NPC (GM Run) Factions

[Daemonknight]

Also, as a general note to everyone: the answers about "not if it's GM fiat" can be held. Theres no intention to fiat anything going on. If shit hits the fan, its because someone decided to do something, or it's a general plot device thats affecting a group of people(you might just not be aware of it's other victims). We don't have a dartboard with an IS map over it, with a couple of darts labeled "end of faction, cause X"(Dave might, and he's aiming the Kinetic Strike dart at the UIW).

So, if something were to happen, it would be through player action, or via a larger plot device.

[Cannonshop]

@CS's 2c answer:
Cannon, the issue is that much of what happened(or didn't in most cases), can't be addressed by simply throwing a storyline together. Most people(myself included) were expecting more GM direction from the time jump. We got left with little other than vauge assumptions, and what little bit the player base wrote itself. People I talked to at the time, were waiting for DR6 to tell them what they could/couldn't do before they actually made any plans during the time jump, and some(most) people never got that. Even I really didn't know what was happening, as what I was told was happening, was different than what actually occurred when the game started.

A short timejump, like 5 years, doesn't kill any faction storylines(if you have something that ties into a specific character, thats different, but nothing says it has to play out RIGHT NOW for believability). It allows us to craft a more reasonable "this is what happened" for each faction, as opposed to trying to explain away 20 years of what amounted to unbroken peace(which is about as anti-human nature as you can get).

This allows us to rebalance the factions against each other, and introduce the rules changes we're looking at(among other things, upkeep, to stop the military one ups-manship that is a byproduct of unrestricted build programs), aswell as tidy up what everyone has actually accomplished lately(again, as opposed to everyone just sitting around drinking a beer for 20 years, which is totally NOT BT-esque in my mind).

TBH, the build programmes weren't as unrestricted as they MIGHT have been-I ran the numbers on the UIW, and that little (at the time) 12 point faction would've had over 3000 RP to spend if each year of the jump was taken individually and there was NO war in between. (note that we didn't get that much, I won't say what the total was, only that it was a lot smaller than 3000 RP.)

But I stand by my statement: I don't want my little faction to be taken out off-stage or during a turnbreak, I have a lot less problem with it happening IN PLAY against other players, for logical reasons driven by my own bad decision making.  Unlike a lot of the major players, I actually built this faction MYSELF, and it's "MY" character, so I want its end, if that is what is to be, to be worthy of a beloved player-character in a long-running campaign, as opposed to smashed flat like some out-of-the-monster-manual level 1 goblin or zero-level NPC done in to clear up space in the Dungeonmaster's notes.

I think there are a few other players here who feel the same way about the factions THEY built (or built up.)

Now, I also understand something else: a five year jump would, maybe, allow me to fix the CapCon's problems (*problems mostly due to my blundering in the 20 year jump!)

But, for me, that would be affecting repairs in hopes of transferring it to another player-someone who really Grooves on the Cappellans in a way I just...don't.

[Cannonshop]

Also, as a general note to everyone: the answers about "not if it's GM fiat" can be held. Theres no intention to fiat anything going on. If shit hits the fan, its because someone decided to do something, or it's a general plot device thats affecting a group of people(you might just not be aware of it's other victims). We don't have a dartboard with an IS map over it, with a couple of darts labeled "end of faction, cause X"(Dave might, and he's aiming the Kinetic Strike dart at the UIW).

So, if something were to happen, it would be through player action, or via a larger plot device.

I find this statement quite reassuring.  (well, except the bit about the Kinetic Strike dart, that bit scares the smakkers out of me...lol)

[Daemonknight]

TBH, the build programmes weren't as unrestricted as they MIGHT have been-I ran the numbers on the UIW, and that little (at the time) 12 point faction would've had over 3000 RP to spend if each year of the jump was taken individually and there was NO war in between. (note that we didn't get that much, I won't say what the total was, only that it was a lot smaller than 3000 RP.)

But I stand by my statement: I don't want my little faction to be taken out off-stage or during a turnbreak, I have a lot less problem with it happening IN PLAY against other players, for logical reasons driven by my own bad decision making.  Unlike a lot of the major players, I actually built this faction MYSELF, and it's "MY" character, so I want its end, if that is what is to be, to be worthy of a beloved player-character in a long-running campaign, as opposed to smashed flat like some out-of-the-monster-manual level 1 goblin or zero-level NPC done in to clear up space in the Dungeonmaster's notes.

I think there are a few other players here who feel the same way about the factions THEY built (or built up.)

Now, I also understand something else: a five year jump would, maybe, allow me to fix the CapCon's problems (*problems mostly due to my blundering in the 20 year jump!)

But, for me, that would be affecting repairs in hopes of transferring it to another player-someone who really Grooves on the Cappellans in a way I just...don't.

The build programs were totally unrestricted: there was no downsizing in any force in the game. Nobody actually took losses, because there was 'zero' fighting going on. Yes, everyone would've had more RP. Want to know what the LA/CJF would've made over 20 years, if played out with no combat? Or the FWL, or Dominion?

'Unrestricted' means there's no down turn in production. If someone wanted to build 3000 FP of ground units, they simply added 3000 FP of ground forces to their sheet. So yes, the build programs, were TOTALLY unrealistic for the source material. I don't think there was been 20 years of unbroken peace in the CBT universe since the fall of the Star Leauge(I leave the voracity of that statement to CBT scholars, but you get what I'm saying).

A 5 year jump, would allow us to take all the factions that are just overwhelming powerful(FWL, LA, Dominion, DC, FS) and balance them against the smaller factions who have no hope of catching up, lest the top tier factions get smacked around suddenly(which would amount to an artificial war to justify it- something people seem to be against, and so am I).

As for the UIW, it's so small that most of the neighboring factions could eat the whole UIW without blinking. I'm pretty sure every UIW hex coul be invaded simultaneously except for Arluna, because the Lyrans gave you the two Adder worlds in Turn 1. And it sounds like you are basically saying that whether it happens off camera or not, the demise of the UIW is the end of the game for you.

[Cannonshop]

TBH, the build programmes weren't as unrestricted as they MIGHT have been-I ran the numbers on the UIW, and that little (at the time) 12 point faction would've had over 3000 RP to spend if each year of the jump was taken individually and there was NO war in between. (note that we didn't get that much, I won't say what the total was, only that it was a lot smaller than 3000 RP.)

But I stand by my statement: I don't want my little faction to be taken out off-stage or during a turnbreak, I have a lot less problem with it happening IN PLAY against other players, for logical reasons driven by my own bad decision making.  Unlike a lot of the major players, I actually built this faction MYSELF, and it's "MY" character, so I want its end, if that is what is to be, to be worthy of a beloved player-character in a long-running campaign, as opposed to smashed flat like some out-of-the-monster-manual level 1 goblin or zero-level NPC done in to clear up space in the Dungeonmaster's notes.

I think there are a few other players here who feel the same way about the factions THEY built (or built up.)

Now, I also understand something else: a five year jump would, maybe, allow me to fix the CapCon's problems (*problems mostly due to my blundering in the 20 year jump!)

But, for me, that would be affecting repairs in hopes of transferring it to another player-someone who really Grooves on the Cappellans in a way I just...don't.

The build programs were totally unrestricted: there was no downsizing in any force in the game. Nobody actually took losses, because there was 'zero' fighting going on. Yes, everyone would've had more RP. Want to know what the LA/CJF would've made over 20 years, if played out with no combat? Or the FWL, or Dominion?

'Unrestricted' means there's no down turn in production. If someone wanted to build 3000 FP of ground units, they simply added 3000 FP of ground forces to their sheet. So yes, the build programs, were TOTALLY unrealistic for the source material. I don't think there was been 20 years of unbroken peace in the CBT universe since the fall of the Star Leauge(I leave the voracity of that statement to CBT scholars, but you get what I'm saying).

A 5 year jump, would allow us to take all the factions that are just overwhelming powerful(FWL, LA, Dominion, DC, FS) and balance them against the smaller factions who have no hope of catching up, lest the top tier factions get smacked around suddenly(which would amount to an artificial war to justify it- something people seem to be against, and so am I).

As for the UIW, it's so small that most of the neighboring factions could eat the whole UIW without blinking. I'm pretty sure every UIW hex coul be invaded simultaneously except for Arluna, because the Lyrans gave you the two Adder worlds in Turn 1. And it sounds like you are basically saying that whether it happens off camera or not, the demise of the UIW is the end of the game for you.

Okay, so, what's the rough outline?  (anyone NOT running one of the three major empire/alliances is in the same boat I am, and you know it.)

HOw is this jump going to be different?  Let's get some specific proposals on the table.

[Daemonknight]

First, I'm not inclined to reveal upcoming plot or story points ahead of time. Thats just bad storytelling, unless its actual foreshadowing.

Second, there isn't a specific plan in place, because the 'plan' is 100% dependant on what each faction has been upto since the 20 year jump.

[Fatebringer]

Now, I also understand something else: a five year jump would, maybe, allow me to fix the CapCon's problems (*problems mostly due to my blundering in the 20 year jump!)

Xin Sheng!

[Dave Baughman]

First, I'm not inclined to reveal upcoming plot or story points ahead of time. Thats just bad storytelling, unless its actual foreshadowing.

Second, there isn't a specific plan in place, because the 'plan' is 100% dependant on what each faction has been upto since the 20 year jump.

To build upon this, part of the reason we said "six to eight months in the future" was for us to get the rules refresh ready, but the other part was for us to get some plot points and stuff out there in the universe before we did the "blink." So... hopefully in the immediate future you'll start to get a good preview of what is in the pipe.

We're working on it, but please bear in mind this was kind of dropped in our laps due to the unexpected staffing change.