Either Needed The Year is 2530...

[GillyFars]

Hi, all! I'm looking to do a nice big space epic from the perspective of the lowly (at least at the start) infantry fighting in a civil war between two human factions. I'm not the most experienced roleplayer with only a couple of years under my belt. I love to tell stories though, and having people to make that story feel more alive is all the better! This idea is a little loose in terms of "rules" (which I feel are necessary to some degree given the scope I'd like this to have), but essentially I would be doing light DM work to shape the story and hopefully create interesting situations for your characters to interact with. Be warned though, while I won't ever outright kill a PC or involve them in anything that would permanently change anything about them, this is an RP centered around a massive conflict and PCs will experience the sometimes seemingly unfair chaos of warfare. That's the basic Idea. You might have to bear with me as I sort out some of the kinks in this whole thing, But I'd really love to get some people immersed in this world I've created, or try at least.


The Year is 2530. Humanity is in the midst of an interstellar civil war with yet more unknown alien threats encroaching from the void.


Humanity is divided between the Earth System Republic: a body that has governed all human worlds for nearly four centuries, and the Independent Colonies of Mankind: a coalition of the most distant worlds that tire of being exploited by the E.S.R..


You are graduates of the Earth System Republic United Military Naval School. All of you are the finest humanity has to offer, shining examples of everything the Earth System Republic United Military stands for. Each of you was drawn to pursue a life in the military by the finely tuned E.S.R. propaganda machine. The promise of a life of adventure, heroism, and justice fighting for humanity across the stars.


However, as the civil war rages on, an old and alien enemy of mankind rallies itself once more.

If there's anything you have a question about or if it seems like there's something important I left out (Which I probably did) feel free to ask and/or let me know!

 

[Sanity43217]

Seems interesting, but I have a few questions. Mainly about what technology is doing in this.

1. Shields vs Guns​

Firstly, I was wondering if personal shields or ranged weapons came into prominence. With technology advancing it could go one of two ways. Personal Shielding technology picks up faster than ranged weaponry, making things like guns obsolete, leading to a more close range/melee combat on the infantry level at least. It could also go the other way, spreading out battlefields as a weapon's range increases and shields just can't keep up, making them all but obsolete for a large force.
So, can we expect close range, visceral melee combat, or epic long range battles, where fates are decided by a single lucky shot?

2. Vehicles​

How will vehicles enter the role play, and impact the battlefield? Are tanks walker based, or more hover tanks? Are they powerful titans, that single handledly shift the tide of battle when piloted by skilled aces, or mass produced cannon fodder?

3. Powered Armour, Exo Rigs and Medical technology..​

Do infantry possess powered armour or Exo Rigs? If so, to what extant? Like having it bolted to their skeleton for better and easier use with less training? Or just a suit they can wear and take off? How wide spread are they?
How do they return soldiers to combat should they be injured? Prosthetic limbs? To what extent?

 

[GillyFars]

1. 
   Guns vs. Shields
   

While I see the degree of realism in both of those Ideas, this is an RP and so I'd it can really shake out in whatever way seems the most interesting or fun. Rather than necessarily following something altogether logical (ala Warhammer 40k). This world however is nowhere near as over the top as 40k. To finally answer your question,for human forces, personal shielding does not exist and given the required power to keep such a device going, nothing smaller than a full starship can support a mobile shield generator. However, this does not mean that all battles are fought at the longest of range. Both for the sake of keeping things interesting, as well as the tiniest pinch of realism, battles are fought at the range that suits the battlefield. Think Halo esque with a military structure familiar to us, but with more advanced technology than the Halo universe being afforded to ground troops (Most small arms using miniaturized electromagnetic propulsion, personal heads up displays, improved body armor, etc.). Keep in mind though that when it comes to alien races that have the power of "muh, technology" on their side, these rules can play pretty fast and loose.

1. Vehicles
   

In terms of vehicles, much like our modern day, most of the tasks once relegated to heavily armored ground vehicles can now be better performed by aircraft thanks to a significant speed advantage. However when armor on the ground is needed, tanks are still used and still employ treads as realistically legs are too unstable and have too much difficulty navigating rough terrain. In terms of hover tanks, making something that heavy hover just isn't efficient with the technology of this universe.

1. Power Armor, Exo Rigs, and Medical Tech.
   

With the scope of forces fighting on either side of this conflict, outfitting any significant number of troops with power armor and exo rigs isn't feasible (Which is really my fancy way of saying, not really the feel I'm going for). In terms of medical tech, weaponry has advanced just as quickly if not more so. As a result, if you are severely injured in the field, chances are you'll die if you can't get proper medical attention. If you can get that medical attention though, you'd have to try pretty hard to die from anything short of a headshot or being completely crushed. Bionic limbs are available, but not commonly used by those who haven't suffered a debilitating injury. However, bionic limbs are extremely expensive and unlikely to be used on infantry soldiers.

There's some answers! If there's any questions about these, keep 'em coming!

 

[Baxter Peters]

Sounds like you're going for a Starship Troopers the movie feel. Not the book, ad the mobile infantry was in power armor, but jingoistic, military types with coed showers.

Sound about right?

 

[GillyFars]

Yessiree. Although I'm definitely toning down the sort of satirical propaganda.