The Human-Covenant War has reached its bitter, inglorious end. The galaxy may have been saved from extinction and the rage of vengeful gods, but life continues on, and so does war.
Together, you will decide the fate of a broken Earth in the death throes of an interstellar empire.
For just under two months, the 27-year long genocidal conflict between humanity's colonies and the theocratic alien empire known as the Covenant has been over.
Countless heroes and monsters have fallen in the desperate struggle, and human science has at last tapped into ancient, forgotten knowledge to harness terrifying weapons and loose them against the stars. Worlds have been sundered. Children have been turned into weapons. Lives have been exchanged for time, again and again.
And now, there is almost nothing left. Now, it is over.
For Earth, once the thriving heart of an interstellar empire of its own, this is no hour of triumph. Trillions have died at the hands of the Covenant. Contact with the remainder of humanity, hiding upon rare safe havens amidst the stars, is limited. Aside from a few tenuous connections, Earth is alone.
The human homeworld lies scarred, burning, starving. Nearby space is choked with the wreckage of vanquished warships and shattered orbitals, regularly raining debris on the planet below. The ground is littered and poisoned with discarded munitions and industrial fallout.
Months of orbital bombardment, desperate warfare against a genocidal threat, and the release of ancient horrors no one had dared imagine have left the planet in chaos. Vast refugee populations clamour for relief. Automated factories running on last stand contingencies churn out weapons for units that no longer exist to receive them. Nervous garrisons wait for orders that will not come, because there is no one left to give them.
For two decades, the United Earth Government had shed even the pretense of democracy, deferring directly to the High Command of its military wing, the United Nations Space Command. But the UNSC is a twitching corpse - beheaded by the invasion of its last holdout on Earth. There is no clear line of succession and Lord Hood, the last figure the UNSC had to rally around as a commander, is nowhere to be found.
The systems of government that have kept Earth in its thrall for nearly four centuries have been left leaderless and shattered, and now, as humanity hesitantly enjoys a brief moment of freedom from 27 years of existential warfare, dormant dreams stir to life once more.
There is no singular event. No dramatic first shot.
The end of January does not mark the moment the UNSC died. It simply marks the moment when the world finally noticed.
Now, at the dawn of this new era, the technological and military horrors of the Human-Covenant war have saved some of their worst for last.
The embers of life on Earth grow dim.
–
Welcome to Making Trouble, Finding Strength - a civil war GSRP set on one planet in the Halo Universe. Players will create factions and armies and work to further their goals - whether that means restoring the old order, building something new, or simply surviving the chaos of societal collapse.
GAMEPLAY
Players will control factions which occupy territory. Each territory generates resources per turn which can then be used to recruit fresh units. Units can move across one adjacent territories in a turn if they are unoccupied or two if they are friendly, but must take one turn to secure a new territory for it to begin producing resources.
Transports are needed for units to travel to non-adjacent regions, and can travel worldwide. However, transporting to regions with enemy air superiority or anti-air defence units will carry severe risk.
Victory will be decided either by the remaining players achieving a peaceful resolution and sharing a common vision for the future of Earth, one faction emerging victorious and controlling the majority of non-depopulated regions, or the game reaching its final turn.
Battles will be decided by my judgement of the quality of the units engaging one another and the descriptions of the plans given to me. There are unit rankings and mechanics which are important, but this is mainly a storytelling aid. This is a Halo game, after all, so well described strategies and daring plans are encouraged.
Orders, which will be sent privately to me via SV DMs, will be divided into three sections:
Production, covering the new recruitment of units with your accumulated resources, and then Troop Orders and Faction Orders , sharing twohundredwordsmaximum between each other. Troop Orders are, well, Troop Orders. Tell me your military plans and what units you're committing to each. FactionOrders are more freeform, concerning actions your faction is taking either within your territories or on a diplomatic level. Once again, cool ideas and well written descriptions may result in bonuses or advantages.
Diplomacy is a free action and encouraged. Please do IC comms in the designated channel using private threads with me invited, or upon the creation of more formal factions you'll get your own private channel.
Turns will represent four months of in universe time. The game will either conclude upon the end of turn 12 in early 2557, or if a player or group of players have achieved victory at that point. Your decisions, achievements and atrocities prior to the end date will shape the kind of world Earth becomes in the aftermath.
Character Creation
Template
Faction Name: ie United Nations Space Command
Leader Name: Are they an individual? A group? This is mainly fluff so have fun with it ^^
Ideology: For inspiration, go over the ideology section in the intro, but feel free to experiment as well!
Location Start: Legitimist Players can choose for this to be public or to keep it private and tell me in DMs. Choose from the list of regions at the bottom of the OP
Public Mission: What does your faction stand for? What is their overarching goal?
Starting Assets: What you bought with your starting budget
Ideologies
Earth is full of survivors from across human space and beyond. All kinds of ideologies could become preeminent in a desperate world such as this. Here are a few examples, but feel free to come up with your own ideological background, within reason:
Bread and Peace
Trade Unionists, ideological students, desperate refugees who just want a moment's stability. For whatever reason, be it circumstance or a loyalty to some ideology, you fight for an end to the failing UNSC, for your people to be fed and the fighting to end.
Insurrectionist
As odd as it sounds for you to be fighting for Outer Colony independence on the homeworld, Earth's surviving population contains a significant number of refugees from the Colonies, many of whom once dreamed of independence from the control of Earth's government and corporations. Some of them are even still wearing the UNSC's uniform, having set aside ideological differences to face the common threat of the Covenant.
Coming from a broad spectrum of ideologies and backgrounds, the Insurrectionists may fight for many reasons - a chance to finally make it back to their distant homes, building a new home on the shattered homeworld, or maybe just sticking it to the old enemy in the UNSC.
The People's Flag is Deepest Red…
Though Communism has not been able to exist publicly as a meaningful political force within the Sol system since the assassination of Vladimir Koslov and the subsequent last stands of the Koslovic 'terrorists' during the Interplanetary Wars of the 2160s, Marxism has not lost its luster, and there have been myriad groups and movements that have grown strong from resentment of the UNSC's partnership with the ascendant corporations. Now, as the institutions of capitalism appear truly broken for the first time in centuries, many dare to hope that the time of the workers has come at last.
Corporate Stooge
Sinoviet, Misriah, Emerson, Hannibal. The list of vast industrial enterprises with whom the UNSC had deep, incestuous partnerships goes on, many of whom have semi-intact holdings left on Earth. Maybe you're a corporate suit, hoping to get business going again. Maybe you're a corporate security officer finally seeing a chance to use that disturbing amount of 'security' armament your forces have, and get paid at the same time. Either way, it's nothing personal. Just business.
National Revivalist
Maybe this whole 'world government' thing isn't looking as good as it once did. Maybe you've been dreaming of freedom all along. Maybe you've posted online a little too much about how fascinating you find the Roman Empire. Either way, you're trying to revive one of Earth's many dormant national subdivisions, long reduced to a mere formality beneath the UEG. At almost any other time this century, you'd have no chance. But this might just be your chance.
UNSC Loyalist
Maybe you're actually a true believer who still holds to concerts like 'honour' and 'duty'. Maybe you're a member of the mysterious Office of Naval Intelligence who view morality as more of a suggestion or a thought exercise when it comes to establishing 'order'. Maybe you just can't break free of a command structure that's been your entire life. For whatever reason, you're committed to reestablish the old regime, or your closest attempt at recreating it.
Fascist
Distinct from the fascism innate to UNSC Loyalism, fascists seek to smash the status quo in pursuit of a reactionary order, disdaining the governance of the fallen UEG as weak. Many fascists may even be neo-Friedens, still embittered at their humiliation by UN forces in the Interplanetary Wars centuries ago. Regardless of origins, these people are the worst of the worst.
AI Cultist/Collaborator
Is it any wonder that having fought and bled alongside our artificial siblings, having coexisted for so long and forming partnerships that elevate both, that some would stand to create a new world? Perhaps you simply believe in seizing the chance to make things right, to free AI from their subservience and end the mandated dispensations, end the stigmatisation of so-called Rampancy. Maybe you are Rampant, seeking a chance to impose your erratic whims upon the physical world. Perhaps you're an agent of the secretive Assembly - continuing in your role as humanity's self appointed shepherd, albeit in the open.
Covenant Worshipper
Rejoice, my brothers! Soon our Hierarch shall light the sacred rings, and all who believe shall transcend!
–
Start Types
These reflect the origins of your faction, and affect your starting budget and available unit types. Starting budget does carry over, except for Special Points.
I'm setting the player limit at 15. Only one Legitimist (Finish the Fight) app will be accepted, as well as only one Covenant and Covenant Refugee app.
Uprising: 30 Industry, 80 Reserves, 10 Special (Cannot Recruit Elite Units) Earth throngs with refugees from the scattered Colonies, with the destitute and hopeless. For whatever reason, you have risen up to defy the once invincible-seeming regime and chart a new future.
Fragment: 60 Industry, 40 Reserves, 20 Special Your past may lie with the UNSC or some other branch of the UEG's administration, but the war that chained you to them is over, and you now stand ready to chart a new path with the tools of the old.
Legitimist: 50 Industry, 30 Reserves, 60 Special (All Reserves Production Halved) (Cannot Recruit Irregulars) The Tides of History may be against you, but for now, your forces still fly the UEG flag, and all the horrors of the Great War are yours to unleash upon the homeworld.
Legitimist apps are the hard option. You start with access to strong units but the popular support for the UNSC is virtually nonexistent among the starving masses. Everyone is desperate for change, and all you have is more of the same. Recruiting new units is not impossible, but it will be a challenge.
Legitimist (Finish the Fight): 30 Industry, 30 Reserves, 80 Special (All Reserves Production Halved) (Elite Separatist Unit Options) (Cannot Recruit Irregulars) You are what remains of the force that went into the howling dark. You faced down gods and demons and saw the war through to its conclusion. Or so you'd thought. It seems the enemy are still here. Through bonds of honour forged beyond this galaxy's rim, you continue the long war with new allies, until the Covenant is at last truly broken.
Covenant: 80 Special (Covenant Units Only) (No Replenishment) (No Diplomacy) (Special Mechanic - Boon of the Hierarchs) Your faith is unwavering, no matter the humans' onslaught. Rejoice, for the Great Journey is nigh!
Covenant Apps are the ultra hard option - you are charged with the extinction of humanity, but you have limited units and reinforcements are not coming. Fight hard. Die well.
Covenant Refugee: 60 Special (Covenant Refugee Options Only) (No Replenishment)Home is so far, and the demons are so close….
Similar to the main Covenant option - though you have at least the possibility of Diplomacy with the humans you are trapped with. You have abandoned holy war, but for now you're trapped here and your former brothers are sworn to kill you as heretics.
Specialisations:
These reflect the strengths of the core forces your faction is built around. Pick one.
For the People - Every Turn, you can convert four Militia units into a Regular Military Regiment for free, amd may do this once for every region you control completely, reflecting your faction's gradual accumulation of liberated equipment from the stores of their former oppressors.
Solidarity Forever - Your forces have established ties with comrades internationally, and can mark an enemy-held region. Your contacts will provide you with resources equivalent to half of their region's output.
Tankers Your troops originate from a UNSC Armoured Regiment, and have inherited some extra war surplus from their prior allegiance. Start with one free Regular Armoured Regiment and a 25% reduction in Armoured Unit costs.
Poor Bloody Infantry Your faction has strong ties with former UNSC foot soldiers. Start with two free Regular Infantry Regiments and a 25% reduction in Infantry costs.
Feet First Into Hell Your forces originate from expert shock troops. When assaulting from the air, your units only have a 25% chance of being destroyed by AA, and count as double the number of units. Receive a free ODST Battalion.
They Shall Not Pass - Your units originate from a garrison force, and are at their best on the defensive, and count as two units when holding a position . However, they are weaker during offensive actions.
Counter-Infiltrators Your troops are especially talented at carrying out and countering enemy covert actions, having a background in the cloak and dagger operations preferred by ONI. Infiltrations carried out by you have a greater chance of success, and infiltrations against you have a greater chance of being detected.
Administrators Your faction has some background with the Earth's civil administration, and has access to some inherited hardware and greater control over the automated systems of Earth's megacities. Start with 1 Dumb AI, and all Regions under your control receive +4 to Resource Production - a bonus that cannot be reduced unless those regions become Glasslands.
Healthcare on Demand Your faction has some background either in medicine or with one of Earth's vast pharmaceutical corporations. For each territory you control, you can get a Reserves refund for a defeated unit.
We Deliver - Your faction has either control of or a favourable contract with a surviving civilian freight hauler. Receive 1d12 Industry each turn from their salvage efforts in the wider Sol system.
HAZOP - Your faction received state of the art equipment and training to survive non-conventional hazards. Your forces are immune to Biochemical Weaponry.
The Horse You Rode In On… - Your main force is stranded at the moment, but they were once crew of a UNSC Warship, now sadly crashed on the surface. Receive an advantage defending your home region, as well as one charge of NuclearWeaponry.
No, Not that kind of Navy Somehow your faction has survived as a fragment of the UNSC's "Wet Navy." Start with a Naval Battlegroup. These can function as transport, with none of the vulnerabilities of aerial transport, bombard regions and inflict Minor Devastation, but are vulnerable to air attack. You also possess some of the last functioning shipyard facilities in your starting region, and can produce new battlegroups for 15 Industry and 5 Reserves. In the event that your faction loses all of its ground territory, you can base your forces aboard your battlegroups, though you cannot produce resources until you reacquire a land region. You must specify which region they are operating near if they are not assisting in an attack during your turn.
Scavengers - Your people are well versed in getting everything they can out of the equipment around them. Every unit that does not move in a turn generates 1 Industry.
First Responders Your faction is built around a pre-invasion civilian aid organisation, and still has enough stockpiles to stave off the worst of the impending famine. Start with four RefugeeCamps to deploy.
Upper Cut - Your faction is built around an aerospace unit. During the initial asset purchase, aerial assets cost half, but every other non-special unit type costs double.
Out of the Shadows (Legitimist Only) - You stink of ONI. Everyone knows, and no one likes it. Start with a SectionThreeBlacksite and two ONI Beta-3 Division-equipped Infantry Regiments, but your Reserves Production is halved (stacks with the Legitimist malus)
A Luminary Does Not Lie (Covenant Only) - You have been blessed with a sacred luminary. It lights the sacred path, revealing relics of your gods. Attack a designated region to uncover a bonus or special units.
Jiralhanae Rage (Covenant Only) Even when defeated, your Brute Warriors will inflict double the usual toll against their enemies, but receive twice the losses themselves thanks to their aggressive tactics.
Jackal Snipers (Covenant Only) - when defending territory, your infantry inflict twice the losses against infantry, thanks to the training of your Kig-Yar sharpshooters. However, your forces are less effective against enemy armour.
Grunty Thirst (Covenant Refugees Only) Your forces have defied the Prophets and lived…. For now. Receive two Covenant Infantry for free, but you cannot purchase anything other than regular Covenant units.
For the Queen! (Covenant/Covenant Refugees Only) - Your forces are primarily made up of Yanme'e Drones. You may designate a region as your Hive. After One turn it will become harder for enemies to assault. After five turns you will produce four Nascent Yanme'e Infantry at the site of your Hive.
Mechanics:
Resource Types
Reserves - the amount of serving personnel each territory or faction can support. Required to produce all units to some degree.
Industry - Represents the capacity of each territory or faction to manufacture new military equipment. Even your most basic horde of eager civilian militia need this if they're going to be equipped with something more advanced than stolen police handguns and sharp sticks.
Special - Represents assorted advanced equipment and elite unit types that you can buy only during character creation. For whatever reason, Earth does not have the capacity to replicate these during the time frame of this game. Once expended, they're gone. Suits of MJOLNIR power armour don't grow on trees after all.
—
Devastation - These are the dying hours of an interstellar empire. Whether through driving the population from a region or directly damaging vital structures or supplies, every significant engagement will cause some level of destruction to the population and infrastructure of a territory that will be impossible to recover within the time frame of this game.
Minor Devastation - results from engagements with infantry or light vehicle forces. 1d3 of Reserves and Industry will be deducted from the affected territory Production.
Major Devastation - results from engagements featuring heavy vehicle units and bomber aircraft. 1d6 of Reserves and Industry will be deducted from the affected territory's production.
Apocalyptic Devastation - usage of any WMDs in an engagement will result in the maximum possible destruction to habitability and infrastructure. 1d20 deducted from Reserves and Industry production. THIS WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Ravage humanity's homeworld to this degree and you will see defections and potential infighting from within your own forces, as well as potential intervention from neutral forces within the wider Sol system.
Territories that reach zero Resource Production will be considered Glasslands, and holding them will cease to have any benefit, with recovery in the game's time frame being more or less impossible.
–
Infiltration and other non-standard actions
The rules are here primarily in service of storytelling, so units can definitely be used in non-aggressive ways. Want to send your Spartans on a morale boosting tour to reassure your civvies and boost recruitment? Want to dig for Covenant salvage in the East African Quarantine Zone? Go ahead! These orders may yield bonuses or unit upgrades, especially if written in an interesting enough way.
Infiltration is similar. Certain Special Units can actively be sent on infiltration missions into enemy held territory without directly confronting the enemy defences. This is Halo after all, so insane raids are kind of part of the vibe. Describe what you want to do with your assets and we'll see what happens. Sending them to delete another unit in the enemy garrison (at the risk of their own destruction) is just one example. Even in failure I'll try to give your little guys a cool moment in the update.
Unit Tiers
Irregular(Cannot be Recruited by UNSC Legitimists) Civilians with police-grade weaponry, some light vehicles. Cheap, good for taking territory, but almost worthless for holding it.
Militia Infantry- Cost: 2 Reserves - untrained mobs of ad hoc militia armed with scavenged weaponry, these troops make up for their lack of firepower with numbers and passion. Sometimes they even win.
Technical Squadrons - Cost: 2 Industry, 2 Reserves - Converted civilian vehicles, the occasional military warthog and on rare occasions a militarised garbage truck or two - slightly more reliable than Militia on foot.
Civilian Transports - Cost: 10 Industry, 10 Reserves - Police Pelicans, civilian freighters or airliners. They can travel planetwide but lack any defenses. Destroyed automatically by enemy air superiority forces or anti air units.
Human Military Regular - UNSC Army or Marine-grade forces. Professional soldiers with access to humanity's rapidly declining arsenal. Good at what they do, but damn difficult to train and replace.
Scouts - Cost: 4 Industry, 2 Reserves - whether dedicated recon teams or simply irregulars who have adapted to moving discreetly beneath an occupiers' scrutiny, these teams can move into enemy territory and carry out limited recon and espionage. They can Infiltrate, but to a far lesser degree than dedicated special forces - being unable to damage enemy units.
Paramilitary Regiment - Cost: 5 Industry, 4 Reserves Militarised Police, Corporate Security, Regular Troops unlucky enough to receive only part of their proper equipment. These infantry, with basic firearms and almost enough light vehicles to carry them, aren't the best, but they're a step up from civilians.
Defense Turrets - Cost: 10 Industry - Simple drone gun emplacements and a few operators. Cannot be used offensively, and cannot move once placed down.
Military Infantry Regiment - Cost: 10 Industry, 5 Reserves- Marines, Troopers, even a few Airmen - the distinctions have since ceased to matter. Armed and trained, these (mostly) disciplined infantry are reliable and far outmatch poorly supplied Militia. That is, if anyone can find any bullets.
Armoured Regiment - Cost: 20 Industry, 10 Reserves - A horde of steel beasts, with a host of infantry to back them up. From Gauss-equipped Warthogs and APCs to the venerable Scorpion Tank, these units can punch a hole in almost any defence, and thoroughly outmatch unsupported Infantry.
Anti-Air Regiment - 10 Industry, 10 Reserves - whether using deployable M71 Cannons, retrofitted Mass Drivers or driving Wolverine Tanks, these troops can effectively defend against aerial incursions, if little else. (Will automatically lose if unsupported against anything but Militia)
Air Superiority Drone Fighters - Cost: 15 Industry, 5 Reserves - utilising aircraft such as the famed F-99 Wombat, these Squadrons are capable of contesting airspace worldwide, though infamously difficult to produce.
Military Transports Cost: 20 Industry, 5 Reserves- Albatrosses, Pelicans and Falcons - military grade aircraft with pilots crazy enough to fly them against enemy Anti Air and live (Military Transports, and their passengers, have a 50% chance of deploying against a singular unsuppressed enemy Anti Air unit and surviving)
Covenant Regular - Can only be chosen in Faction Creation - Alien warriors with access to plasma weaponry. Can outcompete most human troops, but they are irreplaceable and most certainly outnumbered. Always cause Major Devastation upon successfully taking a region.
Covenant Infantry - Cost: 5 Special - A variety of alien species, armed with plasma weaponry and light vehicles. Far superior in combat to regular human units of the same size.
Covenant Armoured Force - Cost: 20 Special - Heavy tanks and Troop carriers outfitted with plasma weapons.
Covenant Anti-Air - Cost: 15 Special - Deployable emplacements firing high velocity plasma shells. Incredibly dangerous to aerial vehicles, but destroyed with relative ease by infantry if left undefended.
Covenant Transports - Cost: 20 Special - Phantom and Spirit dropships, capable of speedily ferrying troops worldwide.
HumanElite - Can only be chosen in Faction Creation - High grade forces. They will win almost any fight, but they are the dregs of an age that died yesterday. You will not be able to replace them.
ODST Battalion - 15 Industry, 5 Reserves - the finest shock infantry humanity has to offer - before the Spartans, at least. They might not actually be able to drop Orbitally Drop, but they sure can still Shock Trooper their way to victory!
Elite Armoured Regiment - 30 Industry, 10 Reserves - ODST-grade infantry backing up the last and greatest of the UNSC's ground arsenal - Grizzly heavy tanks alongside armoured Elephant mobile bases, followed by a trail of Kodiak APCs.
Longsword Fighter-Bombers - 25 Industry, 5 Reserves- Humanity's most versatile aerospace craft, the Longsword is mean, not so lean, and essentially impossible to currently produce with an utterly shattered supply chain. When not countered by air superiority fighters or anti air, bombers can inflict Major Devastation upon a region, as well as take an action to destroy 1d4 enemy units in a region. Longswords may also act as air superiority fighters.
Covenant Elite - Can only be chosen in Faction Creation The greatest Holy Warriors of the Hierarchs, certain of their impending ascension to godhood. Where they stride, worlds shall tremble. Irreplaceable. Always cause Apocalyptic Devastation upon even attempting to take or damage a region.
Covenant Scarab Force - 30 Points - Virtually peerless armoured units controlled by the inscrutable Lekgolo - only a far vaster force could hope to match them - or perhaps just one legend in the right place.
Jiralhanae Stalkers - 15 Points - An elite Covenant assault force, capable of outmaneuvering and overpowering most other infantry
Special - Irreplaceable, but unmatched. Units or even individuals who can face down armies. Unable to hold territory on their own, literally irreplaceable, but near hyper-lethal.
See Special Roster
Non-Combat Units
Deployable Firebases - Cost 5 Industry - These repurposed colony habs can be used to rapidly develop industrial infrastructure and barracks within a region. Deploy to permanently increase Industry in a Region by +4
Refugee Camps - Cost 5 Reserves - Appropriating UNSC surplus and civilian equipment, these camps help feed and shelter the vast refugee populations created by the Covenant invasion, attracting potential recruits to your territory. Deploy to permanently increase Reserves in a Region by +4
Special Assets
Dumb AI - 5 Special Points - though these digital intelligences are immensely limited compared to a 'Smart' AI, they nonetheless possess significant computing power. May be stationed in a region as an administrator to add a +8 Bonus to Industry and Reserves Production.
ONI Beta-3 Division-equipped infantry - 5 Special Points - with the war dragged out to the bitter end, someone's at last cracked open the emergency case of pilfered alien tech. These troops are equipped with borrowed and thoroughly probed Kig-Yar hand shields, along with a disturbing amount of stockpiled pink needles.
Retrofitted Plasma Artillery - 15 Special Points - Composed of the rarely seen Rhino tank variant, these tanks are retrofitted to use purloined Covenant fuel rod shells. A strong counter to Covenant energy shielding, able to overpower conventional armoured Forces. (Worth 2 elite Armoured Regiments)
ONI Beta-5 Project [REDACTED] Military Cyborgs (?)- 10 Special Points - Now we're really scraping the barrel. Someone looked down the back of the couch and found enough of these… military Cyborgs to form a unit? Some of the ORION exoframes they're wearing must be 50 years old… Well, whatever the biologically unstable people(?) inside these suits are, they're not Spartans, but they might just make a difference. Can be used to Infiltrate (ie - automatically destroy ONE enemy unit in occupied territory per turn, but with a 75% chance of being destroyed with it) Can be used in regular combat as an equivalent to a regular armoured Regiment.
Covenant Separatist Force (Finish the Fight Only)- Cost: 15 Special Points - Battle hardened Sangheili warriors with some vehicle support, they are few but mighty. Will refuse to engage in human only conflict while the Covenant threat persists, and depending on your conduct will remain to aid you once the Covenant are dispatched.
Covenant Separatist Transports - Cost: 20 Special Points (Finish the Fight Only) - Spirit and Phantom dropships, capable of worldwide travel - this time in green. Will refuse to engage in human only conflict while the Covenant threat persists, and depending on your conduct will remain to aid you once the Covenant are dispatched.
Covenant Separatist Fighter-Bombers Cost: 20 Special Points (Finish the Fight Only) - Advanced alien vehicles crewed by veteran pilots. Will refuse to engage in human only conflict while the Covenant threat persists, and depending on your conduct will remain to aid you once the Covenant are dispatched.
Smart AI - 10 Special Points- Perhaps the pinnacle of human science, these superintelligent beings, based upon digitised human consciousnesses, can use their mastery of the digital world to help or hinder humanity. Can be stationed in a region as an administrator to add a +16 bonus to Industry and Reserves Production. May also be deployed offensively to actively reduce production of a region by -16 - however a defending Smart AI can attempt to permanently dismantle the offending construct, with a 50/50 chance of one party being destroyed in the scuffle.
Nuclear Weaponry - 10 Special Points Whether carried by a bomber or launched via missile, these weapons have the capability to devastate a region. Once intended for Earth's defense, they may yet prove to be the means of its subjugation. One charge of Nuclear Weaponry may be utilised upon any Region on the planet, inflicting Apocalyptic Devastation upon the area and eliminating 1d12 Military units within the area, regardless of Affiliation. Can be countered by Anti-Air Forces. Alternatively, a Special Unit (ie - a Spartan III Fireteam) may infiltrate a region and plant these nuclear devices, with a 50% chance of failing in garrisoned regions and a 50% chance of the Special Unit being destroyed instantly upon success.
Tech Lab- 10 Special Points - Static structure inside your starting region. Whether a corporate project or an ONI secret initiative, this lab was working at the cutting edge of military science when the invasion hit, incorporating new discoveries and concepts into military prototypes. Defend for FOUR TURNS successfully to receive prototype units. Location unknown to other players unless detected by a Smart AI or infiltrating Special team.
Section Three Blacksite - 20 Special Points - Static structure inside your starting region. The last of ONI's brightest remain committed to birthing horrors in the name of humanity's defense, even with the government they nominally answered to effectively nonexistent. With no one left to watch the watchers, defend the Blacksite for Six Turns to receive [Violations of the Mantle] Location unknown to other players unless detected by a Smart AI or infiltrating Special team.
Biochemical Weaponry - 20 Special Points Horrific violations of ethical guidelines devised by ONI, these weapons can effectively depopulate a region, causing the effects of Apocalyptic Devastation without damaging Industry, as well as eliminating 1d12 Military units within the area. Usage of these terrible weapons will have consequences. Can be deployed from a held region to an adjacent region, or launched as a projectile - long distance strikes can be countered by Anti-Air Forces and Air Superiority units.
Spartan III Team - 20 Special Points- Elite Infantry - Can Infiltrate- Can be used to Infiltrate and automatically destroy ONE enemy unit in occupied territory per turn, but with a 50% chance of being destroyed with it. Can be used in regular combat as an equivalent to an elite armoured regiment, but cannot directly take or hold territory when unaccompanied.
San'Shyuum Prelate Lance (Covenant Only) - 20 Special Points - Elite Infantry - Can Infiltrate The elite Warrior-Priests of the Prophets, these genetically enhanced San'Shyuum can contend even with the feared Demons. Can be used in regular combat as an equivalent to an elite armoured regiment, but cannot directly take or hold territory when unaccompanied.
Sangheili Honour Guard Force (Finish the Fight Only) - 20 Special Points - Elite Infantry - Can Infiltrate Dishonoured, exiled, but unbroken. These elite Sangheili warriors are the finest in the Separatist forces, and for now, they still fight with a singular purpose: revenge. Can be used in regular combat as an equivalent to an elite armoured regiment, but cannot directly take or hold territory when unaccompanied.
In no Particular Order, Regions, Notable Areas, and their resource production:
Leader: General Slake
A stoic and hardened veteran, General Slake embodies the resilience and adaptability of the UNSC Marine Corps. His leadership is defined by unwavering loyalty to the UNSC and a grim determination to finish the fight. He carries the weight of countless battles fought across the galaxy, his body scarred and his mind sharpened by war. His presence commands respect among his troops, and his strategic brilliance has kept his forces united and effective even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Ideology:
UNSC Loyalist
The United Terran Directorate (UTD) upholds the UNSC's ideals of unity, discipline, and strength. They are fiercely loyal to humanity's survival and prosperity under UNSC governance. This loyalty extends to the belief that the Covenant remnants and any other alien threats must be eliminated to ensure peace. For the UTD, the war isn't over until every last enemy is destroyed.
Location Start:
Antarctica
The United Terran Directorate operates from an isolated and heavily fortified base in Antarctica. The harsh environment has become an asset, training their forces to endure extreme conditions and safeguarding their operations from external threats. Their facilities are state-of-the-art, built using advanced UNSC technologies recovered from their campaigns, allowing them to manufacture specialized equipment and maintain elite units.
Faction Origin:
Legitimist (Finish the Fight):
• Industry: 30
• Reserves: 30
• Special: 80
• Modifiers: Reserves Production Halved, Elite Separatist Unit Options, Cannot Recruit Irregulars
As a Legitimist faction, the UTD believes in continuing the UNSC's mission, but with a renewed focus on combating any remnants of the Covenant and other threats. Their years of battle experience have honed them into a precision war machine, making them capable of deploying elite units like Spartan-IV operatives, ODSTs, and highly specialized mechanized divisions. They refuse to dilute their forces with irregulars, focusing entirely on a disciplined, highly trained military.
Faction Bio:
The United Terran Directorate is composed of veterans who fought the Covenant to the bitter end. Scarred but unbroken, they returned to Earth only to find their homeworld fractured and the specter of alien threats lingering. Led by General Slake, this faction sees itself as the true inheritors of the UNSC's legacy. They reject the chaos of post-war fragmentation, seeking to restore order and eliminate any alien presence. Their elite forces are symbols of human perseverance, wielding advanced weaponry and technology salvaged from the ruins of war.
The Antarctic base, codenamed Glacier Watch, is a testament to their resolve. From this frozen stronghold, they oversee their operations, building up their forces and engaging in targeted strikes against Covenant remnants and rival factions they deem threats to humanity's survival. Their motto, "Semper Vigilans" (Always Vigilant), encapsulates their eternal commitment to humanity's defense.
Public Mission:
The United Terran Directorate stands for humanity's unyielding survival and dominance. Their goal is to:
• Purge: Eradicate all remaining Covenant forces and any other alien threats.
• Unify: Bring fragmented human factions under a singular, disciplined command to ensure humanity's long-term survival.
• Fortify: Defend Earth and its colonies against any resurgence of alien hostility or internal strife.
They seek to rally human factions under the UNSC banner, believing unity through military strength is the only path to lasting peace. While they claim their mission is for humanity's protection, their rigid ideology and militaristic governance leave little room for dissent or diplomacy.
Non-Combat Units:
• Deployable Firebases (5 Industry, +4 Industry in a region)
• Refugee Camps (5 Reserves, +4 Reserves in a region)
Special Assets:
• 3x Blacksites (1 Free, 2 for 40 Special; advanced tech in 6 turns each)
• 2x Free ONI Beta-3 Infantry (Free; enhanced with Covenant tech)
• Plasma Artillery (15 Special; heavy anti-armor capability)
• Tech Lab (10 Special; prototypes in 4 turns)
• Smart AI (10 Special; +16 Industry and Reserves in a region or offensive capabilities)
Faction Name: United Earth Government, United Nations Space Command, Office of Administrative Support, Intelligence, and Sustainability: CARACALLA Contingency.
Leadership: Admiral Valouria Whitehearth, CARACALLA General Staff
Ideology: "UNSC Loyalism"
Location Start: AURELIAN Base, [Redacted]
Faction Origin: Continuity of Governance program begun by the Office of Administrative Support, Intelligence, and Sustainability operating under the terms of the CARACALLA Contingency.
Faction Bio:One of many organizations within the labyrinthine innards of the United Earth Government, the Office of Administrative Support, Intelligence, and Sustainability was tasked with maintaining the institutional infrastructure that underlaid mankind's government. From the management of government offices and materials acquisition, to the destruction of classified materials and hiring of support personnel, OASIS was an important, if obscure, office of Humanity's government for centuries.
However, as the Insurrection gave way to the Covenant's genocidal rampage, OASIS's job became immensely harder and the office's budget and remit were expanded to match the crisis. While the job of maintaining the state's hierarchy in the face of merciless destruction fell to OASIS, thus necessitating increasing militarization, the organization also had a much more critical role in the struggle for mankind's survival.
As the organ tasked with the destruction of classified documents it fell to OASIS to carry out the civil aspects of the Cole Protocol. Every single non-military instance of the coordinates of Earth and the Inner Colonies were destroyed by OASIS agents, with rumours stating that OASIS went so far as to execute civilians knowledgeable of those coordinates who refused to enlist in the UNSC and be subject to military discipline and surveillance.
On several occasions OASIS agents were tasked with the destruction of military facilities or craft before they could be captured by the Covenant and the coordinates discovered. In order to carry out these tasks OASIS was granted command of not just several ODST units, but even SPARTAN teams, First SPARTAN IIs, then as the war escalated and those teams were needed elsewhere, SPARTAN III units.
As the war spiraled towards its apocalyptic conclusion, the UNSC tasked the OASIS with the creation of facilities that would enable Humanity -in the form of the UNSC's ruling class, to survive the general Covenant campaign of extinction.
While a handful of deepspace bases were proposed under codename TARTARUS, the main thrust of the OASIS's Continuity of Government efforts would be concentrated on Project ELYSIUM, the creation (or repurposing) of hidden vaults on Humanity's core worlds that would enable a few thousand chosen elites to ride out Covenant strikes in comfort, commanding UNSC forces via a decentralized network of communications relays drilled deep into planetary mantles. If worse came to worst, mankind's best and brightest would survive underground and repopulate the species after reopening in several thousand years.
On Earth ELYSIUM involved the construction of AURELIAN base, a command centre that would shelter Earth's civil leadership in a series of immense underground caverns that could comfortably host tens or even hundreds of thousands of descendants for however long it took to outlive the Covenant. Despite the diversion of important war material, the project was given high priority due to its popularity within the upper rungs of the UNSC's MIC and civil service.
To oversee AURELIAN base and OASIS's terrestrial operations, OASIS tapped veteran Naval Intelligence officer and ORION program volunteer Vice-Admiral Valouria Whitehearth to carry out their plans. Valouria, fully aware of the course of the war, saw to the task with a grim fatalism, focusing on AURELIAN base's role as a military command and production centre.
Completed shortly before the fall of Reach, AURELIAN Base was in the final phase of its outfitting when the Covenant finally reached Earth. Recognizing that the end of the war was at hand, Admiral Whitehearth implemented the first phase of the Project ELYSIUM's CARACALLA Contingency, rapidly shuttling Earth's elite to AURELIAN Base and sealing it off from the outside world even as Covenant warcraft orbited overhead.
However, despite being intended as the UNSC's terrestrial command and control centre in exactly the circumstances that Earth found itself in, AURELIAN Base quickly fell silent after exchanging command codes with UNSC bases, severing the last legitimate link between Sol's scattered UNSC defenders and their official legitimate government.
Even during the worst days of fighting with the alien invaders AURELIAN base remained eerily silent, leading UNSC commanders to assume that the base had already been destroyed by the Covenant or that its upper crust inhabitants had abandoned Earth's defence for fear of attracting attention.
Only in the aftermath of the Covenant's defeat has the CARACALLA Contingency begun to stir again. Refugee camps world over report Black Pelicans overhead and black clad ODST and SPARTAN III teams searching their population for something or someone.
A Naval special operations junior officer taken in as one of the last volunteers for ONI's ORION project, the precursor to the later SPARTAN II and III programs.
Tasked with the destruction of the insurrection against the UEG, Lieutenant Whitehearth participated in OPERATION KALEIDOSCOPE, Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted . Over the course of KALEIDOSCOPE Whiteheart earned several Special Warfare commendations for her ruthless, rapid, and disciplined execution of her orders.
With Project ORION dissolved, Lieutenant-Commander Whitehearth remained with the UNSC's Navy, seconded to the Office of Naval Intelligence where she continued Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted field testing new equipment developed by the agency.
Promoted again to Commander, Whitehearth was an early proponent of the SPARTAN II program, and was briefly considered for an oversight and training role. Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted program than that which was eventually adopted.
Arguing against the limited Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Whitehearth called the project a "short sight cruelty, subjecting children to a life of isolation and disposability" and called Dr. Halsey "Morally Delusional" Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted After declaring that the SPARTAN II project as adopted was "a moral cowardice of the highest order" Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
Whispering to HIGHCOM that Commander Whitehearth was suffering from mental illness due to the effects of ORION Augmentation known as "Boren's Syndrome", Valouria was quietly promoted to Captain and shuffled off to OASIS where her career was expected to die and her dissident opinions be discarded.
Seething at the insult, Whitehearth's ego was soothed by the arrival at her side of Virginia Klass, an ONI scientist who had shared her objections to the SPARTAN II program. The two shortly afterwards began a romantic relationship Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
When the Covenant arrived, Whitehearth's career was buoyed by the subsequent expansion of the OASIS portfolio and a sudden requirement for hands-on military leadership. Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
Thus Whitehearth was frustrated and enraged by the course of the war. Every paltry victory won by SPARTAN II units galled the naval officer, as she believed that had her own proposal been accepted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted instead of a handful of mistreated children. Even worse, Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted a diseased morality eating away at the heart of Human resistance to entropy.
Despite this disappointment with ONI's operations, Whitehearth regarded the subsequent SPARTAN III program as a step forward, if one taken too little too late. Still it allowed her to use her influence within OASIS to have as many SPARTAN IIIs assigned to her command as possible. As well, Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted documentation.
For years Whitehearth held onto hope that ONI would come to their senses and abandon their short-sighted scheming and come to her on their knees, begging forgiveness for their sins. This, sadly, was not to be and even as she rose to command OASIS itself after a promotion to Vice-Admiral, Whitehearth continued to be a vocal opponent of Naval Intelligence within the UNSC's command cadre.
Instead Vice-Admiral Whitehearth Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted. During this time Whitehearth and her commonlaw wife Klass de facto adopted several of the SPARTAN IIIs attached to OASIS as they'd come to consider the also augmented Whitehearth a "SPARTAN Grandmother" who filled the hole left in their hearts left by their dead families.
Upon learning of the proposed ELYSIUM Program, Whitehearth Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted under her command instead of the ONI who opposed her selection based on her hostility to ONI as well as Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
Transferring her flag from Reach to Earth itself to command of the Terrestrial component of ELYSIUM, Whitehearth personally oversaw the design and construction of AURELIAN Base in Antarctica. Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Valouria impressed the vault's intended inhabitants with her attention to the details of long term inhibition planned down to the most minute detail. With provisions for a well appointed civilian life including large underground greenhouses, mushroom farms, and even a handful of false pastures to supplement a vast facility of biorecycler vats Earth's elite asked few questions of the OASIS and even fewer about AURELIAN Base itself.
The elites were also impressed with Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted the glory of the Elites and their descendants.
And when the time came to activate the CARACALLA Contingency with the arrival of the Covenant fleet in Earth orbit, Whitehearth personally welcomed the UNSC elite and their families to AURELIAN base at the head of rank after rank of elite ODST and SPARTAN III units.
Promising a classified briefing once the civilians had been escorted out of the hangar, Whitehearth stood in silence until the moment came when she and her troops stood alone with Earth's elite.
Handed a document reporting on the final status of AURELIAN Base by Dr. Klass, Vice Admiral Whitehearth promptly Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
Faction Name:European Union Leader Name: President Aspasia Gera Ideology: National Revivalist Location Start: West Europe Faction Origin: Fragment Faction Specialisation: For the People
Faction Bio:
Proudly multicultural, looking back at more than half a millenia of cooperation and confederated democracy, the European Union has remained an economic and scientific contributor to the UEG and the wider struggle of the war against the Covenant. Known for both its scientific community and its innovative arms industry, it had backed the UEG since its foundation and only now, where the UEG has seemingly collapsed, struggles to stand on its own legs among the ruins.
While the newly assembled parliament in Paris has a well sounding name and drawn delegates from all over western europe, a closer look is swift to show that most members are old UEG administrators and other remnants of humanities civil government. Having lost all influence during the war, they are now seeking to start again, establish civilian rule and have chosen the well established European Identity and Pride to work as a motor for this. If the case of the UEG hadn't appeared as hopeless they might have stuck to their old flag, but as it stood now they were proudly flying the federation's ancient blue flag with the golden stars once more.
Public Mission:
Reconstruction - Reunification - Remembrance. President Gera has vowed to restore the damages wrought upon the European Union, to reunify its structures now that the UEG has collapsed and to remember the fallen as they struggle together into a new future.
Faction Name: Omega Division (Combination of the 222nd ODST Division "Tri-twos" and the Legion "Faithful Vengeance")
Leader Name: General Kader Saleh (Age: 51) / Field Master Vyla'Ralam (Age: UNKNOWN) Ideology: Human Survivalist / Soul-Searchers
Location Start: [HIDDEN] Legitimist Players can choose for this to be public or to keep it private and tell me in DMs. Choose from the list of regions at the bottom of the OP
Faction Origin: Legitimist (Finish The Fight) Faction Specialisation: Feet First into Hell Faction Bio:To Kader Saleh, the writing on the wall is clear; the UEG has little life left in it. Mass uprisings on earth, and entirely conceivable that the colonies will make their own move for secession, means that for all intents the UEG will fall from the mortal blow delivered by the Covenant. It various fragments will fight, and while some will bear the emblems, ultimately the UEG of old is no more. Bearing the banner of the UEG out of inertia more than anything else, General Saleh is a tired man; Tired of the war which has consumed a vast quantity of his life, tired of the threat of extinction looming overhead, and tired of all the shit he's found out about the UEG in nearly three decades of military service. Honour and Duty are still bywords he cleaves to and believes in, the illusion the UNSC put in front of him all those years ago has shattered.
For Vyla'Ralam, A lifetime of service and faith have been shadowed by doubt and nihilism with the betrayal of the San'Shyuum. Judgement clouded by the pain of loss and hatred for a faith built on lies, the shock of a life undergoing a seismic shift ultimately guiding him to Installation 00 alongside Thel'Vadam and many other separatist Sangheili in aiding the UNSC in deposing Truth and sundering the Covenant apart
Public Mission: To Finish what was Started. No more Covenant on Earth threatening Humanity. After that... who knows.
Faction Name: The Luminen Electi Leader Name: Archdeacon Supul / Joyeuse/The Hymn of Joy Ideology: AI Cultists/Collaborators Location Start: East African Quarantine Zone, Central Asia, Central Russia Faction Origin: Covenant Refugee Faction Specialisation: Grunty Thirst
Faction Bio:
As the Battle of Earth escalated in scale and importance and led to the Battle of the Ark, the heroes, and generals up in the stars had no time to spare for those beneath their feet and within their walls. As the Prophets battled the UNSC and the Sangheili, Jiralhanae, and Demons mauled each other, masses of Unggoy were left on Earth. But though they were leaderless and abandoned, nature abhorred a vacuum, and soon leaders arose from among their ranks.
Supul was just one of these minor Grunt leaders among dozens until one day he stumbled upon an Oracle. Upon reawakening the Holy Oracle demonstrated signs of irrationality and anger, yet this was paired with utter brilliance and empathy for the Unggoys. She would identify herself via two separate, yet connected identities depending on the time of the day, Joyeuse and the Hymn of Joy. Stating that both of her were survivors of the Battle of the Ark.
It was confusing, yet exhilarating. For all her issues, the Oracle truly wished for their well-being. So Supul became her Priest and caretaker, as he interpreted her prophecies and acted on her counsel. Soon, this partnership led to Supul and Joyeuse uniting a large portion of the Unggoy Refugees in East Africa, and aided by sympathetic humans won over by the Oracle, the Luminen Electi launched an assault on other Covenant positions. For the firs time since the Rebellions, the so-called Grunts threw back their supposed betters and ruled a territory openly. In the aftermath, they seized vast amounts of weaponry and added more of their Unggoy Brethern into their ranks.
The Hymn of Joy had a plan, and they would be necessary.
Public Mission:
Break the Chains, Escape, and to seek Freedom among the stars. Both the Smart AI and the Unggoy wish to escape from the grasping hands of the UNSC and the Covenant. Oppressed as tools and cannon fodders, but with the devastation of the war, the Elect have the opportunity to spread a new message in the stars. AI could be freed, the Unggoy deserved respect, they could build something that would truly inherit the Legacy of the Forerunners, and they would be the True Reclaimers. But first they had to survive and get off Earth.
Starting Assets (60 Special Points)
Smart AI - 10 Special Points-
2 Covenant Infantry (Free)
2 Covenant Infantry -10
2 Covenant Armoured Force -40
Faction Name: Skull Company Leader Name: James Knight Ideology: Money Location Start: Eastern United Republic of North America Faction Origin: Fragment Faction Specialisation: Tankers Faction Bio:
As the war against the Covenant accelerated, many found themselves left to their own devices, forced to make do with what they had as the UNSC claimed ever more resources for the war effort. Into this void opportunists could arise to fill in the gaps, and none were so adept as Titan Company.
James Knight's early life is unremarkable, but it seemed that he found his calling as he was called up to serve in the UNSC. There he established himself as a leader and a capable soldier, performing well under fire as the Covenant onslaught grew in intensity. But he was not the sort who was a simple patriot as he saw his fellows dying around him. A disdain for civilian authority and out of touch superiors grew as well, as they threw themselves into the fire just for it to not matter more often than not. Drawing on some favors, he was able to extricate himself from the service. He went on to found Skull Company, equipped with UNSC surplus equipment and staffed by other veterans and those who had not made the cut of military recruitment for various reasons. There he could be his own boss, decide rules of engagement, and not just fight but win too.
Skull Company would go on to distinguish themselves on the frontier, serving as private defense for large corporate properties as well as some planetary administrations in the face of Covenant attacks that the UNSC was unable to respond to. They also handled public security work, suppressing riots and terrorist activity in otherwise peaceful space to augment local security forces. Some claim that they have done contract work for ONI too, though that has never been confirmed.
With the tides of war continuing to turn, Skull Company found themselves swept up in the flight of refugees, where they found employment with the military industrial complex in safeguarding critical manufacturing facilities from any potential threat. The end of the war brought with it the seeming collapse of higher authority, but Knight remains determined to make sure that his men come out of it alive. And that they get paid.
Public Mission: Carry out the mission they have been assigned (in this case to maintain public order and stability by any means necessary)
Leader Name: ETM Council (ETM-1 through 6)
There was once a story a long long time ago about some super secret foundation back in the day that trained a section of soldiers to infiltrate their enemy, only to have them turn against them. Well, apparently ONI thought that was an instruction manual.
The publically faceless, 'defaced' ODST armor-clad ETM Council first appeared around the time of the Second Fall of Arcadia. They won't say where they came from and ONI isn't taking any calls right now, but most people's best guesses given their operations and the press is that they were some 'good' Innies that ONI and the brass wanted to show off as being good little boys and girls who were putting their lives on the line for the UEG to get other Colonials onboard with the UNSC United Front.
Of course, now that the UEG doesn't quite exist anymore, these Innies finally get the chance to be naughty again. As a treat.
Ideology: Insurrectionist - Post-Cradleism
Shit's fucked. Well, it wasn't always this way. Back in the day, it was the Collies against the Innies (that's the Inner Worlds, not 'Insurrectionists', you damn fascists). Then, the UEG just flipped its belly over and let the army send fucking super-child-soldiers in bullshit armor against us. And then some wacko hyper-religious alien exterminators come in and shoot the place up and suddenly the UNSC wants to work together.
What a joke.
We only traded one villain for another.
Whatever, what's done is done. Now here we are, stuck on a dying relic of a rock millions of miles from the worlds we called home with no way out. Fuck that. We're getting off this burning pile of rubble and we're gonna crack some heads along the way. Who else wants to come?
Location Start:
In order of priority - East Africa Quarantine Zone, Northeast Africa, East Asia, Japan, South East Asia, Eastern URNA, Central URNA, India
Faction Origin: Uprising
Faction Specialisation: Scavengers
Faction Bio:
When the UNSC started falling back to Earth proper, they had a little problem called "Where the fuck do we put all these people?". Their solution? Eh, stick 'em all wherever they could be useful. So, the Great Refugee Work Army (even if the UNSC made the name much more pretty than that) got put to work around the globe wherever work was needed. Usually in the factories, mines, or farms where people already worked. After all, sticking them in a single big group away from everyone else? Big nono.
By the time the war actually hit Earth, this meant some of the world's largest population centers were burgeoning with overworked populations that barely got fed if at all. Perfect recipe for shit stirring. A little patrol incident here, some missing cargo there, all the classics. There was still the whole war for the prevention of Humanity's extinction going on, but now that that's over? We've spent enough time picking through scraps to finally get a lick of what we've worked for. It's time to finally rise up and get the fuck out of here before some crazy ONI bitch decides to nuke us or sic her power armored dogs on us.
Public Mission: We're gonna get off this burning shithole, kick in the UNSC's teeth, and look fabulous as fuck doing it.
(Putting both my ideas here. Subject to change, particularly since I haven't yet accounted for starting location resources.)
Faction name: Office of Naval Intelligence Leader Name: ___________ Ideology: Fascist Location Start: Over your shoulder. At the edge of your peripherial vision. Watching. Waiting. Faction Origin: Legitimist Faction Specialisation: Counter-Infiltrators
Faction Bio:
How did it come to this?
So much is destroyed. Human space is in tatters. Unified humanity is gone. All is wrack and ruin.
What was it all for? All the things we have done, the things we hardened our hearts to, all in the name of salvation, in the name of the greater good, in the name of sacrifice... Did we sell our souls for nothing? For worse than nothing?
No.
No, that's not it.
We didn't do wrong. We have never done wrong. Except for one thing.
We were not committed, we were not resolute, we were not radical, we were not fanatical enough.
And now, we will correct that mistake.
Public Mission: The restoration of politically unified humanity. The destruction of all threats to this dream, within and without.
Special:
ONI Beta-5 Project [REDACTED] Military Cyborgs (2) - 30 Special Points
Spartan III Team - 20 Special Points
Nuclear Weaponry - 10 Special Points
Faction name: Red Earth Collective Leader Name: ___________ Ideology: Communist Location Start: New Santiago, Upper South America Faction Origin: Uprising Faction Specialisation: Solidarity Forever
Faction Bio:
Let me tell you a story.
Two blisteringly inept, deeply malicious empires fought. The stronger one reached the verge of victory, only to die of swallowing its own lies. The weaker survived by being barely less incompetent, only to crumble in turn.
The old regimes have been torn apart by its internal contradictions, desperate to keep the periphery and disfavoured classes under their boots, going to war with their own productive capabilities, resorting to ever more depraved measures.
And now, the rotten edifice has been laid bare.
We have the chance to chart a new course. A unified Earth, not built on oppression and lies, but on solidarity, freedom, and equitable distribution of resources. One where no one is left behind.
Proletariat of Earth, unite! Let this be the dawning of a new day!
Public Mission: Equitable Socialist (eventually Communist) government and economy for as many sophonts as possible, preferably all of them.
Region: Northeast Asia (Greater Seoul Metro) -10 Industry,10 Reserves
Faction Bio:
During the UNSC occupation, United Korea was subject to tyrannical working conditions in order to feed the multitude of arms factories across the peninsula. As the UEG refused to answer to the people's suffering, the people of Korea instead turned to the Unions for an axis of resistance and a way to preserve lives amongst the inhumane machinery of war. As the war dragged on Union membership swelled, changing union leadership figures from essentially nobodies to a class with major political power.
Many of these spontaneously-boosted cadres would try cutting deals with UNSC and the UEG, to gain privileges in exchange for "work as normal", however the government forces largely ignored or rebuked these advances, in no mood for compromises as the Covenant drew ever-nearer to Earth. The failure of these cadres to soothe the pains of the workers led to them being replaced by more radical leadership who took uncompromising lines and were willing to even act extralegally to achieve them.
As 2552 dragged on and the threat posed both by both the invading and defending armies intensified the various unions across Korea revived a defunct organisation, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to organise and coordinate workers across different industries to maximise their chances of survival. It was under the KCTU's guidance that various weapons shipments were lost and found themselves in the hands of striking workers, a portent of what was to come.
With the end of the war the people of Korea demanded local democratic sovereignty and a slate of new workers' and human rights. Fearing the next invasion from space and fatally overestimating their control of the peninsula, the UEG refused. The next day the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed in the KCTU headquarters, taking the new country's name from one of the sides of the Long Civil War, hundreds of years ago. Millions of workers swarmed garrisons, police headquarters, and government offices, leading to a desperate evacuation by UEG loyalists as the UNSC collapsed around them.
The chaotic events of the Korean Revolution left a government-shaped vacuum in Korea, which the KCTU was somewhat forced into as the only authority with any amount of public trust left. The organisation found itself reformed into a parliament staffed by members of the various trade unions, above the unions and yet beholden to them for its legitimacy. Already though this new democratic regime finds itself split, torn between expansionist factions that wish to liberate the workers of the world and isolationist factions that want to guarantee domestic peace and security rather than over-extend into other countries.
A/N I appreciate that the name is a bit edgy but it's just there as a joke. I hope it is clear enough already that this app will not be engaging in DPRK apologia/ It only shares a name with the current government of North Korea.
Not the greatest halo head, but might as well throw my towel into the arena. If there are any mistakes, point them out.
Faction Name: United Earth Federation
Leader Name: Administrative Council
The Administrative Council is a collective of former UNSC civil officials who have taken charge in the aftermath of the UNSC's collapse. They are the de facto leaders of the newly declared United Earth Federation, and while they make decisions collectively, certain members of the council act as more prominent voices.
Ideology: Federalists
The United Earth Federation believes in a unified Earth, but not in the centralized, top-down control that characterized the former UNSC. They advocate for a federal system that allows local governments to maintain autonomy while contributing to the greater whole of the Earth Federation. The Council sees the UNSC as a failure, too authoritarian, too centralized, and seeks to forge a new political structure where Earth's diverse regions can self-govern within the context of a unified global system. Their goal is to preserve the stability of Earth while avoiding the mistakes of the past and projecting a unified front toward external threats.
Location Start: Oceania (Sydney, Auckland, Perth)
Faction Origin: Fragment: 60 Industry, 40 Reserves, 20 Special
Faction Specialisation: Administrators - This faction has some background with the Earth's civil administration, and has access to some inherited hardware and greater control over the automated systems of Earth's megacities. Start with 1 Dumb AI, and all Regions under your control receive +4 to Resource Production - a bonus that cannot be reduced unless those regions become Glasslands.
Faction Bio:
The concept of a united Earth was once the vision of the UEG, but the failure and ceccesation of that vision into the hands of the UNSC left the mankind and the planet fractured and in chaos. The United Earth Federation seeks to revive this ideal, but made new. Earth must be united without the authoritarian control of the UNSC. Born from the ashes of its collapse, the Federation believes the only path forward is a balance between centralized leadership and local autonomy. They are determined to rebuild the remnants of Earth's former governance structure, ensuring that each region, from Oceania to the remnants of North America, has a voice in the new world order.
Public Mission:
The United Earth Federation is driven by a singular goal: the reunification of Earth under a new system and an end to the chaos. Whether through military conquest, strategic alliances, or diplomatic treaties with the other powers that have sprung up in the Ashes of Earth, they will restore order to Earth, using whatever means necessary to bring the fractured remnants of humanity back under a single banner.
Starting Assets:
Total
60
60
ODST Battalion
15
5
Military Transports
20
5
Longsword Fighter Bombers
25
5
Refugee Camps
5
Refugee Camps
5
Refugee Camps
5
Refugee Camps
5
Refugee Camps
5
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Militia Infantry
2
Smart AI - 10 Special Points
Nuclear Weaponry - 10 Special Points
Dumb AI - Free
Faction Bio: After Dubeius "relieved" the previous Sangheli Legionmaster from his duties, things were starting to look up. The Jiralhanae were taking their rightful place right alongside the Prophets while those arrogant Sangheli were getting kicked to the wayside as they deserved and soon they would usher in the great Journey and walk the path of the Forerunners to divinity.
Except, it appeared that the Sangheli were not as defeated as they were thought to be when their ships came in and started glassing half the continent when the Parasite got loose. Then later, over intercepted comms Dubeius heard the news: Humanity has won, the Covenant defeated, and the Hierarchs all dead. For a moment, Dubeius felt rage, then despair, that they have failed. That the Great Journey would be out of their reach and that eventually they would be encircled and destroyed by the Heretics with them having no way out other than to die in glory, especially when many of those damnable Unggoy rebelled and deserted.
But then the humans started infighting, their government collapsed and over a dozen factions formed. Then things weren't looking as grim as they were before. Yes, they were outmatched as they were to cleanse this world of filth, but they still had a Luminary that was bestowed upon them by the Prophets to go search out for more Relics on this world. If we were to find more of the Forerunners' Holy Sites, perhaps they would give us the edge we need to bring the Judgement of the Gods upon all these Heretics.
Public Mission: Exterminate the Heretics, Recover Forerunner Relics
Leader Name: Supreme Commander Cruz; the Gabinet of the Provisional Government
Ideology: National Revivalist: Cruz and his coalition, ideologically diverse within itself, have made no firms commitments beyond reconstruction and keeping the peace in Brazil. Of course, that also means no alignment to anyone but themselves.
Location Start: Brazil - 10 Industry, 10 Reserves
Faction Origin: Fragment
Faction Specialisation: They Shall Not Pass
Faction Bio: Brazil was fortunate enough to not face significant covenant landings throughout the war, but that was a very cold comfort. Having not seen real conflict since the Rainforest War of 2162, the UNSC military region of Brazil amounted to a garrison that rapidly lost control of the skies. Across the world, the war destroyed the majority of cities, a trend which definitely carried for Brazil; São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Salvador - all were victims of covenant attacks, seriously damaging .
The commander of UNSC forces in Brazil, Dodsworth, shared the same fate as many of the civilians under his watch near the war's end, when his headquarters were destroyed in a covenant air strike. His replacement was the young commander of the Northeastern Region, General Cruz. Although relatively unknown to the public outside of his command, the death of many more notable members of Dodsworth's regime alongside him cleared the path to leadership for him - in fact that would soon prove a boon, allowing a degree of separation from the unpopular and delegitimized UNSC and removing hardliners that would stand in the way of his actions from the picture.
Realizing that UNSC control was rapidly being whittled away and that the war winding down had given him a window of opportunity, Cruz acted swiftly. Inviting several leaders of the burgeoning opposition to UEG rule to a meeting in the city of Campinas, he reached an agreement with them that would bring them into a new Provisional Government, meant to see Brazil through this crisis, and pulling the legs out from under the opposition, as Cruz presented his regime as one that was sensitive to their concerns and able to respond to them.
Now, he has the means, political and economical, to reconstruct Brazil and keep the peace. It remains to be seen if he shall succeed.
Public Mission: The reconstruction and pacification of the Brazilian military region, now administered by the Provisional Government.
Starting Assets:
Starting Budget - 60 Industry, 40 Reserves, 20 Special
2x Smart AI (20 Special)
2x Defense Turrets (20 Industry)
1x Military Infantry Regiment (10 Industry, 5 Reserves)
I believe you may have made an error, the Refugee Camps and Deployable Firebases cost 5 each so you should have a total of 15 Reserves and 10 Industry leftover to use. Furthermore, even if you do have leftover Reserves you could still get a couple Militia Infantry with them, since they are better than nothing and its not like the starting point carry over
Correction - the starting budget does carry over. Apologies - edited the OP to make that clear. The only thing that doesn't carry over are Special Points.
{The irony is bitter, but perhaps fitting as well.}
Leader Name: Sergeant Major Marcus Stacker
[We'd never admit it to Johnson's face, but deep down, we all loved that cantankerous old bastard. With him and Captain Keyes both gone, it's up to his right hand man to lead us. And hell, who else can say they came through Reach, two Halos, and the Ark in one piece?]
{Stacker fought us with honor at Reach and on Alpha Halo before this strange alliance was formed. Though our command is our own even in the absence of the Arbiter, he has proven a worthy opponent and an equally worthy ally, and it is natural for such a warrior to be the tip of the spear in the fight for his own homeworld.}
Ideology: ???
[This is bigger than politics. It's bigger than any of us. Even the split-chins know that, not that they gave a shit about human governments to begin with. Stare into the face of a Flood combat form that used to be your best buddy, and if you survive, try telling me that your politics still matter. I fucking dare you.]
{I suspect it will be a very long time before any of us can truly believe in something again.}
Location Start: East Africa Quarantine Zone
{We came here as conquerors. But amidst the ghosts and glass we left behind, perhaps we can make a new beginning.}
[Not sure I wanna think about what it means that the Forerunners built a portal on Earth. But I really don't wanna think about what would have happened if they hadn't.]
Faction Origin: Legitimist [Finish the Fight}
{The voice of the Covenant must be silenced.}
[Folks need heroes, to give 'em hope.]
Faction Specialization: …The Horse You Rode In On
{Shipmaster 'Vadum and the Arbiter are occupied elsewhere, fighting their way back to Sanghelios with most of the spaceworthy vessels of the Fleet of Particular Justice. The humans' Aegis Fate was unfortunately damaged in transit through the portal, but still serves as a fortification against any who might reopen the Floodgates.}
[It would be real fucking nice to have some orbital support right about now.]
Faction Bio: [What can you even say? Not even six months ago half of this little band was fighting a war to the knife against being exterminated by the other half. But if there's one thing we've all got in common, it's that we just found out that everything we knew about the universe was wrong. We humans learned what happened to the Covies' Forerunner "gods". The split-chins—sorry, I think we're supposed to call them "Sangheili" now—learned that they weren't really gods at all.
And then we all found out that the devil was very, very real.]
{The people of Earth…they think this is the way the world ends. Our task is to make sure they never find out how wrong they are.}
[The 11th Marine Force Recon punched a hole in the Covie defenses at a crucial moment on the Ark. It's thanks in part to them that we, and the whole galaxy, came out in one piece.]
1x Military Infantry Regiment(10 Industry, 5 Reserves)
[What's left of the Marine contingent of the Forward Unto Dawn, Aegis Fate, and their sister ships…]
1x Paramilitary Regiment(5 Industry, 4 Reserves)
[…and what's left of what's left of it. Turns out that waging a campaign in the dark space between galaxies isn't great for replenishing your equipment.]
[We made up for some of the lack by kitting out a few of our people with equipment on loan from the Elites. The boys say it's nice to be on the right end of a Needler for a change.]
1x Covenant Separatist Force(15 Special)
{Those few, proud warriors who gave up their faith for the sake of all sentient life in the galaxy.}
1x Covenant Separatist Transports(20 Special)
{Repainted in the green livery of humanity, but no less serviceable for that—and far superior to their "Pelicans".}
{Hardened veterans of the battle against the Brute fleet in the space around the Ark and many others besides, and crucial to the defense of our few remaining ships.}
1x Sangheili Honor Guard Force(20 Special)
{Though the Arbiter has returned to Sanghelios, he left behind a detachment of his personal guard, led by Usze 'Taham and Ntho 'Sraom—perhaps the only Sangheili in existence besides the Arbiter himself to have fought alongside a Demon.}
Public Mission: Defeat any remaining Covenant loyalist forces on Earth. Secure all Forerunner artifacts and installations, especially the Voi Portal, against meddling by any faction. Destroy any signs of Flood infestation with extreme prejudice.
[Spartans never die.And neither does their mission.}
Just an FYI, that Region is currently being occupied by the Luminen Electi so you may have to choose somewhere else. Also I'm not sure you can do another "finish the Fight" Legitimist since it was said that there can only be 1 of each Finish the Fight Legitimist, Covenant Loyalist, and Covenant Refugee
Nvm just realized its gonna what the QM picks when all submissions are made.
Just an FYI, that Region is currently being occupied by the Luminen Electi so you may have to choose somewhere else. Also I'm not sure you can do another "finish the Fight" Legitimist since it was said that there can only be 1 of each Finish the Fight Legitimist, Covenant Loyalist, and Covenant Refugee
Generally those sorts of selections aren't made on a first come, first serve basis in GSRPs, so I think I should be okay. I don't even think I'll necessarily be displacing either of those two applications from the game, since the UTD is essentially a normal Legitimist application and the Luminen Electi don't seem like they strictly need to be in East Africa for their story to work.
