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Poll

Which side do you want to join?

Flesh (Xenomorphs, Tyranids, Zerg)
- 4 (28.6%)
Machine (Supreme Commander, Total/Planetary Annihilation)
- 6 (42.9%)
I don't care/I like both
- 3 (21.4%)
I hate both. I just want to rain on your parade
- 1 (7.1%)

Total Members Voted: 11


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Author Topic: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming  (Read 2447 times)

Kashyyk

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Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« on: April 13, 2016, 12:15:57 pm »

A millennia ago, the precursors stumbled across an even more ancient species, controlled by a great hive mind. Afflicted with an eternal hunger, these aliens consumed all, and grew stronger, taking the best traits of their prey as their own. Having lived without real competition for generations, the precursors could not hold back the tide. In a last ditch effort to protect themselves, they created a robot army, complete with factories, allowing a single command unit the ability to create a bespoke army on sight to deal with the threat.

However, haste breeds error and error breeds woe. The robots were not tested under all circumstances before release, and although they were programmed not to intentionally harm the precursors, their actions and the hunger of the alien tide led to the extinction of the precursors. War raged for countless years longer, ravaging systems. Eventually the hive mind saw that it was losing, and chose to flee to uncharted space, in search of more to consume. The robots, with their nemesis defeated and their protectorate long dead, shut down, awaiting such time as they are needed again.




This idea has been knocking around in my head for a while, and I think it would be something that Bay12 might like. As I'm sure you guessed, the two major players in our conflict would be the Aliens (inspired by the Zerg, Tyranids and Xenomorphs) versus the Robots (Supreme Commander, Total/Planetary Annihilation). There would be a third set though, being the world itself, inhabited by natives who are unfortunate enough to be stuck in the crossfire.

The general idea would be for each side to collect technology/genes from the world, along with resources to increase their power and numbers in order to duke it out across a planetary stage. Another key difference, is that whilst the hive mind and the commander are both tactical geniuses and able to mix and match parts to create whatever units they need, they are not inventive, and thus if they want a certain gene/technology, they are going to have to acquire it from somewhere.

Now to the poll, because that will affect how I'd want to rule certain things.
Option 1 is the simplest, the forum picks a side and plays that side only, whilst I run the other side and the world in the background. This will be more story driven, with free-form actions and narrative time.
Option 2 is how I initially thought of this. We'd have a thread for each faction and players would discuss tactics and decisions which would then be resoled in a central thread.
Option 3 is option 2 to the extreme. We could have several Hive Minds and Commanders, all duking it out across a world/small system. This would be the most labour-some for me, so turns will be slow, but if I pull my finger out and stay organised I should manage it.

So there you have it, please feel free to posit questions, suggestions and criticism!
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~Neri

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2016, 12:41:42 pm »

I vote option one and I also vote The Hivemind!
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Chevaleresse

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2016, 12:43:28 pm »

I would prefer 2. 3 sounds neat but also sounds like askibg for issues.

Also, SupCom! Always nice to find more fans.
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Lermfish

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2016, 01:17:49 pm »

Option 1. Bay12ers don't have the attention span for options 2 and 3.
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BlitzDungeoneer

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2016, 01:32:24 pm »

Option one, methinks, is best. Two and Three are basically asking you to have trouble sorting all the shit out, and I'd rather avoid that.

As far as factions go... I dunno. I'd probably vote for the Robots.
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Nunzillor

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2016, 01:44:56 pm »

I'd be interested in option 2.
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Parsely

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2016, 01:51:21 pm »

Option 2.
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Stirk

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2016, 01:52:01 pm »

Option two sounds like the most fun, but it would be the most difficult to get to work right. If you think you are up for it, it is at least worth a try :P.
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AbstractTraitorHero

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2016, 01:53:04 pm »

This seems cool I'd love to join!
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Kashyyk

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2016, 03:42:10 pm »

I shall expand further on some of my ideas:

When the Hivemind starts play, it will be a small brain bug containing the mind, and be accompanied by a small pack of minions to protect it. The genes accessible to start with will be low, as will its store of biomass. It will thus need to use its minions to hunt prey for biomass and genetic samples. In order to then use those samples, it will then combines the genes into a 'strain'. This strain can then be grown. Living minions cannot be upgraded in any way. It is recommended that obsolete members are to be recycled for their biomass. However, growing new minions takes time. The Hivemind produces minions like a farm, not like a factory. Even in optimum situations it will take days to produce a new minion, in sub-optimal (as is likely at the start) it will be in the period of weeks. The Hivemind has the advantage of biomass being pretty ubiquitous and recyclable, as well as having no real upper limit on how many minions it grows at once, given infinite biomass. Thus, Hiveminds should go for a quantity other quality approach. Beware, minions require biomass to live. Running low can quickly cause the death of the horde.

When the Commander starts play, it's databanks will have been corrupted due to the effects of deactivation for millennia. Thus it will only have access to a few modules for construction, more modules will have to be acquired in the field. It will start alone, save for a small omnifactory (using nano-bots, 3D printing and servo arms) capable of building anything up to a human in one go, and anything larger in IKEA-style kits. The Commander itself is a near-indestructable combat unit, and is capable in construction, with manipulators and a small nano-bot spray to piece together kits or, in desperate cases, build from scratch. The commander is very much a jack-of-all trades, master of none. It works best when assisted by specialist units. Factories can output units quickly, but multiple rare materials are required for anything but the simplest of machines. The commander can piece together different modules to create a blueprint, and feed this to a factory with the required resources in order to create its army. The Commander has the advantage that it can upgrade existing units to keep from going obsolete, allowing it to modify units in the field to react to the situation at hand. Thus, commanders should go for a quality over quantity approach. Beware, units require energy to be active, and the required resources for anything beyond dumb bots are rare.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2016, 04:09:34 pm by Kashyyk »
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Parsely

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2016, 04:07:42 pm »

Yes I am pleased GM. On with the game. Or it's the hose for you.
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Gwolfski

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2016, 04:09:06 pm »

robots please
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Parsely

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2016, 04:22:02 pm »

robots please
The robot side can build robots, or haven't you read the title. :v
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Stirk

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2016, 04:24:08 pm »

robots please
The robot side can build robots, or haven't you read the title. :v

Pretty sure that was either a vote, or a statement of intent to join the Robot side :P.
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Parsely

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Re: Flesh vs Machine - Interest Check/Brainstorming
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2016, 04:28:00 pm »

We didn't get one yet. AFAIK the GM was just explaining things. He hasn't made other threads as of this post and that's what option 2 calls for.
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