From The Embers

We thought we had reached the end of history. We thought we were ready for anything. We were wrong.

A world that rose from the ashes of Cablefall and the Collapse faced a near-apocalypse. What began with the Bug War turned into the largest war in modern history. The debris fields around what once were called the Jewel Worlds provide mute testimony to its savagery. The old system of alliance was nearly broken in the aftermath, and the political landscape is still in upheaval. With the development of the Riftgates, new horizons were opened, and the forces of humanity and its allies began to rebuild and expand in four sectors. Only time would tell if life could rise from the embers.

Concept

This is a distant continuation of FTA2, using modified versions of Silence's Imperial Stars rules. The goal is to accommodate differing playstyles in the same game universe, and to incorporate the full craziness of the FTA world into the game system. You can play aliens or AIs or whatever fits your traits.

Economy

Nations have two main economic factors - Income / $$$ and Industrial Production

Income grows slowly with your national economy. Almost every nation is a mature economy, so growth is fairly limited. You can increase your nation's growth by not using all of your industrial production for military purposes.

Industrial Production is your nation's maximum industrial capacity. To build things with Industrial Production requires Common Metals

Sectors

The world of this future is quite varied. Choosing where your nation will exist will literally change your game experience. Different sectors are linked by massive Riftgates, which are incredibly expensive (each one contains a mature Helix entity and a captive stellar object) megastructures that allow extreme-range travel.

Sol Sector

The Last, Best Hope
The old human sphere is still among the richest and most advanced regions of space. That was what attracted the Dahaki, after all, and has made it the crossroads of numerous attempted conquests. Here, resources are plentiful, but so are the enemies. When it isn't the Dahak, it is the Tharngolst or the Lucent Imperium.

• Limited Colonization - can you defend them?
• Organized Sector
• PVE Focus - Cloudy with a chance of battlemoons

Major NPCs

The Solar Defense Fleet

• Starfleet turned Starfire
• The largest single force of human warships, the SDF has gradually overshadowed the rest of the Solar Federation to the point of being viewed as the actual government. They have fortified the Sol system, and regularly work to disrupt enemy forces with deep strikes.

Majestic 12

• The (mostly) Benevolent Conspiracy
• Not everyone signed on with SolFed. Majestic 12 had its own agenda, and its own infrastructure - which was the reason they were not as active in the Great War. MJ-12 has discovered technology beyond that of the SDF, including superweapons to rival the Asterix.

The League of Free Stars

• Allies against many common foes
• The League were the people who did not sign up with the Solar Federation, but aided the SDF in the Dahaki war. This notably included most of the old Liberty Commonwealth and the United States, along with the Holy League. Most of the states are happy to be free of the increasing centralization of SolFed, but there is not much unity currently. There is some degree of diplomatic intrigue, but it is tame compared to the Corona Sector. They keep the SDF from monopolizing the Sol Riftgate.

Corona Sector

The New Jewels
The richest sector to be surveyed, and the most heavily developed, Corona was meant to be a fallback position in case the defense at Sol fell. Nations uninterested in fighting in the Great War, or just hedging their bets, rapidly colonized the systems. The major factions rapidly formed two opposed alliances, with the two major powers staring each other down. Having secured their independence from the growing SolFed, the two powers continually attempt to struggle for dominance.

• No Colonization - highly developed systems
• Organized / Cold War (with PCs being the brushfire wars)
• PVP Focus - There will be war!

Major NPCs

The Empire (name pending)

• One side of the Cold War
• Info TBA

The Mandate (name pending)

• One side of the Cold War
• Info TBA

Corona Gate Authority

• The Neutral Party
• The Corona Riftgate is run by a bureaucracy that is amply funded by both factions. It provides a supply of vital resources to SolFed for not interfering in the sector, polices the gate system, and also handles general matters of trade and standardization. They are scrupulously neutral to ensure that they maintain their position on power under the Corona Accords.

Terminus Sector

No Laws, No Masters! No Guts, No Galaxy!
There were great plans for the largely deserted stars of the Terminus Sector. The other sectors were preoccupied, and that meant Thalassa could take over the Riftgate, locking out the more established factions.

• Open Colonization, but starting systems are the most valuable to maximize bloodshed
• No organization or mod interference or international law
• PVP Focus - Free Fire Zone

Major NPCs

Thalassa

• Golgotha-esque freeport
• Several pirate and criminal cartels managed to build up a citadel near the Riftgate, and hack its systems. Now, the Admiral rules the city with a straightforward command - do not inconvenience Thalassa, and do not interfere with trade. Anything can be bought here, and interference from outsiders is not tolerated - though their business is extremely welcome. They possess a potent fleet, and salvaged Dahaki defenses systems, giving their non-interference policy teeth.

The Reach

Here be Dragons
The Reach is the wildest of the sectors, chosen more for its scientific value rather pure exploitation. It is largely unexplored, but there are regions near Riftgate that have been settled. Out here, there is more cooperation, as the biggest threats might be in the next system over.

• Open Colonization, but be wary of over-extension
• Limited Organization
• PVE Focus - It's a Dungeon out there

Major NPCs

Northpoint

• The Edge of Civilization
• Northpoint survived the wars, but they were not interested in obtained sticking around Sol sector with the Lucent hunting them. They obtained their Riftgate in the simplest manner - they bought it. More precisely, they surveyed the Corona sector, and sold the rights for the cost of a Riftgate. They keep a close watch on the gate, and generally try to broker disputes and help those in need. Other nations still have them do exploration, which remains a profitable line of business.

Pharos

• The meeting-ground
• Much like the old black hole system, the pulsar known as Pharos has attracted considerable interest. There are trading and diplomatic delegations from all over space.

Admiral Darlan

• Magnificent Bastard
• The Goetias and other Darlan vessels distinguished themselves in the Great War, though they did not act in coordination with the other forces. It is rumored that he captured a war moon. He vanished into the Reach, where he is believed to remain to this day.