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welcome to nebula station.
At some point approximately three to four months ago in your recent past, you were approached by a recruiter for Galactic Exploration, offering a paid position aboard the Nebula Station for a one-year minimum term after successful completion of a short training program. For a reason known only to you, you accepted this offer. Perhaps you were short on cash. Perhaps you were manipulated into it โ did the recruiter know about your seventeen unpaid parking tickets, or the interplanetary bounty on your head, or the fact that your ex-spouse is hounding you for alimony that you decidedly don't want to pay? Regardless of the reason, your acceptance of the offer, enrollment in training, and subsequent successful completion has led you here: to a transport shuttle, and to your new life.
After a flight of unknown length, you wake to the sounds of people moving around you, the familiar rustling of hands against fabric as your fellow travelers begin to jostle their bags and straighten their clothes after a long flight. Even in space, the urge to be the first one off the plane is still alive and well, and many people are clearly anxious to get moving.
As if on cue, a polite, almost cheerful three-tone chime can be heard through the speakers in the wall and above each passenger. "Welcome," the voice that follows intones, all warm vowels and the kind of enthusiasm that can only be paid for, "to Nebula Station. We're glad you're here, and we look forward to helping you get settled. Please take a moment to gather your personal belongings, and when the captain gives the all-clear, head out in an orderly fashion to the gangway, where a member of our senior staff will be glad to welcome you to your new home-away-from-home."
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getting settled.
Upon first entry to the Station, you'll be greeted by a small group of bright-eyed, wide smiling crew members. These are Circle members โ veterans aboard the Nebula Station who've opted to continue on for longer than their initial one-year commitment. They can be easily identified by the faintly glowing purple circle pinned onto their uniforms.
Circle members have one primary job today: to activate crew IDs and issue welcome materials, within which you'll find a wide range of pertinent information. Of course, being that the Station is in space and supplies are limited, these materials come in a decidedly modern flavor.
First: your ID. Less issuing and more activating, the Circle member assisting you will ask for you to roll up your right sleeve. Why? Because there, in a small purple square on your forearm, is your ID code. Much like a modern-day QR code, the randomized pattern of squares and shading identifies you to any appliance, door, or other feature of the Nebula Station as an active crew member. It also identifies you as someone with (or without) clearance to enter certain areas, such as your own bunk, the captains' quarters, or the brig. The code is a semi-permanent tattoo, intended to last three months' time, after which point you'll be issued a new one by ship medical staff. Please don't try to wash it off.
Your arrival guide โ along with your housing assignment, working schedule, and any other noteworthy pieces of information โ can be found in your Galactic Exploration-issued tablet. Approximately 20 cms by 13 cms of aluminum alloy and hologlass, the tablet is admittedly not the most exciting thing to hold. However, it is extremely useful โ and extremely pricey to replace. So don't lose it! Or break it! ("Or spill coffee on it," one Circle member might guiltily add. Odds are good it's happened before.)
Once you've received your tablet, you're free to roam the ship. There's a lot to see ... where will you go?
โโThe Housing Bay is a popular first-stop for many new arrivals. As many new faces come in alone and without any connections aboard, it's Nebula tradition for new arrivals to be assigned an empty bunk in one of the Quad Rooms aboard. Like the name suggests, these rooms feature two full-size bunk beds and a small closet space per person, offering adequate sleeping space for four people ... but not much else. You might want to introduce yourself to your new roommates, or at the very least, you might want to claim your bunk. Not feeling the shared spaces vibe? There are a limited number of single, double, and triple rooms available aboard the Nebula, and if you're particularly charming, you might be able to convince the Circle staff to help you change your assignment!
โโNot in the mood to catch any more Z's? That's okay! The Mess Hall is available for you any time of day, with a wide variety of dining options on-hand to suit your needs. There aren't any chefs, and no one will be around to bus your table, but you'll probably find you don't need them... much.
โข For those that prefer an easy approach, consider the replicators on the eastern wall of the hall! These can recreate (to... mostly successful ends) any food or drink you can think of. It might not be exactly what you had in mind, but is McDonald's coffee really that different from some single origin Nicaraguan dark roast? Probably not... right?
โข For those that like to get their hands dirty, the western wall features a small number of system kitchens, where adventurous chefs or the very bored can whip up dishes to their hearts' content. Just like your own personal episode of Chopped, there are both fridges and pantry shelves available with staple ingredients, as well as some strange intergalactic flavors to experiment with, but anything specific might require you to try your luck with the replicators. Have fun! Try not to catch anything on fire!
โโIn the mood for something a little more adventurous? No problem. There's always the Holodeck. Here, you can try your hands at a variety of programmed entertainment. Need to brush up on your skills? Try VR combat training, with options to practice in your choice of atmosphere and gravitational pull, or a more traditional shooting range with an AI coach to provide feedback after each shot. Looking for escape, not effort? Consider a fully-immersive holo travel session, with destinations from Alcatraz to Zulu available to visit for as long as you'd like to stay. The smallest holodeck stations can be utilized by solo visitors, with larger conference room-style stations available for groups up to 10.
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first mission.
Getting settled โ and getting acquainted โ is only the beginning. By the beginning of your second week aboard the Nebula, you'll begin to notice the atmosphere (figuratively speaking; the air's still perfectly breathable) begin to shift. No longer in welcome mode, the staff is instead resuming preparations for the next Station Mission.
As a neutral party in galactic politics, the Exploration's various ships and manned stations can be hired for a wide variety of purposes. Some are admittedly fairly monotonous or even boring โ requests from distant ruling bodies to collect materials and supplies from their satellite planets or to deliver goods to colonies on the far end of an asteroid belt, for example. Others are exciting, but unfortunately poorly paying โ such as a request from a well-known galactic events planner for warm bodies to fill up their next big outdoor festival, where having fun is part of the job but a paycheck might not be.
And then there are the morally grey jobs, the ones that seem almost too straightforward upon first glance. The one coming up is a perfect example: a request from a small, but fairly well-off planet to provide hired security for a local mining organization. While not all aboard the Nebula are required to participate in a Station Mission, the main station will be docked in orbit above planet for as long as it takes to complete (or completely fail) the job. Those that volunteer to take part are promised to be paid handsomely for their time and attention.
Mission Debrief:
โโAccording to the ruling body, a band of guerrilla fighters from a recently independent former colony has arrived within the last few weeks, and their presence has created conflict that makes many of the workers feel unsafe traveling to their posts. While the local police force and government representatives have tried to resolve the situation, it has only led to increasing violence and bloodshed against the planet's own citizens. It's an unfortunate reality that the guerrilla fighters will need to be escorted off-planet โ and while the ruling body certainly hopes this can be done without bloodshed, they've offered full immunity for any unfortunate fallout.
โโBut is it that straightforward? Can it be? It won't take any prospective attendees long to research the political atmosphere of the planet โ or to discover that the mining organization and its employees are often rumored to be a polite front for a history of enslavement, with everyone from political prisoners to captured enemy forces and even debtors and petty criminals put to work in dangerous conditions. The recent independence of the local colony can be researched too, and those that choose to look into it will find evidence of a battle-weary but determined group that fought tooth and nail to evict unjust slaveowners from their homes.
โโThose that opt to head down to the surface will have a few choices. Do you obey the request of your employer, the local government, despite the rumors and evidence that might paint them in an unjust light? Do you disobey it entirely, choosing to lend your body and mind to the guerilla forces fighting back against enslavement and cruelty? Or do you opt for something else altogether, a truly neutral third party simply taking advantage of the conflict for your own personal gain? Officially speaking, the Exploration only recognizes actions taken as authorized by the mission brief, but so long as you can find your way back to the shuttle at the end of it all, no one's likely to be any the wiser...
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nebula network.
Is there Facebook in space? Tinder? Instagram? Likely not, given the wide variety of species and cultures to be found amidst the stars, but where there is man (or humanoid creatures), there's communication.
Aboard the Nebula, that communication can be found via the shipnet, or the local network. You'll have the opportunity to select a username of your choice โ anything from @apple to @zenon.the.zequel is welcome. Just keep in mind you won't be able to change it without approval from a Station Master, so try to pick something at least somewhat understandable!
As for content? The starry sky's the limit! Text, still picture, video, and audio are all supported.
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notes & information
Zetus Lapetus, y'all!
Welcome to our interest check and tentative first test drive. As you'll probably notice if you opt to navigate your way around this comm or the posting journal, this is very much a work in progress.
As such, everything is very much in a state of flux โ so we're open to your questions, suggestions, comments, concerns, generalized thoughts, and everything else you might want to share with us! We've got a top level below for questions, and we absolutely look forward to answering them for you. If the answer we give doesn't jive with you, let's talk about it! Come back with alternatives, and who knows, we might take you up on them.
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nebulamemes2020-04-21 01:04 pm
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS
(*As soon as reasonably possible.)
Re: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS
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But to actually give some practical options: you could definitely go the "well, I almost died" route! You could also potentially involve some kind of Questionable Space Being that happened to catch a character just at the precipice of walking into That Bright Light. You can also avoid a canon point like that, if it makes more sense for you.
Honestly, we're happy to let you decide whatever makes the most sense for your character who may or may not be actually dead in canon! We're also happy to work with prospective players should they need help brainstorming a way to ICly get their character involved.
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And for characters that require say, blood for sustenance? Would that be something that could be chanced with the replicators? Or will they need to work out something and nom on their fellow space-goers?
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For "non traditional" diets, we'd like to leave this up to player preference. The replicators will do their best โ but if they're looking for taste preference, it might get wonky. Somebody looking for O Negative because it tastes better might have to settle for AB blood, that sort of thing, but no one will starve. Of course, if a vampire character really refuses the idea of artificial blood, well... they'll have to find alternatives, won't they?
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This will actually make my vampire the happiest camper, I think. You mean she can feed without HURTING PEOPLE??? BEST SPACESHIP EVER! Just let her have her blood Capri Sun.
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Weapons are generally considered verboten to bring into a Galactic Exploration station, as they're intended to be a neutral party and not an arms dealership, but a sneaky cadet might get a knife or something easily concealable onboard. If they're caught... well, we'll have to see what happens.
Unfortunately, no personal vehicles, pets, or +1s of varying flavor will be permitted aboard.
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-What kind of tone to you intend for this game to be? Is it a lighthearted jamjar aimed more to shenanigans and comedy, or is it a gritty, nebulous sort of space drama rife with Feelings and Emotions? Or are we going full Space Station 13 with comedy and murder in equal measure?
-How are you handling characters with existing powers / magic / etc? Are they keeping them, or will there be a cap put on them, or are you doing away with that entirely to put everything on an equal level?
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Overall, though, our aim is to have fun. We don't think we could honestly promise to write a grimdark space horror saga where everyone's miserable all the time. We would be miserable all the time, too! But that said: we aren't aiming for Coffee Shop In Space. The Station Mission are intended to provide additional conflict and overarching plot for players who want that, and the Nebula Station itself is intended to provide both a backdrop for continuous storytelling and the opportunity for more lighthearted, relaxed play.
TL;DR -- we hope it's a little bit of everything, and our rule of thumb is "play what you want to play".
2: Much like CRAU, we're still deciding on the official powernerfing decision. What we are leaning towards, but haven't officially put the Stamp Of The Mod down on yet, is having characters mostly nerfed within the Station itself, but allowed to run wild and free beyond its borders. We are thinking Galactic Exploration would probably not want its recruits to blow up the very expensive space station if possible...
Re: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS
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"Too inhuman" is likely variable, given that it's deep space with other planets, but if you need to humanize your character so that others don't run away screaming, we give you the thumbs up. Let us know if you need any specific feedback for a particular character you have in mind.
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deadass stares at my typo
Great! In this case it's less "so inhuman people would run screaming" (which I mean she is but I'm hype to play that) & more "can't exist comfortably in the same atmosphere as humans". Handwaving the needed adaptations is fine with me if it's within the rules!
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The Circle members themselves come from all walks of life, so to speak, but aren't inherently responsible for anything beyond being good representatives of space station life. They're kind of like the peer mentors at your college/university orientation! They've been around the block, and can help newer arrivals get acclimated and answer any questions they might have. There are, however, security crew members on 24 hours a day -- and those crew members would be responsible for breaking up any physical altercations on the station!
Characters who got into scuffles would likely be told to take that energy into the holodeck, where they can spar and fight in a safer environment. They'd also be told that killing or maiming each other is frowned upon, and that any costs incurred to their pummeling victims for anything beyond standard medical care would be involuntarily deducted from their paycheck. (Don't kill each other, please.)
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Full disclosure: we're not comics experts, so we may have to consult with others more knowledgeable than ourselves if it comes down to 616 vs 1610 or what-have-you. (We had to phone a friend to remember the names of those...)
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thank you!!
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It's up to you, but we're happy to help brainstorm.
Re: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS
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(As a note: characters who incur fines, such as for causing excessive injury to another crew member or damage to the ship, will have their fines deducted from future paychecks.)
Characters will have the opportunity to earn space-standardized credits (accepted on most planets) in future missions, though!
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Ahuhuhu~~
Re: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS
1. Regarding Pokemon chars, what's gonna be your policy on that? Can they keep them, or are they gonna have to stay in their world? (This could hinge on me potentially throwing a bratty teenager aka Gladion into this game)
2. Relevant now to this Phoenix. I see in other comments you have a "?" surrounding magic and the like, but I have my own about that. If a character (this one) possesses transformational powers, could they keep them at fullest when on said station? Willow can turn into any bird as well as her true form of a phoenix and ofc she'd be smart enough not to be gotdang fire chicken on the station, but may want to literally spread her wings as something say... a cockatoo for example.