Unit organization

At the last informal gathering, several points were brought up. Among them was the types of characters we might play. The history of Battlestar role play on SL has been comprised of several basic character styles. A short list includes Civilians, Pilots, Crewmen, Command Staff, Marines, Special Forces, Humanoids, Centurions and Pirates.

I think we can safely rule out pirates, since Earth is taking its fledgling steps into space travel. Another group that I think we can agree do not need to be included is Special Forces. With the limited capacity of a single ship, it would be a waste of resources to house a military unit that in this modern age is typically used for counter terrorism purposes, in an environment where terrorists would be light years away. Another sim has stated reasons for not employing Marines in the game. I have felt the same way for a long time. While Marine players tend to enjoy the style of play, it tends to create issues with Chain of Command and ends up in arguments more often than not. The Genesis will be protected by the highly honored 95th Rifle Regiment. They will be essentially NPC’s but if some players want to play one as flip title at times, then thats ok as long as it doesnt create friction. The Rifles have a long proud history and are elite troops that can provide excellent security for the ship and crew. Keep that in mind when using them as NPC’s or flip title characters.

We wont have any humanoids initially because we have not met the third race yet. So if you want to play a humanoid, feel free to play another character that can die or fade to background as necessary upon contact.

Centurions will be the primary adversary as they pursue their plan to create peace makers out of the humans. The twisted logic of their plan is what prevents anyone from figuring it out.

Civilians wont play a big role in the game. Its one ship. The crew are hand selected and highly screened. Player characters are considered to be excellently skilled at their jobs and  psychologically tested to guarantee their ability to handle the trip. Characters will be considered valued members of the crew and capable of performing under stress. These are tough survivors and professionals.

Pilots will all belong to one of two squadrons. Pawnee pilots will all be part of one squadron, though we will have a second NPC Pawnee squadron. Tigerhawk pilots will all belong to the same Tigerhawk squadron, though we will have three other NPC squadrons. The reason is logistics. During a long journey, we will be battling at least one foe, which will cause casualties and loss of Tigerhawks. A single squadron of forty Tigerhawks would be destroyed too quickly. So the additional squadrons can absorb the losses. One will constantly be training pilots as they recover from injuries, as well as test flying new or rebuilt Tigerhawks while the other three fight.

Staff Officers should be proper English Gentlefolk. In other words, they are the quintessential British Officers. Proper, stoic and dignified, they also have very personal lives they live but keep separate from their duties. The men and women of the British Officer Corps are the finest examples of leadership and should be played as such. Players interacting with them should keep this in mind. They are your officers and the RAF and RA hold them in high regard.

There are a few smaller roles that can be filled as well. We will honor the RN tradition of a ships chaplain. This could prove pivotal at times, as spirituality will be a running theme in the game storyline. We also could use a few reporters, perhaps ones from BBC and Sky News. Also perhaps Associated Press and Reuters. We might also have along someone from the British Embassy staff on the outside chance that we meet with “some form of alien life”. After all, the ship was extraterrestrial.

And of course if you can think of interesting possibilities we can try to fit them in. But the above list is mostly for the Battlestar side.

On the Patriot Games side, the general rule is, no minors. Sorry but we are a Mature rated sim with simulated violence, strong language, and the occasional simulated romantic interludes. (Just try to keep it in PM)

So to ensure we do not violate Linden Labs Terms Of Service, we ask that characters be 18 and above, so that nobody gets in trouble.

If you are not sure if your character is useable, then ask.

Agreed?