Quest Description and Initial Setup Vote
A Flame of Hope in the Grim Darkness (A 40k/Multicross Quest)
- Thread starter BobTheNinja
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- Crossover Sci-Fi Fantasy
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Quest Description, Galaxy Map, and Initial Setup Details
BobTheNinja
Sword of Possibility
- Location
- Multiverse Sector Texas
Right, I'm in a mood to metaphorically take some fictional settings and bash them together like a kid in a sandbox, so here goes. The premise of this Quest is that, by decree of a higher power, a multiversal allied coalition of Good Guy(™) factions is being assembled to liberate the Warhammer 40k galaxy, and will be inserted at the beginning of 735.M41. The overarching mission objectives are as follows:
To start things off, there are three major decisions that need to be made for the allied coalition's setup. First, the players must vote to determine the five factions that will comprise the coalition. I've compiled a pre-approved list of which ones I am most familiar with and would be willing to play and write, though I am willing to at least consider write-in proposals.
There are two faction types to choose from. The Core Factions are full-fledged interstellar polities that can stand on their own in galactic affairs. At least one of your choices MUST be a Core faction.
The Ancillary Factions are groups that, while highly advanced and powerful in some ways, operate on a much smaller scale than the Core Factions, and are unable to function on a large interstellar scale by themselves. Instead, they will start out providing support to the coalition in their areas of expertise, though the possibility of tech blending may cause their scope to expand over time. These are technically optional, but I'd strongly recommend picking at least one.
Regardless of which factions you ultimately chose, everyone in the coalition is being brought in as 'post-life' volunteers, essentially recruited from after the end of their first lives to come back and make a difference in another universe that desperately needs it. You can expect to see various iconic characters present from each of the factions chosen. Since they have all been literally been offered a shot at a second life via ROB power, they likely won't question too hard if they recognize other factions from works in their own history. Additionally, all technologies and supernatural abilities native to the chosen factions will be carried over into the 40K galaxy, with certain conditions. More on that later.
Core Candidate Factions
For clarification, Option 1 will allow for the coalition to remain unnoticed indefinitely, depending on which specific actions and strategies are undertaken after insertion. Option 2 will allow for a grace period of roughly a decade, more or less, before the Imperium or someone else starts poking around the mysterious new star system. Option 3 will allow for maybe a year or two at most before the neighbors come knocking, and will gain more than one power's attention.
The third major decision is the location of the insertion point. Except for Segmentum Solar, all areas of the galaxy are valid, including galactic edge zones beyond the Imperium's borders. Whichever area you pick, ROB will ensure that the insertion does not 'overwrite' or destabilize any pre-existing star systems or stellar features. The map listed below will be the primary location reference for the game:
(Note: if any Lexicanum location articles conflict with marked map locations, the Lexicanum takes priority)
A few other points to note. The coalition will start out with summary-level, broad strokes information (basically Lexicanum wiki pages) on the Galaxy's major players, including original timeline info going up to the Indomitus Era and the galactic map listed above. I'm still putting together the full list of reference articles, will include that in a separate post. In addition to this, the coalition will have access to an Oracle Terminal, through which the playerbase can send important information once per turn (with one turn being roughly three months, save for special events or major battles).
Each 'oracle report' is limited to 200 words tops, and can only be used to provide setting information specifically accessible as official 40k lore from the original timeline, plus extrapolations based on such. It CANNOT be used to provide knowledge of enemy plans or actions gained from observing this new timeline. It is also technically a one-way device. Coalition command can read the reports from it, but cannot send any replies or requests.
Finally, all 'regular' faction technologies with a rough equivalent in the Imperium or the other races will function anywhere within the 40k universe, as well as FTL based on the bending of real spacetime to function. However the more exotic abilities such as hyperspace-type FTL, other tech that relies on other dimensions, and supernatural powers will only function within a spherical boundary of 500 light years from the coalition's starting location. This bubble is centered around a ROB-provided, basketball-sized crystal orb called a Planar Seed, which basically serves as an anchor for allowing extra-universal physics and magic to work properly in the setting.
After being planted upon a life-bearing world in orbit of a star, over the course of one year, the Seed will grow into a huge crystalline tree that will, for one time only, bear three more Planar Seeds, which can then be placed in order to expand the area of effect. The Planar Seeds and the Trees which grow from them are highly durable, but they can be destroyed with enough concentrated firepower, especially if esoteric energies are involved.
Scratch the above, I've decided to go with the advice of @Spart117MC and do away with the Planar Seed business. All technologies and powers for each faction will be unlocked from the start, HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that they will just function like usual, or that they are as safe to use as they were before. All these new dimensions either intersect or are adjacent to the Warp, and that means the Warp Storms and Rifts and other spatial anomalies WILL act as navigational hazards, and you can expect even general performance to be impacted in many cases. The use of faction-based supernatural powers may also have unforseen complications and hazards due for the same reason. Basically, tread with care.
That about covers everything. I realize the premise is pretty out there, but hell with it. This is what my muse has latched onto and I want to have fun with it, and I'm hoping you all feel the same. Questions and discussion are all welcome and will help fuel my motivation in this little endeavor.
EDIT: Also, this is my first time ever running a Quest and working with the relevant threadmark and voting functions for such, so please bear with me and let me know if there's anything I've missed on that front.
EDIT 2: Quick change of plans, the main initial setup vote will be postponed for now.First there will be a vote on whether to stick with the original 5 faction limit cap, or if it will be bumped up to 7 (see next threadmark).
- Executive decision to avoid overwork and other issues, the faction cap will remain at 5 total.
There are also standing questions about the era and canon timelime of some factions on the list, so I will be compiling a list of summary descriptions for each candidate faction to clarify things. Once that has been sorted and posted, we will then proceed to the main setup vote.
- Establish a presence and survive.
- Expand influence by diplomatic, technological, industrial, commercial, and military means.
- Subvert the tyranny of the Imperium and bring real hope to humanity.
- Attempt to forge some form of non-aggressive understanding with the dialogue-capable alien factions (some Eldar, some Necrons, the Tau, etc.)
- Counter and subdue the threat of the purely genocidal and universally malevolent factions.
To start things off, there are three major decisions that need to be made for the allied coalition's setup. First, the players must vote to determine the five factions that will comprise the coalition. I've compiled a pre-approved list of which ones I am most familiar with and would be willing to play and write, though I am willing to at least consider write-in proposals.
There are two faction types to choose from. The Core Factions are full-fledged interstellar polities that can stand on their own in galactic affairs. At least one of your choices MUST be a Core faction.
The Ancillary Factions are groups that, while highly advanced and powerful in some ways, operate on a much smaller scale than the Core Factions, and are unable to function on a large interstellar scale by themselves. Instead, they will start out providing support to the coalition in their areas of expertise, though the possibility of tech blending may cause their scope to expand over time. These are technically optional, but I'd strongly recommend picking at least one.
Regardless of which factions you ultimately chose, everyone in the coalition is being brought in as 'post-life' volunteers, essentially recruited from after the end of their first lives to come back and make a difference in another universe that desperately needs it. You can expect to see various iconic characters present from each of the factions chosen. Since they have all been literally been offered a shot at a second life via ROB power, they likely won't question too hard if they recognize other factions from works in their own history. Additionally, all technologies and supernatural abilities native to the chosen factions will be carried over into the 40K galaxy, with certain conditions. More on that later.
Core Candidate Factions
- Citadel Council (Mass Effect)
- UNSC (Halo)
- The Kushan (Homeworld)
- Union (Lancer)
- Free Planets Alliance (Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These)
- New United Nations (Macross)
- New Republic (Star Wars)
- United Federation of Planets (Star Trek)
- Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
- Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
- Eorzean Alliance (Final Fantasy XIV)
- Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
- WILLE (Rebuild of Evangelion)
- A relatively quiet insertion with a single large military and colonization fleet.
- A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
- A highly noticeable insertion of a whole cluster of twelve star systems.
For clarification, Option 1 will allow for the coalition to remain unnoticed indefinitely, depending on which specific actions and strategies are undertaken after insertion. Option 2 will allow for a grace period of roughly a decade, more or less, before the Imperium or someone else starts poking around the mysterious new star system. Option 3 will allow for maybe a year or two at most before the neighbors come knocking, and will gain more than one power's attention.
The third major decision is the location of the insertion point. Except for Segmentum Solar, all areas of the galaxy are valid, including galactic edge zones beyond the Imperium's borders. Whichever area you pick, ROB will ensure that the insertion does not 'overwrite' or destabilize any pre-existing star systems or stellar features. The map listed below will be the primary location reference for the game:
(Note: if any Lexicanum location articles conflict with marked map locations, the Lexicanum takes priority)
A few other points to note. The coalition will start out with summary-level, broad strokes information (basically Lexicanum wiki pages) on the Galaxy's major players, including original timeline info going up to the Indomitus Era and the galactic map listed above. I'm still putting together the full list of reference articles, will include that in a separate post. In addition to this, the coalition will have access to an Oracle Terminal, through which the playerbase can send important information once per turn (with one turn being roughly three months, save for special events or major battles).
Each 'oracle report' is limited to 200 words tops, and can only be used to provide setting information specifically accessible as official 40k lore from the original timeline, plus extrapolations based on such. It CANNOT be used to provide knowledge of enemy plans or actions gained from observing this new timeline. It is also technically a one-way device. Coalition command can read the reports from it, but cannot send any replies or requests.
After being planted upon a life-bearing world in orbit of a star, over the course of one year, the Seed will grow into a huge crystalline tree that will, for one time only, bear three more Planar Seeds, which can then be placed in order to expand the area of effect. The Planar Seeds and the Trees which grow from them are highly durable, but they can be destroyed with enough concentrated firepower, especially if esoteric energies are involved.
Scratch the above, I've decided to go with the advice of @Spart117MC and do away with the Planar Seed business. All technologies and powers for each faction will be unlocked from the start, HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that they will just function like usual, or that they are as safe to use as they were before. All these new dimensions either intersect or are adjacent to the Warp, and that means the Warp Storms and Rifts and other spatial anomalies WILL act as navigational hazards, and you can expect even general performance to be impacted in many cases. The use of faction-based supernatural powers may also have unforseen complications and hazards due for the same reason. Basically, tread with care.
That about covers everything. I realize the premise is pretty out there, but hell with it. This is what my muse has latched onto and I want to have fun with it, and I'm hoping you all feel the same. Questions and discussion are all welcome and will help fuel my motivation in this little endeavor.
EDIT: Also, this is my first time ever running a Quest and working with the relevant threadmark and voting functions for such, so please bear with me and let me know if there's anything I've missed on that front.
EDIT 2: Quick change of plans, the main initial setup vote will be postponed for now.
- Executive decision to avoid overwork and other issues, the faction cap will remain at 5 total.
There are also standing questions about the era and canon timelime of some factions on the list, so I will be compiling a list of summary descriptions for each candidate faction to clarify things. Once that has been sorted and posted, we will then proceed to the main setup vote.
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Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
This is a tricky one. I have to ask, how do you plan to have Chaldea work in the scheme of things? They represent a lot of potential power, but by standard Nasu cosmology Servants are inherently products of Terra, Earth. They shouldn't be able to summon them or take them anywhere else without some high-powered fuckery.
Not to mention as that typically inherently spiritual entities they'd normally be walking chaos-bait.
Because I do love the Nasuverse, but that one really feels like an option that will only pay off in the long term and will be filled by a few dozen highly-dangerous pitfalls in the short term and mid-term. Not quite a 'trap option' or anything like that, but definitely sub par.
Relatedly, how are you planning to scale things? 40k has a bit of a scale problem relative to most of your primary factions. In the sense that basically every 40k ship counts as one or two classes more powerful (in terms of size, armor, weapons) than its equivalent in most of the listed universes. For an example, Mass Effect Dreadnoughts max out at around 1.2km long while 40k Destroyers are often listed as close to that size, with cruisers being up to twice that or more and battleships often scaling up to 10 kilometers plus.
Not to mention as that typically inherently spiritual entities they'd normally be walking chaos-bait.
Because I do love the Nasuverse, but that one really feels like an option that will only pay off in the long term and will be filled by a few dozen highly-dangerous pitfalls in the short term and mid-term. Not quite a 'trap option' or anything like that, but definitely sub par.
Relatedly, how are you planning to scale things? 40k has a bit of a scale problem relative to most of your primary factions. In the sense that basically every 40k ship counts as one or two classes more powerful (in terms of size, armor, weapons) than its equivalent in most of the listed universes. For an example, Mass Effect Dreadnoughts max out at around 1.2km long while 40k Destroyers are often listed as close to that size, with cruisers being up to twice that or more and battleships often scaling up to 10 kilometers plus.
[x] Union (Lancer)
[x] New Republic (Star Wars)
[x] United Federation of Planets (Star Trek)
[x] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[x] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[x] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
As much as i love this universe i have zero idea on where it would be best to start tactically Speaking.
[x] New Republic (Star Wars)
[x] United Federation of Planets (Star Trek)
[x] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[x] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[x] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
As much as i love this universe i have zero idea on where it would be best to start tactically Speaking.
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Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
Pick a total of five, you've got eight.
[X] New United Nations (Macross)
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Expand the maximum number of factions to 7
So I picked Halo and Star wars because they would serve as the frontline faction(with 2 different FTL in case 1 doesn't work in 40k) while Kushan from Homeworld would serve as mobile war industry+rapid reverse engineer tech(IC wise they are capable of reverse-engineering captured ships within minutes and have experienced in defeating what is essentially the love child of the flood+nanomachines called the beast)
Android/Yorhwa would serve as Auxilliary forces and promote humanitarian support(with a little magic knowledge and act as special forces) while Chaldea would deal with the Warp.
edit: removed halo and star wars in favor of Macross and FF 14.
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Expand the maximum number of factions to 7
So I picked Halo and Star wars because they would serve as the frontline faction(with 2 different FTL in case 1 doesn't work in 40k) while Kushan from Homeworld would serve as mobile war industry+rapid reverse engineer tech(IC wise they are capable of reverse-engineering captured ships within minutes and have experienced in defeating what is essentially the love child of the flood+nanomachines called the beast)
Android/Yorhwa would serve as Auxilliary forces and promote humanitarian support(with a little magic knowledge and act as special forces) while Chaldea would deal with the Warp.
edit: removed halo and star wars in favor of Macross and FF 14.
Never heard of this settings
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Spart117MC
Amateur human
- Location
- Cali
Titanfall would be a neat techbase to have. You have mind-machine interfaces, a mature ability to upload human minds without any downsides, sophisticated AIs that can be manufactured and do not have a shelf-life like UNSC smart AIs, technology that allows the user to phase out of reality and become intangible, and faster-than-light drives unlike those in most other science fiction that can be used regardless of the presence of a gravity well and that can be used to jump both directly into and out of atmosphere.
Depending on how one goes about scaling things, Homeworld is probably the best bet to match 40K ships without delving into super ships. The manual for the first Homeworld game describes the Scaffold as being 25.6 kilometers tall and if we assume the relative size of the game models are reasonably accurate at least when it comes to capital ships, things break if you don't scale strikecraft separately, then you can get stuff like 38 kilometer tall motherships and 7 kilometer long battlecruisers.
Funnily enough, Deserts of Kharak sort of supports those scales, as the approximately 500 meter long Kapisi is dwarfed many times over by the crashed Taiidan carrier that it comes across over the course of the campaign. Deserts of Kharak also hints at a very high rate of manufacturing as the journey the Kapisi takes is implied to occur over a fairly short period of time, potentially as little as a few weeks, during which time the carrier is able to manufacture, at minimum, a handful of hundred meter long cruisers.
Depending on how one goes about scaling things, Homeworld is probably the best bet to match 40K ships without delving into super ships. The manual for the first Homeworld game describes the Scaffold as being 25.6 kilometers tall and if we assume the relative size of the game models are reasonably accurate at least when it comes to capital ships, things break if you don't scale strikecraft separately, then you can get stuff like 38 kilometer tall motherships and 7 kilometer long battlecruisers.
Funnily enough, Deserts of Kharak sort of supports those scales, as the approximately 500 meter long Kapisi is dwarfed many times over by the crashed Taiidan carrier that it comes across over the course of the campaign. Deserts of Kharak also hints at a very high rate of manufacturing as the journey the Kapisi takes is implied to occur over a fairly short period of time, potentially as little as a few weeks, during which time the carrier is able to manufacture, at minimum, a handful of hundred meter long cruisers.
At what Era of UNSC tech is it I assume the latest one, do they have any Forerunner tech with them?
Is it Disney canon or Legends(because if it is the former I will change it to something else, likely Gundam)?
Since there are anime sci-fi settings I assume settings like Gundam, Aldnoah Zero, Heavy Object is allowed?
So any plans on where we spawn and are we gonna pick 1 starting system(option 2) or 12(option 3)
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We need to get the Salamanders on our side.
- Location
- Colorado
- Pronouns
- She/They
Hmm, well, clearly some options are better than others, I reckon the UFP and New Republic woul-
The ENTIRE Coalition? Including the Imperial Cabal, a force comparable in size and combat prowess to an entire Crusade era Legion?
Okay, here's the plan:
[j] United Federation of Planets (Star Trek)
[j] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[j] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
The Coalition takes their newest Magic Orb, hops into their ships, and using whichever of a half dozen methods of FTL they prefer arrive directly in orbit of Terra, bypassing most of its defenses. The Cabal get their conquest on while sixty thousand Guardians descend unto the Imperial Palace for the newest raid. As a victory lap they then go to the Eye Of Terror to boss rush the Chaos gods.
Starfleet is there to be traumatized.
Now I know what you're already thinking; "this doesn't actually solve the systemic hate and oppression in the broader Imperium" or "surely Bob will cut The Coalition when he hears that as of *checks* four days ago elite Guardians can casually move planets between dimensions at will," to which I say...
Okay fine
[X] United Federation of Planets (Star Trek)
[X] UNSC (Halo)
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] A relatively quiet insertion with a single large military and colonization fleet.
UFP for their diplomatic prowess and economic might. UNSC for their comparatively alright military and AFAIK best intelligence service of all given options Kushan for their navy. The Coalition, or whatever the GM will let us take, for their raw God killing power and stupid advanced techbase. Chaldea for the outright Woo.
A quiet insertion so UFP engineers have ample time to shit out cædometric and noetic weapons by the batch, make actually assaulting their colony absolutely unfeasible. Meanwhile people from the Federation Diplomatic Serivice and ONI collaborate on best overthrowing system and sector governments. Guardians are used judiciously to Kill Any One Thing At A Time, wether that thing be a person or a battlefleet or a god.
Ideally they never once reveal their presence or drawn into direct confrontation, instead arming and advising "heretical" movements while Guardians and Chaldea bully the actual demons into staying outta it.
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You can add 1 more faction(we can pick 5).
Question, I don't know much about Star Trek federation other than pulling a MCGUFFIN trick every single time they are about to lose and forget how to recreate said MCGUFFIN after the danger has passed, having shit policies of non-intervention and every single reverse UNO card they can pull(like I don't know change the frequency of their phasers to just kill anything I guess, have people that can detect plots instantly). TBH if star trek is allowed it has to be heavily nerfed otherwise this quest might spiral into a wank quest.
Where on the map are they again I know they are on Segmentum Ultima but I can't seem to find them cause its so big.
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Spart117MC
Amateur human
- Location
- Cali
Alright, so here are what the settings have to offer as I see it.
Mass Effect on its own isn't that impressive. In many places it is outdone by most other settings, in fact I would say that everyone on the Core Candidate list can beat it assuming parity of numbers. Mass Effect's value comes from Element Zero and how it can be used to enhance, rather significantly, everyone else's technology. There are also biotics whose abilities are purely physical despite being appearing reality warping and are relatively common.
The UNSC is sadly in a similar state. Their capabilities aren't all that impressive, even after factoring in reverse engineered Forerunner tech. Where Halo outpaces everyone else though is in super-soldiers and power armor. MJONLIR is a damn powerful suit of armor and while it may be inferior to the 40K standard the latest generations of the suit do not require Astartes levels of genetic and physical alterations to be used. Spartan IV treatments are sufficient to get, as I understand it, any adult human into the shape required to operate MJONLIR, creating a vastly larger pool of potential super-soldiers.
The Kushan fare better than the UNSC and Citadel Council. While they lack certain staples of science fiction like energy shields, unless we're counting Cataclysm but even then those are still not great, their ability to manufacture quickly and at scale more than make up for it. Homeworld is discount Supreme Commander in many ways. If you read through the original Homeworld manual, its implied their manufacturing technology operates on the atomic scale, which is the best thing you can have short of matter replicators and considering the kinds of things Homeworld polities achieve their tech might actually outperform Star Trek replicators. That same technology the Kushan use to manufacture can be used to repair equipment in real time. That's something that you can't do that with replicators.
On top of that the Kushan build, big. I've already pointed out how large their starships can get but their ground equipment can be similarly massive. The Kushan equivalent of a humvee, the Light Attack Vehicle, which was in use around a century prior by the North Coalition, is 12 meters long. For comparison an M1 Abrams tank is 7.93 meters long. 9.77 if you count the barrel of its gun. The thing isn't lumbering either, the LAV has a top speed of 110 kph. Vehicles only get bigger from there up until carriers, five hundred meter long landships that can produce upwards of hundred meter long land battlecruisers on the move and launch and retrieve aircraft.
Finally we start getting into the higher end of science fiction with Macross and the NUNS. As I see it Macross is probably the setting most accustomed to warfare, if not to the same level of destruction, on the scale of 40K. During Space War 1 Earth faced and ultimately was mostly annihilated by a Zentradi fleet numbering 4.8 million ships. It is in that shadow of that reality, there there exist fleets that large roaming around looking for targets to engage, that the NUNS developed their technology and doctrine. They are particularly well geared towards surviving in the face of a ruthless and more numerous enemy. At the same time, Macross humanity are also those people best equipped to win the hearts and minds of the Imperium, as they eventually did with the similarly militaristic and single minded Zentradi.
Star Wars has the Force and depending on who you ask, can match 40K in terms of calcs. With it being one of the forefathers of popular science fiction, there's very little in terms of technology that is unique to it. That's the unfortunate thing with being first, that lets everyone else improve on your work. Personally I'm rather unenthusiastic when it comes to the Force not when there are other sources of supernatural power available that do not have such a high chance of corrupting their wielders.
Star Trek provides a vast array of technologies and its a useful choice techwise because it dabbles in everything, and being a jack of all trades would be enough to make it a prime base choice but it also explores much of that tech on the higher end of things as well. The thing that really makes Star Trek a prize though is its technobabble. If there is a problem then the Federation can tech a solution into existence. The more exotic the problem and more dangerous the better.
Destiny has a couple of interesting bits of tech like programmable matter–Glimmer–but I imagine the most valuable thing to come from that setting is the Light and the Dark. I imagine that wielders of paracausal abilities will be able to serve as friendly counterparts to the forces of Chaos. Light and Dark imbued weapons and gear as well would be the counterparts to Chaos corrupted wargear.
Fate/Grand Order at first seems odd, but if you take a moment to think about it, the potential effects that it can have are great, because with Chaldea the coalition would be granted the equivalent of Living Saints and named Daemons. Such entities are powerful enough to turn the tide of a campaign with but a brief appearance. To be able to call upon them, in numbers, and over an extended period of time, could be utterly game changing.
Final Fantasy XIV being a fantasy setting has no real technology to offer, but it does offer magic. Fate's magic, due to how it functions cannot be widely proliferated, but FFXIV's can be, and moreover FFXIV's magic by being separate from 40K's Chaos based magic, does not run the risk of catastrophic failure or corruption. FFXIV's combat spells also scale up quite a bit and even if they didn't, things like the majority of troops having access to healing spells could change the nature of war significantly. Most importantly though, picking FFXIV means catgirls.
I sadly can't say much about Nier's androids, having yet to start playing the game despite it being in my Steam library. I will say though that they seem to be the best choice to take if one wants the best possible AIs. Halo is about the only setting with really powerful AIs and the UNSC kind unfortunately suffer from having seven year lives. Who knows, taking Nier might even offer insights to prevent such degradation. Star Wars also has sentient machines but they're often no more intelligent than biologicals and the way droids are treated is dubious ethically.
Lancer, Legend of Galactic Heroes, and Rebuild of Evangelion are too far out of my wheelhouse to give any constructive notes about as choices.
Right now I'm personally leaning towards,
[ ] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[ ] New United Nations (Macross)
[ ] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[ ] Eorzean Alliance (Final Fantasy XIV)
[ ] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
That I feel has a nice mix of abilities but also character. For as capable and understanding as the Federation are they're kind of boring as people, and I find the folk that fly transforming fighter jets and sing their hearts out more interesting. Element Zero has great potential but not any that outweighs Homeworld's sheer industrial capacity.
I like Destiny, I like the Eliskni, but the Light and the Dark are both too screwy and the Risen are prime examples of what would happen if Chaldea's servants were summoned without command seals. Finally, for as much as Halo's aesthetic appeals to me, as does the idea of making everyone arifleman super-soldier, that just doesn't win out over friendly robots and magic.
Mass Effect on its own isn't that impressive. In many places it is outdone by most other settings, in fact I would say that everyone on the Core Candidate list can beat it assuming parity of numbers. Mass Effect's value comes from Element Zero and how it can be used to enhance, rather significantly, everyone else's technology. There are also biotics whose abilities are purely physical despite being appearing reality warping and are relatively common.
The UNSC is sadly in a similar state. Their capabilities aren't all that impressive, even after factoring in reverse engineered Forerunner tech. Where Halo outpaces everyone else though is in super-soldiers and power armor. MJONLIR is a damn powerful suit of armor and while it may be inferior to the 40K standard the latest generations of the suit do not require Astartes levels of genetic and physical alterations to be used. Spartan IV treatments are sufficient to get, as I understand it, any adult human into the shape required to operate MJONLIR, creating a vastly larger pool of potential super-soldiers.
The Kushan fare better than the UNSC and Citadel Council. While they lack certain staples of science fiction like energy shields, unless we're counting Cataclysm but even then those are still not great, their ability to manufacture quickly and at scale more than make up for it. Homeworld is discount Supreme Commander in many ways. If you read through the original Homeworld manual, its implied their manufacturing technology operates on the atomic scale, which is the best thing you can have short of matter replicators and considering the kinds of things Homeworld polities achieve their tech might actually outperform Star Trek replicators. That same technology the Kushan use to manufacture can be used to repair equipment in real time. That's something that you can't do that with replicators.
On top of that the Kushan build, big. I've already pointed out how large their starships can get but their ground equipment can be similarly massive. The Kushan equivalent of a humvee, the Light Attack Vehicle, which was in use around a century prior by the North Coalition, is 12 meters long. For comparison an M1 Abrams tank is 7.93 meters long. 9.77 if you count the barrel of its gun. The thing isn't lumbering either, the LAV has a top speed of 110 kph. Vehicles only get bigger from there up until carriers, five hundred meter long landships that can produce upwards of hundred meter long land battlecruisers on the move and launch and retrieve aircraft.
Finally we start getting into the higher end of science fiction with Macross and the NUNS. As I see it Macross is probably the setting most accustomed to warfare, if not to the same level of destruction, on the scale of 40K. During Space War 1 Earth faced and ultimately was mostly annihilated by a Zentradi fleet numbering 4.8 million ships. It is in that shadow of that reality, there there exist fleets that large roaming around looking for targets to engage, that the NUNS developed their technology and doctrine. They are particularly well geared towards surviving in the face of a ruthless and more numerous enemy. At the same time, Macross humanity are also those people best equipped to win the hearts and minds of the Imperium, as they eventually did with the similarly militaristic and single minded Zentradi.
Star Wars has the Force and depending on who you ask, can match 40K in terms of calcs. With it being one of the forefathers of popular science fiction, there's very little in terms of technology that is unique to it. That's the unfortunate thing with being first, that lets everyone else improve on your work. Personally I'm rather unenthusiastic when it comes to the Force not when there are other sources of supernatural power available that do not have such a high chance of corrupting their wielders.
Star Trek provides a vast array of technologies and its a useful choice techwise because it dabbles in everything, and being a jack of all trades would be enough to make it a prime base choice but it also explores much of that tech on the higher end of things as well. The thing that really makes Star Trek a prize though is its technobabble. If there is a problem then the Federation can tech a solution into existence. The more exotic the problem and more dangerous the better.
Destiny has a couple of interesting bits of tech like programmable matter–Glimmer–but I imagine the most valuable thing to come from that setting is the Light and the Dark. I imagine that wielders of paracausal abilities will be able to serve as friendly counterparts to the forces of Chaos. Light and Dark imbued weapons and gear as well would be the counterparts to Chaos corrupted wargear.
Fate/Grand Order at first seems odd, but if you take a moment to think about it, the potential effects that it can have are great, because with Chaldea the coalition would be granted the equivalent of Living Saints and named Daemons. Such entities are powerful enough to turn the tide of a campaign with but a brief appearance. To be able to call upon them, in numbers, and over an extended period of time, could be utterly game changing.
Final Fantasy XIV being a fantasy setting has no real technology to offer, but it does offer magic. Fate's magic, due to how it functions cannot be widely proliferated, but FFXIV's can be, and moreover FFXIV's magic by being separate from 40K's Chaos based magic, does not run the risk of catastrophic failure or corruption. FFXIV's combat spells also scale up quite a bit and even if they didn't, things like the majority of troops having access to healing spells could change the nature of war significantly. Most importantly though, picking FFXIV means catgirls.
I sadly can't say much about Nier's androids, having yet to start playing the game despite it being in my Steam library. I will say though that they seem to be the best choice to take if one wants the best possible AIs. Halo is about the only setting with really powerful AIs and the UNSC kind unfortunately suffer from having seven year lives. Who knows, taking Nier might even offer insights to prevent such degradation. Star Wars also has sentient machines but they're often no more intelligent than biologicals and the way droids are treated is dubious ethically.
Lancer, Legend of Galactic Heroes, and Rebuild of Evangelion are too far out of my wheelhouse to give any constructive notes about as choices.
Right now I'm personally leaning towards,
[ ] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[ ] New United Nations (Macross)
[ ] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[ ] Eorzean Alliance (Final Fantasy XIV)
[ ] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
That I feel has a nice mix of abilities but also character. For as capable and understanding as the Federation are they're kind of boring as people, and I find the folk that fly transforming fighter jets and sing their hearts out more interesting. Element Zero has great potential but not any that outweighs Homeworld's sheer industrial capacity.
I like Destiny, I like the Eliskni, but the Light and the Dark are both too screwy and the Risen are prime examples of what would happen if Chaldea's servants were summoned without command seals. Finally, for as much as Halo's aesthetic appeals to me, as does the idea of making everyone a
Agreed, that's why I said earlier they had digusting level of reverse engineering and production
TBH I am fine with Homerworld, Nier, Fate, and Final Fantasy XIV.
I am still on the fence on Macross(if people vote for it I'll vote for it).
BTW I assume you want us to spawn on Segmentum Ultima(eastern part of the galaxy) since it has the largest room to grow(if so where exactly?), do you want us to be a single system(option 2) or 12 system polity in the beginning(option 3).
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Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
I still want to wait on the QM's answers re: Nasuverse cosmology before I go voting for sure...
Spart117MC
Amateur human
- Location
- Cali
I haven't decided as of yet, I was more focused on picking the factions.
Just saying, they're probably the best choice when it comes to actually convincing the people of the Imperium to give peace a chance. They managed to do it to the Zentradi who were a race of clones bred only to wage war and did nothing else for millennia.
Plus they've got transforming fighters. In the blink of an eye you can have a squadron of fighters turn into a squad of Crisis Suit equivalents and cause trouble for heavy hitters like Astartes. In fact, that's why humanity in Macross built transforming fighters to start with.
The Zentradi are 33 feet tall giants so the jets were made to transform into robots that could tussle with them. Of course now there are tons of those giants on the side of the New UN.
Cadia fell on 999.M41 and Gulliman resurrected after that(within the year).
Spart117MC
Amateur human
- Location
- Cali
Having only now fully read through the introductory post, I've spotted the section talking about exotic physics and non-native supernatural abilities. It appears they'll be limited to coalition space and looking at how that space can be expanded it doesn't look like they'll be able to be used offensively.
Halo's Slipspace travel and Star Wars's Hyperspace do not appear to be able to be used to travel through 40K with impunity. Homeworld's Hyperdrives are up in the air because despite the name, from how they're described in the manual it sounds to me like they work by tunneling through normal space.
Macross's Space Folds apparently involves swapping between real and super dimension space which would also disqualify it's use beyond coalition space. Mass Effect's FTL and Star Trek's Warp should both work, but any ship reliant on Eezo for FTL travel would suffer the same mass limitations that see Mass Effect's ships topping off at a kilometer or two in length and Warp drives can't simply be slapped onto ships that weren't intended to use them.
So this means stuff like this...
Chaldea servants are going to be powerful defensive assets but they won't be single-handedly conquering worlds, because they won't be able to exist on places beyond the reach of a Planar Seed. The same limitation will apply to FFXIV magic.
Halo's Slipspace travel and Star Wars's Hyperspace do not appear to be able to be used to travel through 40K with impunity. Homeworld's Hyperdrives are up in the air because despite the name, from how they're described in the manual it sounds to me like they work by tunneling through normal space.
Article: The solid-state Hyperspace Module is a quantum oscillation device capable of generating a waveform throughout any surrounding structure. It does this in order to induce an effect known as quantum tunneling.
. . .There is another drawback to our limited understanding of hyperspace. We can only induce a linear tunnel effect of massive proportions, with relatively crude control of distance. The module is projected to have a range of 2,500 light years for a single waveform event, and in order to trigger the drive we must charge the module with all the energy required for such a stunning distance. Should we wish to travel a more appropriate and cautious distance, we must crudely halt the wave effect by discharging the module's energy and dropping back into normal space-time.
. . .Another problem with our current understanding of hyperspace is that we can only take limited gravimetric readings of the normal space through which we are tunneling. This means we can detect a mass that disagrees with our navigational data, but should we wish to know anything about the anomaly we must interrupt the Hyperspace Module. Gravity wells also have a destabilizing effect on hyperspace travel. Test ship losses have taught us that a hyper drive must be shut down far outside any star system's gravitational curve.
Macross's Space Folds apparently involves swapping between real and super dimension space which would also disqualify it's use beyond coalition space. Mass Effect's FTL and Star Trek's Warp should both work, but any ship reliant on Eezo for FTL travel would suffer the same mass limitations that see Mass Effect's ships topping off at a kilometer or two in length and Warp drives can't simply be slapped onto ships that weren't intended to use them.
So this means stuff like this...
...isn't going to happen. Guardians leaving the radii of a Planar Seed are going to end up Lightless and dead faster than you can say Red Legion.
Chaldea servants are going to be powerful defensive assets but they won't be single-handedly conquering worlds, because they won't be able to exist on places beyond the reach of a Planar Seed. The same limitation will apply to FFXIV magic.
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- Location
- Colorado
- Pronouns
- She/They
... They pick it up, with their handsies, and they take it with them
Problem solved
Speaking of Planar seed's what stops us from farming them(find a life-bearing world(QM does not specify what count's as one I assume so long as it has oxygen and human's can live on it regardless if it's a desert, tundra, deathworld,etc...) immediately plant the seed then harvest 3 seed's from it once a year has passed find more life bearing world's and rinse and repeat)(not to mention if we ever get fast terraforming tech we can effectively farm lots of seeds to extend our range).
- Location
- USA
[X] New United Nations (Macross)
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Keep the maximum number of factions at 5
Honestly we have no reason not to pick up Destiny due to the nature of the Light and Darkness. I There is also the fact we now have Stand which is a prefect Anti Psi weapon given how it works metaphysically. Thank you LightFall
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Keep the maximum number of factions at 5
Honestly we have no reason not to pick up Destiny due to the nature of the Light and Darkness. I There is also the fact we now have Stand which is a prefect Anti Psi weapon given how it works metaphysically. Thank you LightFall
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[X] New United Nations (Macross)
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] New United Nations (Macross)
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Expand the maximum number of factions to 7
[X] The Kushan (Homeworld)
[X] Alliance of Sol (Destiny)
[X] Chaldea Security Organization (Fate/Grand Order)
[X] Androidkind Compact (Nier: Automata)
[X] A semi-noticeable entry involving the placement of an entire colonized star system to serve as starting territory.
[X] Triplex System
[X] Expand the maximum number of factions to 7
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BobTheNinja
Sword of Possibility
- Location
- Multiverse Sector Texas
Addressing your questions in order, the Planar Seeds and Trees function as an anchor for a new expansion of the Human Order's skein of reality, allowing magecraft and Servants to work despite not being anywhere near Earth. They won't get any special mythological performance bonuses (with certain exceptions), but they will still function. That being said, this new 'compatibility' layer doesn't displace the Warp so much as it meshes with it, so its true that Servant spirits would be a very tempting target for the predators of the Warp.
On the other hand, the Moonlit World does have tools and techniques for warding against magic/spiritual foes, and Heroic Spirits aren't going to be easy targets. Some of them even have specific skills that actively work against stuff like mental influence or possession. So there are risks, but also ways of mitigating those risks.
As for scaling, I intend to keep the default scaling as is, with IoM destroyers and frigates being in the 1-2 km size range and battleships being in the 8 to 10+ km size range, and so on. I agree its pretty lopsided, but them's the breaks. The coalition will have to find a way to deal.
Will follow up on the other posts later today as I'm able.
- Location
- USA
@BobTheNinja When you are able, would you mind if I ask about Light and Dark side metaphysical and how you plan to deal with it?
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
So basically, we'd have to be spreading Earth's authority...
Hrmm...
Hrmm...