complex swamp gas manifestation, the strident claims of UFOlogists to the contrary notwithstanding.

(I haven't decided whether I'm joking or not)

[Akhlut]

Wow, they don't do half-measures do they?

Well, it should make diplomatic relationships... interesting to say the least.

To be fair, they did consider diplomatic solutions, but just didn't see that as being worthwhile in this instance.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Wow...remind me not to get on the bad side of the Gray's.

Seriously though, if they weren't neo-fascist I would feel sorry for those people. But they kind of deserved it to a certain extent (not quite as much as they got, but still).

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Is it too late to throw my hat in the ring? I have a vague plan to represent a group of mutually self- assembling robotic space octopi, cut loose from their home system and gone a- wandering throughout the galaxy.

Wanderers, builders, terraformers. Slightly clueless, too. Programmed, but not comprehensively enough to stay programmed. (Probably not actually nomadic, just, centre of effort shifts a bit.) what do I need, an NCP roll? Is there still room?

[Skywalker_T-65]

I don't see any reason why you can't join in ECR. In fact, I think Simon wants to have more people join in. But I'm neither him, or a mod...so take my word at face value

EDIT: Though if you go for a truly nomadic culture you might want to take into account we already have one in the form of Rabid's Stellar Nation. Might want to look at what he has before you decide.