Rulesets [Rulesets] C2 Formatted Forms and Guides

Information pulled from the C2 OOC, compiled for quick reference and usage.

SEQUINCE Rules

Presented below is a list of simple rules, that, if followed, will let everyone taking part in the C2 games have a smooth, fair, balanced and trouble-free experience. These rules are listed at the start of the thread so that everyone can see them. Posting in the C2 thread means that you have read and accept these rules. To make it easy to remember, this thread is governed by the SEQUINCE.

Or...

S.pace
E.ngineer
Q.uality
U.pholding
I.nstructions for
N.ecessary
C.ooperative
E.njoyment

1) Have fun! We're all doing this because we want to. Do your best to do right by your characters and factions, and let's put on a good show.

2) Play nice! There's no reason to get angry with anybody. If any disputes arise, contact the GM and let him/her sort it out. Remember that the KSH forum rules and codes of conduct still apply here.

3) Play fair! The more down-to-earth you present yourself, the more people will want to interact with you. Godmodding, invincibility, abuse of meta-knowledge and other forms of powergaming are displays of bad faith to your fellow players, and are counterproductive and harmful to the integrity of the game.

4) Show up! You've taken the time to create a whole faction, a group of ships as well as people to put in them. Don't let all that go to waste, and show us what you've got and what you're capable of. Take note that the GM may direct your character's actions if too much time passes between your posts. Even without the actors, the show must go on!

5) Speak up! This is a group activity, and as such, requires a deal of cooperation to work. Your opinions are valued, but remember that no single person is any more or less important than another. While frequent participation is encouraged, sometimes you may need to take a break. Send a message to the GM so they can create a workaround while you're away.

6) Speak out! If something doesn't sit well with you, let us know! We're all intelligent enough to compromise on any issue that might come up.

7) Listen up! Pay attention to the current status in game. Missing out on events can cause confusion and frustration, and be aware you may be reminded if you're skipping over something important.

8) Play along! As this is a more traditional GM-governed RPG, it's important to remember that the GM has the final say in disputes. Consider any disadvantages against you as challenges to overcome instead of penalties.

9) No spoilers! Sometimes, coming to a shocking revelation can be the most exciting part of the game. If you suspect a dramatic twist is heading for another player, let them experience it themselves! Nobody wants others to ruin their big surprises.

10) Proofread! Even a basic use of grammer skills goes a long way to stop your posts from looking like an unappealing blob of text. While it's understood that English may not be every player's first language, is it the language with which the game will play out. If you want/need help with spelling, grammar, punctuation, or formatting, check Fatal's Posting Guide, or contact the GM before posting.

 

A Brief Synopsis of Historical Accounts, circa 2077-2184.

The year was 2077. Results from the second space race in the 2030’s had left humanity with a vast array of technological advances, but a still broken foundation of social unity. Countries eager to quickly claim resources on other planets and in the asteroid belt had outsourced much of their space technology development to private companies, who then used the research to advance their own holdings, and almost the entirety of the Sol system’s even most distant reaches had been claimed by one faction or another. By threatening to withhold offworld resources from Earth, the companies that had been most prominent in space development forced the Corporate Sovereignty Act into law, untying them from government oversight and taking full and unregulated control of their outposts and stations. Business ran rampant as cost cutting measures made working in space a dangerous endeavor that few could afford to avoid, and the system map was redrawn daily as corporate mergers and hostile takeovers became commonplace. Back on Earth, despite numerous conferences, meetings and summits from world leaders calling for a movement of unification, government or corporation alike, nobody was willing to set aside their self perceived superiority, and many such summits devolved into shouting matches that only served to edge the world closer to the brink of war. Fertile farmland was being converted to industrial parks by terrestrial powers in an attempt to keep up with the space corporations, and less and less food was becoming available to feed a burgeoning population relying on the blue planet that seemed to be becoming less blue each day.


Two years later in late 2079, tensions were again strained to near breaking point, when construction was completed on the Tannhauser Catapult. Anchored in orbit above Pluto, the massive instillation was capable of wrapping a space vessel in a stable bubble of space-time, allowing it to move at near relativistic speeds in a so-called “warp effect” passing beyond the edges of Sol toward other stars beyond. Built by a government or corporation who name has since been lost in the sands of time, the Tannhauser and its potential to relieve the stresses everyone was feeling, as well as expand power bases, quickly became the spark of the most savagely violent conflict mankind had yet experienced: the Solstice War. Beginning on the summer solstice of 2080 and ending on the Winter solstice of 2081, the catapult changed hands in ruthless battles between numerous factions, as each attempted to decipher the Tannhauser’s technology for their own purposes.


The Solstice War was equal parts brutal orbital conflict, land-rush, and techie bonanza. While countries desperate to seed even the smallest of their number among the stars vied for control of the facility, whoever possessed it that month or week packed colonists in to ships and hurled them out at distant star systems while researchers worked feverishly to reverse engineer critical subsystems. The world had gone mad.


Only by the time peace returned at the end of the war was the true magnitude of the casualty rate discovered. Only a scant handful of colonists had arrived, while countless missions never made contact, and others managed only to get off panicked transmissions before going silent. Firing ships off at near relativistic speeds while relying on essentially untested deceleration units had led to a multitude of problems. Collisions in transit or upon arrival were the most common as the probability of impact climbed the closer the vessels got to their new gravity well. Failure of the braking units themselves led to overshooting or undershooting of the target with all the incumbent consequences of both. It was a public relations nightmare.


That was until the research entity Orihara Group's Chief Technologist Doctor Tsukayama revealed the fruits of the company's work based on the Tannhauser Catapult. Rather than try to build a catapult of their own, they had been studying on how to make the components smaller and more power efficient, with the simply stated goal of attempting to allow an individual ship to warp itself. The first prototype drives were still huge by relative standards, but tied together the practical applications of newly miniaturized power sources with the incredible power draw of the Tannhauser Catapult's primary mechanism. Since a ship would be carrying its own drive rather than relying on a launch platform, real course correction was possible at last. While the actual operation was only half the solution, the true genius of the system was realized through the built in safety failsafes. Using probabilistic modeling, Tsukayama arrived at an algorithm for calculating safe jump arrivals based on characteristic gravity values of the destination star. Dropping a ship out of warp on the edge of a star’s gravity well, (the thus-named Tsukayama Limit) would prevent unforeseen influence from the gravity wells of other stellar objects affecting the ship’s arrival point. The proof of concept offered up by the OG-1 Drive, and the application of the accompanying Tsukayama limit, turned the downward spiral of interstellar colonization around.


With the OG-1 serving as a prototype, and with further study of documents released by Orihara’s research division, The Daishi Technologies Foundation, (who had pioneered several other spaceship propulsion systems) managed to build a stable working warp drive model that was easily mass produced, and offered superior ease of maintenance to other units then available. With the inclusion of anti-tampering devices to prevent anyone from reverse-engineering their drives, DTF became a household name almost overnight as the go-to company for interstellar travel. With a vastly more available method for departing to other solar systems, the Tannhauser was all but forgotten, little more than a novelty in the emerging era of starships.


In 2083, a second wave of colony ships began reaching out, this time untroubled with the time limitations and blatant disregard for safety that had plagued the ones that had been forced through the Tannhauser. Relatively short range voyages were now possible between Sol and its closest neighbors, and the immense pressure on the population of Earth began to ease as people left in an exodus seeking better, if yet still difficult, lives in the colonies. Diplomatic tensions also eased somewhat, as any faction was free to travel in any direction they preferred, though the occasional dispute for newly claimed territory still arose from time to time. The need for an extrasolar governing body became more and more apparent, as factions with no place to settle their differences in a legal manner frequently turned to shows of force and open warfare instead. To meet this rising tide of aggression, 2085 saw the formation of the Common Peacekeeping Court, an entity based on the concept of the old Earth United Nations, founded to promote non-hostile means of dispute resolution. With the ability to quickly conscript a joint military force from its member nations when the need arose, the CPC made great strides in stabilizing the rough early expansion years, eventually boasting one of the largest spheres of influence amongst humanity’s quickly growing territorial boundaries.


The tail end of the 21st century proceeded mostly without further major interstellar incident, as the majority of people spent their time and energy either building their new lives, or in transit to a new location to do so there. But even though the ships were now reliably reaching their destinations, warp drives were expensive modules to produce, and only dedicated ships were capable of mounting them. Additionally, the time spent in travel was still too long for any degree of sustainable commerce, and the limited range of DTF’s warp drives and the time needed to recharge them during transit meant that months, if not years in some cases, were needed for a single back and forth journey. The first 20 years of exploration were painfully slow in advancing humanity’s reach amongst the stars, and if mankind was to keep moving outward, what was needed was a way to shorten the trips entirely.


What was needed was a gateway.


The turn of the century in 2100 again saw the influence of the Orihara Group and its extended study of the abandoned Tannhauser over the past 20 years. Though nobody exactly knows what they discovered, what followed was a quick partnership with the manufacturing business Pesado Heavy Industries to build a pair of facilities that, to the casual outside observer, very closely resembled the original Tannhauser. One in Sol, and one in nearby Alpha Centauri. The explored galaxy over was stunned as, in a public event, a test ship was sent through the facility in Sol, appearing immediately near its counterpart. The crew was unharmed. The ship was intact. Orihara had unlocked the secret of true faster than light travel.


Detailed in a document written and released by Doctor Tsukayama’s replacement, Doctor Urenbeck’s research combined space-folding theories with quantum entanglement nodes, linking a pair of locations together and allowing instantaneous travel between them, using a similar normalized space-time bubble effect found on the original Tannhauser. The prototype immediately changed the way interstellar travel worked, as ships without warp drives would be able to move between solar systems with virtually zero time lag. With no immediately discernible side effects, and an at the time 100% success rate, Pesado began taking contracts to build Urenbeck gates for anyone willing to pay the cost, though most users chose to refer to them simply as “jump gates” instead. Economic development across populated systems underwent a massive boom, as raw materials and finished goods could be transported across cosmic distances more quickly than ever before. In the meantime, DTF continued to refine warp drive technology, increasing the effective range and decreasing down time, allowing the borders of human controlled territory to push ever farther outward, while Pesado followed behind, building the initial links in what would eventually become a vast network of gates spanning the cosmos. In 2106, in order to ensure the stable flow of traffic and information throughout the network, the Peacekeeping Court was sought by a number of factions to ensure that no single system would be able to disrupt the chain, and Pesado in turn agreed to only construct gates for those systems who expressly signed a CPC-written code of conduct for their usage. It was a simple compromise, but one that set one of the most important rallying points for an often divided humanity.


Between 2100 and 2150, rapid expansion flourished as factions spread themselves amongst the stars, occupying the inhabitable systems, the sectors within and the ghost spaces between. During this time, often unexpectedly, contact was also reestablished with a number of successful colonies that had actually survived their trips through the Tannhauser. While most were peaceful reunions, several turned violent with those who had gone mad over decades of isolation. Following the first few hostile incidents, the Peacekeeping Court undertook the effort to form a taskforce for establishing first contact, both by sending representatives along with frontier explorers, but also dispatching dedicated ships to seek out colonies that had gone missing during the chaos of the Solstice war. Their missions turned up several positive results, however as it was feared most colony ships had simply been lost, never arriving safely at their intended destinations. In 2125, the CPC drafted a nearly universal set of protocols to deal with the initial meetings of the so called “emergent” factions, meant to ease their reintegration into society. The protocols were written to cover nearly every instance, and were even adopted by many non-CPC members due to their thoroughness.


Though space during the nearly 70 year exodus from Sol seemed infinite, conflicts in the form of system wars still broke out, as those who did not wish to risk the unknown fought for what had already been discovered. Multiple life sustaining planets became the bedrock of new societies, while others stayed in space, harvesting the abundant mineral deposits of asteroids. Governments, corporations, pirates, mercenaries and explorers alike flourished as a culture of opportunity for the daring, reminiscent of the American wild west, took hold on the frontier.


Earth itself, less burdened by the masses, was tended to by those that remained as a treasured garden. A central Earth government separate from the CPC was installed, tasked with repairing and maintaining the delicate ecosystems. Farmland was expanded as abandoned cities and industrial sites were razed, leaving only a handful of major population centers in an effort to cut back on pollution. As the origin of humanity, Earth became neutral ground for factions to settle disputes, with embassies and corporate offices for just about all major and minor powers. Earth also became home to a massive bazaar of sorts, offering goods and wares from all walks of life. It's been said that there is enough to see and do that a single lifetime wouldn't be enough to experience it all.


By 2150, the rapid expansion that had defined the first half of the century had all but ended on the frontier, as factions began focusing on instead developing the territory they had already claimed. Likewise on the homefront, most individual people opted to settle down into much more safe and secure lifestyles, opting out of the dangerous uncertainty of deep space exploration. Populations continued to rise, as families had even more time to set about making children, both to help with the necessary required work of colony life, as well as provide extra sources of carbon dioxide to encourage plant growth. While an intrepid few instead still chose to heed the call of the unknown, the race to acquire new territory was no longer necessary for survival. The years between 2150 and 2180 saw a renaissance of culture, as people could again return to improving the luxuries of life, rather than merely eking out a day-to-day existence. By 2180, life had essentially stabilized for most, and further breakthroughs in technology had offered up the ability for factions to equip their vessels with miniaturized jump drives, allowing for unrestricted travel across vast distances. Though wars were still fought, humanity had entered a time of relative peace. It seemed as if life would go on, much as it always had.


That is, until the Sheshir arrived.


In 2183, a monumental discovery was made. An abandoned warship of extraterrestrial origin was located, brought by an unknown benefactor to the salvage and research station Styx, located within the Styx system, for analysis. The ship did not stay abandoned for long, as soon representatives of its owner, the Sheshir Dominion, a society made of several xenobiotic species, arrived to reclaim it. Their intentions proved militaristic, and quickly the handful of human factions that were on hand had engaged them in battle. Though the early hours of the altercation were poorly recorded, the entire engagement was able to be divided into the first, second and third battles of Styx, collectively known as the Styx Conflict. The first battle consisted of mostly a number of smaller skirmishes as the opposing sides tested each other’s capabilities, separating after the detonation of a nuclear weapon. Records attest the Sheshir were provoked into beginning the second battle, which lasted only a brief period until the Sheshir forces mysteriously withdrew from the battlefield, allegedly by a second detonation of nuclear weapons. After a short period of time, however, they returned with three times the number of forces previously fielded, immediately beginning the third and final decisive battle. By the end of the day, the Sheshir's superior numbers fell before the combined arms and tactics of the humans, and while it was reported that a scant handful of alien vessels were able to withdraw, to date no further sightings of Sheshir vessels have been reported.


When the events in Styx became public knowledge, humanity went into a brief period of crisis. Rumors of Sheshir spies spread like wildfire. Friends turned against friends, and several extremists rose to power in the ensuing chaos. As of 2184, however, the fervor has mostly died down. Though some are still wary, the vast majority of people have returned to the lives they led before, confident that the threat of evil alien invaders had been quelled. Though wars still break out from time to time, humanity, for the most part, is enjoying another time of peace.

 

Faction Character Sheet

When submitting, please delete all gray descriptive text.

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Full Faction Name:
Official long form title of the faction.

Faction Aliases (If Applicable):
Shortened forms, acronyms, and nicknames of the faction.

Historical Notes:
A brief/detailed synopsis of the factions history and current status.

Controlled Territory (If Applicable):
Sectors, star systems, celestial regions, planets or landmasses under the jurisdiction of the faction.

Owned Installations (If Applicable):
Notable/important space stations or other bases operated by the faction.

Available Assets:
Space ships, strike craft, or other vehicles fielded by the faction. Do not list full asset information. Quick links to seperate asset profiles highly encouraged.

Sub-Faction Divisions (If Applicable):
Notable smaller groups, organizations, or companies from within the faction.

Named Characters:
Notable persons and their roles from within the faction.

Unique Technology (If Applicable):
Items or devices used solely by the faction, with descriptions of their abilities.

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A few things to note before filling out a form. Because of the emphasis on a strong collective lore, "Historical Notes" will be the most analyzed section of the application. As such, please reference the following guidelines:

-Due to the rather nebulous connection between our real-world timeline and the fictional events of the C2 universe, it is encouraged to limit detailing of the years 2015 to 2060, unless absolutely necessary.
-Universal lore was written to give everyone an equal footing to establish themselves, and as such, any faction-specific events that would have potentially changed the course of history for all of humanity may be rejected.
-The Sheshir Dominion is the first alien race, sentient or otherwise, publicly encountered by humanity in the year 2183. This is meant to be a monumental occasion in history, and is reflected in the lore as such. This being the case, any other references to aliens before that point will be highly scrutinized. You have been warned.

 

---Ship Character Sheet---

Class Name
Name of the entire line of ships. If the ship is unique, use its proper name.

Class Type
Ex. Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, ect.

Image
Link to an image of the ship. Please note if the image is not a 1:1 scale model.

Notable Ships of the Line
Important names of individual ships of the same class. If the ship is unique

Historical Notes
Information on the classes' history, including development and deployment.

Special Features
Non-standard abilities, capabilities and equipment the ship possesses.

Armament
Any and all weapon systems mounted to the ship.

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---Examples of Class Types---
Please note that the following descriptions are meant to be standardized versions applied to all NPC factions. Player faction designations may differ based on preference.

Strike Craft-
-Drone
Unmanned craft. Armed or unarmed, their lack of a human pilot means they can operate in unsafe areas, however are much more susceptible to EMP.

-Interceptor
Light fighters used for quick response actions, often to engage other strike craft.

-Heavy fighter
Strike craft intended for direct and extended combat against other strike craft.

-Bomber
Used to engage larger targets, either by disabling subsystem targets or directly breaching hulls. Slow and heavily armed.

-Strike Bomber
Filling the space between heavy fighter and bomber. Capable of filling all duties, but excelling at none.

-Shuttle
Personnel transport. Armed or unarmed.

-Starfighter
Strike craft equipped with a warp/jump drive.

-Dropship
Subtype of shuttle capable of atmospheric entry and exit. Armed or unarmed.

-Gunship
Superheavy multi-seat ship specifically built to engage and dominate small targets or other strike craft.

-Patrol Boat
Lightly armored multi-crew vessel used for security and reconnaissance. Often armed, usually outclassed in engagements when alone.

Warships-
-Corvette
Small, fast, agile. Lightly armed and armored harasser unit.

-Scout Frigate
Fast, lightly armed. Specializing in communication over combat.

-Frigate
Smaller, fast warship. Often deployed as fleet screens and to protect larger warships from strike craft. Sometimes fulfilling a more specific function.
.
-Heavy Frigate
Trades speed for armor and firepower while maintaining size. Able to engage larger ships with more success.

-Tactical Destroyer
Small-medium sized warship intended to engage larger ships by attacking subsystem targets. Faster and more maneuverable, though more lightly armored.

-Destroyer
Small-medium sized vessel intended to engage larger warships. Balanced mix of capabilities, sometimes emphasizing fewer weapons with greater firepower.

-Assault Destroyer
Small-medium sides warship intended for more offensive roles. Emphasizing attack power and armor over agility.

-Light Cruiser
Midsized, relatively lightly armed and armored. Preforms well at suppressing smaller classes, though outclassed in heavy combat. Often used as military security.

-Cruiser
Multipurpose midsized warship. Balanced mix of capabilities, wide range of uses. Can be specialized for more dedicated roles.

-Heavy Cruiser
Midsized warship trading agility for armor. Heavily armed, capable of engaging all but the toughest enemies.

-Battlecruiser
Mid-large sized warship sporting heavy armor and heavy weapons. Often with higher than average speed, though with consistently lower maneuverability.

-Light Battleship
Mid-large sized, heavy warship. More cost effective when dealing with smaller threats. Mounts impressive firepower.

-Battleship
Large sized warship. Heavily armed and armored, capable of going toe-to-toe with all others.

-Siege Battleship
Large-superheavy sized warship. Equipped with weapons designed to destroy bases and other fortifications.

-Strike Carrier
Mid-large sized ship. Holds several strike craft. Lightly armed and armored, designed to quickly deploy strike craft and egress the combat zone, returning after combat has ended.

Escort Carrier-
Mid-large size ship. Holds several strike craft. Armed to defend itself, though not intended to directly engage enemies.

-Carrier
Large sized ship. Holds multiple strike craft squadrons. Slow and cumbersome, often remaining away from direct combat but still in the vicinity.

-BattleCarrier
Mix of carrier and battleship qualities. Capable of fighting line battles while still housing strike craft.

-Dreadnought
Superheavy warship. Largest of all, possessing unparallelled firepower. Able to engage smaller fleets on its own.

Non-combat-

Freighter-
Any size, any armor. Armed or unarmed, though usually unarmed or lightly so. Used to haul cargo or other items between destinations.

FTL Ferry-
Large-superlarge carrier. Used to assist non-FTL capable ships in moving between jump gates in a single system.

Mobile Refinery-
Any size, any armor. Armed or unarmed. Dedicated vessel capable of processing raw materials into refined goods while in transport, though limited space increases refinement time.

Factory Ship-
Any size, any armor. Armed or unarmed, though usually lightly. Dedicated vessel capable of processing refined goods into finished products while in transport, though limited space increases manufacturing time.

Industrial Ship-
Any size, any armor. Typically unarmed. Covers any vessel intended for utility roles, including mining and drilling rigs, salvage and recovery ships, or construction depots.

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---Ship Character Sheet - Copy/paste version---

Class Name


Class Type


Image


Notable Ships of the Line


Historical Notes


Special Features


Armament


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Bump for sticky

 

Technical notes compilation
Originally posted by Xentor, approved by GM. Please note, that the following are general guidelines for technology and their usage, not necessarily what is available for use in game. Please take into account the current in-game year and the technological limitations of the time period when deciding on what capabilities your faction has.

Faster-Than-Light Travel:

Various factions have invented their own forms of FTL travel, but these all fall into one of two main categories:
(Described in this post by the GM):

• Hyperspace/Warp - Creation of a warp bubble or similar (ex: Star Trek, Star Wars) to allow the vessel to move faster than light. Requires time to calculate the trajectory (Must be done before starting). Destination is fixed upon departure, but some have experimented with course corrections and early termination, usually with catastrophic results (There's significant risk involved). If the ship is equipped with FTL sensors/communications, those might be usable in-flight (Depending on the specific tech). The journey takes time, but obviously significantly less than sub-light travel (Minutes/hours instead of years).
• Traversal/Teleportation - Disappear in one location, reappear in another (ex: Battlestar Galactica, Farscape). Requires a much larger amount of energy, but allows instant travel. Requires EXACT destination coordinates (Not just "Hey, look at that star! Let's go there!"), and as FP said, involves situational blindness on arrival.

A combination of the above two could result in something like Babylon 5, where the vessel crosses into another dimension to bypass light-speed restrictions.

Regardless of the method, FTL travel always has certain requirements and limitations:

• Requires an FTL drive (sometimes called a Jump Drive) on a ship, or a stationary Jump Gate.
• An FTL drive is a large, power-hungry item, and the further you want to jump, the more powerful the FTL drive needs to be. So Battleships and Dreadnoughts tend to be able to execute longer-distance jumps, while Corvettes and Frigates would make short hops, if they have an FTL drive at all. Strike craft rarely have FTL capability, and if they do, range and recharge time would be poor.
• All FTL drives on ships need some amount of time to recharge before/after a jump.
• Most small ships tend to travel via Jump Gates... Large station-like structures that can send any ship or fleet to a specific destination gate (They operate in fixed pairs).
• Most civilized systems have a Jump Gate at the edge of the system, but they might charge for access.
• A ship-based FTL drive can normally only transport other vessels if they are on-board or docked ENTIRELY within the parent ship (Ruled by the GM) - No extending warp bubbles to jump a whole fleet.
• A warp carrier ship is possible (One ship that warps multiple ships with it), but all carried ships must be designed to be carried with that specific ship class (Can't bring arbitrary ships). The calculations take significantly longer, and there is a risk of catastrophic damage if the transit is interrupted. (GM Ruling)
• Ships that split into multiple parts (Or have smaller ships attached via docking collars) can bring those ships/parts with them, provided that the parts are significantly smaller or make up less than half the mass of the carrier.

Communications:

• Short-range comms are done via EM waves. Can be targeted (Like a laser) to make it much more difficult to intercept, or broadcast (Like a radio antenna) to reach all nearby ships. This is limited to light-speed, so if talking at inter-planetary ranges, messages would take time to travel (From here to Mars ranges from 4 to 24 minutes in one direction)
• All ships should support broadcast, and military ships tend to support both modes.
• Some ships support video connections, some only audio. Depends on the faction and the ship size.
• Long-range comms are done via tachyon-based FTL relays (Tachyons are a sci-fi staple, so might as well, right?). Colonized planets and stations generally have a relay in/on/near them, and large military/exploration ships (Vessels that spend a lot of time away from relays) usually have one installed. Small ships (Frigates and smaller) generally don't.
• Like Jump Gates, factions might charge for access to their FTL relays.
• Standard system Jump Gates have built-in FTL communications with essentially zero-lag to any other system in the Jump Gate network. However, they do NOT support encrypted communications.

Scanning/Detection:

• Passive detection can be done using EM waves. This is limited to light-speed (So if you're looking at something around the next planet, what you see could be minutes or hours old).
• Active scanning can be done via EM waves (Radar/Lidar) or tachyon beams (Same concept but faster). The latter has similar requirements to an FTL relay... Large ships only, and takes significant power to use.
• Active scans can be detected by passive systems (if present), depending on the sophistication of the receiving system. Tachyon detection is easier to install on a ship than active tachyon systems, so even corvettes can often do that (Not fighters).

Weapons:

• Beam weapons are limited to light-speed, as tachyons can't be concentrated enough to deal damage.
• Projectile weapons travel at sub-light speeds... Like normal guns. Speed varies, but the bigger the projectile and the faster it goes, the more energy is required.
• Some factions have figured out how to equip their larger ships with mini-Catapults that can send their projectiles on a short FTL jump. Major energy usage, and usage would delay the recharge of the ship's FTL drive. When this is used, the projectile jumps some distance from the ship, then continues traveling at sub-light speed. No projectile can make its own FTL jumps. These types of weapons would take some amount of time to target and retarget (Like an FTL recharge, but quicker), so are only suitable for anti-capital or siege weaponry.

Energy Shields:

• Energy shielding varies wildly, but in principle, anything hitting it would drain power, and recharging that power takes time. Alternatively, an energy shield could transfer heat/damage to the generator, so it would eventually overheat and explode if not deactivated. Either way, no shield lasts forever, and it takes constant energy to keep a shield active.
• Energy shields can be projected a short distance, so generating a fleet-wide shield with one ship isn't possible, but protecting a vessel docked or parked right alongside can be done.
• If you're blocking things from coming in, you're also blocking things from going out. Either the guns have to poke through the shield, or there needs to be a hole in the shield where the projectiles pass through.

 

NPC factions of C2.

Daishi Technologies Foundation
"The first step toward the future."

A corporation dating back to before the exodus, DTF specializes in innovation, being credited with creating one of the first stable, easily mass-produced warp drives. Their holdings consist of several stations devoted to research and application, as well as multiple planet side complexes. Though once highly respected, DTF has in recent years fallen out of the spotlight as factionalized powers have become less reliant on outside contractors for their equipment. DTF has been rallying to rebuild their reputation, though so far results have been less than impressive.

Guren Spacetech Industries
"Making the impossible, possible!"

A civilian manufacturer of starships, GSI's line of freighters are highly prized for their large cargo capacities. Based out of their orbital shipyard Cathedral Terra, GSI offers sales and service across multiple systems. Well known for their friendly, if not sometimes overly enthusiastic staff, GSI has established its vessels as common sights on trade routes the galaxy over.

Brightside Mining Solutions
"Always look on the Brightside."

BMS is a very new entity in the business of offworld resource collection. Specializing in ice mining, their only stable operation is a processing and refining facility in the Canon-Rei system's ice belt. While not as able to mass-produce material on the scale of other companies, BMS offers a consistently higher degree of quality in their product. Curiously, income from sales doesn't appear to be enough to cover expenses, though the company continues operations regardless.

Whimsywork Shipyards
"Dream over the rainbow."

The pet project of one of the more eccentric princes of the Imperial House Ritcherson, Whimsywork Shipyards strives to create the unique and bizarre. Common orders placed (by the often equally eccentric) include so called "steam punk" themed vessels, as well as ones shaped to any variety of animal, real or fantastical. While the primarily state-sponsored organization was originally a bit of a black sheep to the IHR, over time their popularity has grown to becoming a respected and endeared part of the empire's holdings. Even more traditional shipyards and workshops tend to let their imaginations run wild to create entries for the Whimsywork Parade, held on the anniversary of the emperor's coronation. The entries are then judged in contest by the imperial family themselves, the winner being gifted with special contracts from the parliament for the following year. Whimsywork itself is often victorious, though this is not always the case.

Mannequin Arms
"Unwavering performance."

A private manufacturer of handheld weapons, Mannequin Arms has not seen much business since its incorporation. It has since expanded its portfolio with the addition of a private security consulting and staffing department, becoming more of a self-equipped mercenary force. Their equipment and personnel are top-notch, and all are said to preform reliably in the field. Strangely, even with their seeming lack of business, potential clients of their security forces are frequently politely turned down with the explanation that Mannequin Arms "is currently operating at full capacity." With an extensive catalog and high marks in craftsmanship and service, however, their sale of weapons continues to grow in popularity with private captains and crews who would prefer not to have to deal with state owned and regulated companies.

Advanced Neurological Integration Research Institute
"Mind within matter."

A tech startup company based out of the Freeports. ANIRI (pronounced an-a-rye) offers a product line of cybernetic implants and equipment that allow the user to, in effect, control devices by thought alone. Though this effect extends little beyond simple functions such as opening doors or turning lights on and off, the system generates a large amount of strain on the user. Still, ANIRI seems to be doing modest business, and press releases hint at bigger things on the horizon.

Scrapmason Salvage Guild
"Leave no stone unturned."

A collective of individuals who profit from collecting debris following battles or other disasters. The SSG owns several scrapyards and maintains offices spread throughout the galaxy. Though typically they focus on recovery of derelicts, some of their less than scrupulous members have been known to pick apart wrecks before conducting rescue operations, taking valuable components for profit over saving lives. Such despicable actions have earned SSG members the nickname "vultures", even though the majority are honest, hardworking individuals who take pride in recycling the useless scrap left drifting the cosmos.

Communist State Alliance of Republics
Described by some as Space Russia, the systems that fall in the CSAR's borders fall under the jurisdiction of the central government. Though great efforts are made to showcase how wonderful life is for it's citizens, anyone that takes the time to go through the extensive border security and leave the painstakingly choreographed "tourist zones" will find the common man working a hard, thankless existence, more often than not in the service of the CSAR's extensive military industrial complex. The military has become split following the events of the Styx conflict, culminating in an attempted coup that has reached a stalemate. The death toll rises daily, both soldier and civilian, though at times both sides have come together to repel any outside influence in the conflict. Travel to the CSAR is highly discouraged, though opportunities abound for those who choose to take the risk.

Imperial House Ritcherson
Several populated systems fall under the banner of the IHR. The parliamentary monarchy closely resembles that of Great Britain of Earth during the height of its power, both in policy and aesthetic design. A major political, economical, and military power in its region, the IHR is known both for its readiness to aid its allies, and its tendency to become involved in matters that don't concern it. Currently under the rulership of King Elsworth Ritcherson II, the IHR has in recent years become more aggressively expansionist, planting its flag in systems owned only unofficially by the current occupants. The empire controls its holdings from the Ritcherson Palace, located unsurprisingly on the planet Ritcherson, in the Ritcherson system.

Amaranth Commonwealth
A government entity that controls the Ageis system. Nestled in the shadow of the CSAR, the commonwealth does the best it can to secure its borders and safeguard its citizens. The capital is located on the planet Serendipity, where the elected government tries to maintain a balance of security and freedoms for both the citizens and companies based in Ageis. The commonwealth is also home to a vast asteroid field, formed from the rare collision of two planets that had occurred before the system was populated. The so-called "Pinyin field", named for the Chinese word for paradox (referencing the unstoppable force-immovable object paradox) has become both a tourist attraction and research subject due to the rarity of such events. Mining in the field is restricted to the Amaranth government only, with all other ventures being heavily prosecuted.

Church of Gravitanis Light
Considered to be less of the religious environmentally-minded group is once was, the church is now more of a terrorist organization hell-bent on stopping the expansion of the human race. Claiming that they can "hear the universe" through the use of some rather questionable substances, their primary goal is to see all of humanity returned to the Sol system, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that end. Their operations consist often of attempting sabotage at orbital shipyard facilities, as well as directly open attacks at construction sites of space stations. Recently, ships of the church have been targeting jump gates in an attempt to shut down commerce to outlying systems, wreaking havoc on ships trapped without their own jump drives.

Sons of Salvage (Submitted by Krovennean)
A large group believed to have originated in the less affluent border colonies. Sometimes referred to as "Vultures", "Scrappers", or "Tin Can-nibals" as a derogatory term. The Sons of Salvage have no set ships, tearing apart and remaking stolen vessels to fuel their expeditions. The Sons of Salvage have a unique, almost religious doctrine, believing that if they see a vessel, or part of a vessel, that they want for whatever reason, whether or not it is owned by an outsider, then by their own law, that piece of technology now belongs to them, and they may claim it however they see fit. This usually results in them destroying civilian ships and killing the crew just to obtain a sensor array, or scrap metal for their ships. The Sons of Salvage are considered a cult and are outlawed almost everywhere, forcing them to constantly move around and launch raids on any individuals they come across.

Sheshir Dominion
A mysterious and aggressive alien race first encountered during the Styx Conflict. Composed of a collection of several subspecies, little is actually known about the Dominion proper, save for a patchwork of information collected during and after the battles. It is believed that the majority of their armed forces were wiped out at Styx, though this is only speculation, and reports that the Sheshir claim they control territory in excess of that of humanity are equally unknown.

 

Amazing. Utterly.

 

Player Factions approved for play in C2 sessions.

Status of "Pending" means the faction has been submitted, but not yet undergone review.
Status of "In Review" means lore coordination and balancing are in progress with the faction owner.
Status of "Suspended" means the faction form is missing critical information for review.
Status of "Approved" means the faction has been finalized and is ready for use.
Status of "Rejected" means the faction may NOT be used in C2 sessions.

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Player: Anoth
Faction: Bronzedragon Refuge Souverenety
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/f...souverenity-dragons-mechs-and-sci-fi.7356740/
Status: Approved

Player: Xentor
Faction: Viridan Institute
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/faction-viridian-institute.7356733/
Status: Approved

Player: SF-1 Raptor
Faction: Nebulanic Union
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/nebulanic-union.7365160/
Status: Approved

Player: Amonkoth
Faction: Salvage Incorporated
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/salvage-inc.7366097/
Status: Approved

Player: Levits
Faction: C-1 Corporation
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/c-1-corporation-801st-fleet.7365970/
Status: Approved

Player: Kovendon
Faction: The Order of Children of the Light of Sol
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/faction-knights-of-sol.7356824/
Status: Approved

Player: UnitedTerranFederation
Faction: United Federation of Planetary Systems
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/t...source-updated-w-faction-form-for-c2.7365629/
Status: Approved

Player: TheAshenShadow
Faction: The Ishtar Academy
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/knowledge-preservation-order-the-ishtar-academy.7357061/
Status: Approved

Player: paswert
Faction: PasCo Freight Haulage and Piracy Prevention Service
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/faction-lore-story-paswerts-thread.7356747/
Status: Approved

Player: Krovennean
Faction: Krovennean Astronautical Engineering
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/ooc-c2-rp-thread-coordination.7225495page-$1.html#post-1286820091
Status: Approved

Player: Dwarf-Lord Pangolin
Faction: Confederation of the Seven United Provinces of Ardentrall
Faction Link: https://forum.keenswh.com/threads/ard-con.7364274/
Status: Approved

Player: Tateo13TTV
Faction: Janus Security Services
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/janus-security-systems-jss.7366880/
Status: Approved

Player: Revoke
Faction: Outsystems Welding League
Faction Link: https://forums.keenswh.com/threads/the-outsystems-welding-league.7360090/
Status: Approved

Player: 3eepoint
Faction: Cerberus Shipyards
Faction Link: https://forum.keenswh.com/threads/cerberus-shipyard.7368503/
Status: Approved

Player: FatalPapercut
Faction: Open Alliance of Free Ports
Faction Link: https://forum.keenswh.com/threads/open-alliance-of-free-ports.7368513/
Status: Approved