Terran Gambit: Invasion

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Terran Gambit: Invasion

Hello Argo! I’m happy to present our canonization of the Terran Gambit story arc. Because of the character-focused nature of the STO mission, we’ve come up with our own argo-specific related plotline to run parallel to the main story.

This arc will last for five weeks, beginning on October 29th, and concluding on December 2nd. In addition to the seven scheduled events already on the calendar, we’ll also be using the framework presented in this post to drive additional RP and give all of you the opportunity to help influence the outcome.

Premise

While the Terran Emperor pursues his goal of ultimate conquest, commands throughout the Empire have been selected to eliminate other potential threats to his mysterious plans.

Preparations for this glorious new campaign began over six months ago. Every ship selected to partcipate has been upgraded to the latest in Terran combat standards, and purged of any hint of disloyalty. Though the vast majority of its personnel won’t learn the mission’s true nature until it has begun in earnest, the Imperial 38th Battlefleet will soon mount a full-scale invasion of the Prime Universe.

Character Registration

Participation in the outcome-influencing framework requires each player to register the characters they will be using throughout the arc. Registered characters will be ICly assigned to the front lines of the conflict. Please fully read through this section before visiting the Character Registration Thread.

Each player should designate a single PRIMARY CHARACTER. Ideally this should be the character you intend to play preferentially, if you have the choice between multiple characters attending the same event. Attending events and taking RP actions with your primary character will earn bonuses for that character’s faction.

Each player may then register up to TWO SECONDARY CHARACTERS. These are any other characters you intend to use during the arc. Attending events and taking RP actions with registered secondary characters will earn bonuses for their factions, but at a reduced rate compared to primary characters. Choose wisely!

Registration of characters is mandatory to earn bonuses and to mechanically influence the outcome of the arc, but participation in actual events and RP will NOT be limited or restricted. If you don’t register, or you want to use a different character, you can still show up and RP, you simply won’t earn any points for doing so.

MU Character Restrictions

Since Invasion is bringing mirror universe characters into direct contact with our regular RP setting (unlike the Parallax events), MU characters participating in this arc must adhere to a modified character and story policy:

  • MU characters must be members of the Imperial 38th Battlefleet, and hold the rank of Captain or below.

  • MU characters must be (outwardly) loyal to the Empire and act in support of the mission for the duration of the arc. If the Terrans spend the entire time backstabbing, they won’t make for a very good enemy.

  • MU characters must adhere to the Argo character policy constraint cases (except the MU one, obviously!). That means: No off-limits canon races, no relations to major lore figures, no time travelers, no non-canon alien races, unless an exception has been previously approved for your prime argo character.

  • MU starships must adhere to the Argo starship policy constraint cases. That means no ships not affiliated with the Terran Empire, no major modifications from the specs of the ship’s class, and cloaking devices only on appropriate ships.

Exceptions to these policies will be made case-by-case and ONLY to account for previous Parallax RP developments (eg. your character was promoted to Commodore, or is a spy that hasn’t been discovered). Please open a ticket on discord for approval.

Scoring Mechanics

The overall outcome of the arc will be determined through two metrics: Faction Score and System Control. Both of these will be heavily influenced by player actions throughout the arc. Both can be viewed from the Invasion Status thread.

Faction Score

Faction score is a simple points counter for each faction. It represents the overall investment of time, effort, and resources poured into the war effort. The balance and content of the official scheduled events and weekly objectives will be determined, in part, by the faction score. The faction score at the end of each week will result in extra bonuses and effects, and will have a strong impact on the overall ending of the arc.

Points can be earned several ways:

Earning Points
Attend an Event Earns 3 points for primary characters.
Earns 2 points for secondary characters.

Attend a scheduled event. An AAR must be posted listing the characters that participated. Points are applied regardless of event outcome.
Complete an Objective Earns 4 points for primary characters.
Earns 1 points for secondary characters.

Participate in any RP in which one of the posted weekly objectives is completed successfully. See the objectives listing for more details. An AAR must be posted listing the characters that participated. If the mission fails, or if your character was not part of the successful faction, use the RP a Mission category below instead.
RP a Mission Earns 2 points for primary characters.
Earns 1 points for secondary characters.

Participate in any non-event RP (including impromptu/last minute 'events'), with or without a GM, in which the characters undertake a mission related to Invasion. An AAR must be posted listing the characters that participated. Points are applied regardless of event outcome.
Host an Event Earns 2 bonus points. (In addition to any character earnings)

Host a scheduled event. Mission Brief must be posted with at least 24 hours notice, and at least two players must attend to qualify for points. For a single-faction event, the GM's points will be automatically applied to that faction. If the event is cross-faction, the GM may specify which faction gets their points in the mission brief post.
GM a Mission Earns 1 bonus point. (In addition to any character earnings)

GM a mission RP for at least two other players. An AAR must be posted listing the characters that participated and who the GM was. For a single-faction event, the GM's points will be automatically applied to that faction. If the event is cross-faction, the GM may specify which faction gets their points in an OOC reply to the AAR.
Lose Your Ship

or

Die		 Earns 20 points for primary characters.
Earns 10 points for secondary characters.

YES YOU READ IT CORRECTLY.
This is incentive for players to choose/accept severe consequences in PvP encounters. The loss/death must occur in actual on-screen RP involving combat with other players, and must occur either as a logical consequence of organic RP, or be pre-planned with the GM (you can't just randomly explode to get the points if it doesn't make sense).

Losing a ship or killing a character in PvE (ie. a single-faction event) earns you half the above point values.

This option does not absolve you of related consequences. Ships do not grow on trees. Please do not expect to simply receive a new ship unless you've made arrangements with staff in advance.

System Control

System Control is, basically, a map of the local area showing which territories are controlled by which faction. The Systems Database as of the start of the event will serve as the foundation for the system control map. If you control a star system or faction that falls inside the invasion area, you may be contacted by staff before or during the event to discuss integration! During the arc, the system control map and status post will be updated daily.

System Control will be determined during events, as part of weekly objectives, and of course through player actions. Each system in the combat area will be classified as one of the following:

  • Contested - A contested system is not under anyone’s definitive control. Winning a skirmish (PvP) or successfully completing a mission (PvE) will change the system’s status to vulnerable, under the control of the winning faction.

  • Vulnerable - Vulnerable systems are controlled by one faction, but may become contested if the other faction wins a skirmish (PvP) or completes a mission (PvE)

  • Fortified - Fortified systems are well-defended by forces off-screen. Their status may only be impacted by Fleet Actions (Weekly PvP) and Staff-run events.

In addition to playing a part in the overall final outcome, the results of system control will have lasting repercussions for the affected systems even after the arc has concluded.

Combat Frameworks

Ground Skirmish

Ground combat may be handled freeform or using simple highest-number-wins rolls to determine general outcomes. Since Trek energy weapons typically easily defeat any sort of personal protections, it is recommended that ground combat focus on group tactics and character interactions, rather than any sort of HP-system.

Space Skirmish

Small-scale space combat should use the SHIP Captain framework, unless all players agree on a freeform format. The framework will be used at multiple staff-run events throughout the arc.

Please note that there WILL be an update pushed prior to the start of the Invasion arc, so be sure to check that out when it’s posted. (Update published!)

Space Fleet Action

To simulate the background war effort, each week of the arc will feature off-screen Fleet Actions. This allows players to decide what their characters are doing in the background to contribute to the fight.

Very simply every registered character may choose a posture for off-screen actions each week:

  • Attack - Choose a target enemy system for your character to try to capture for their faction.
  • Defend - Choose a target friendly system for your character to try to defend from enemy attacks.
  • Support - Choose a friendly character and have your character do the same as them.
  • Auto/Default - Your character will be assigned a task by command. This is the default option if you don’t choose for yourself.

Coordinating fleet actions with your allies can have a huge impact on System Control and, in turn, the entire war effort.

Selecting your fleet action will be accomplished by posting in a designated discord channel. Posts are due by gamma shift on Friday. Fleet Action results will be released some time prior to alpha shift on Saturday. Don’t stress too much about remembering times because when you register your characters I’ll be adding you to the right channel and posting reminders when you have to do stuff!

FAQ

What factions are available?
Just the two, it’s the Mirror-38th vs. the entire prime universe. While the MU side is restricted to just the battlefleet, the Prime faction is not. Starfleet, KDF, Romulans, Dominion, random civilians with phasers strapped to their transports, whatever! That’s all the ‘Prime’ faction for the purposes of this arc.

Is this only for Captains?
While it’s true that much of this arc will be geared towards starships and their Captains, that doesn’t mean there’s no place for ship and base crews. There will be at least one objective each week aimed at lower ranking characters, and the starbase crew will have built in reasons to get off the base and into the fight.

Scheduled Events & Weekly Objectives


Scheduled Events

Please remember that everyone is free to host their own events, scheduled or otherwise, in addition to these main events.


Weekly Objectives
Each week of the arc, 4-6 weekly objectives will be posted in the Invasion Status thread. A few of these will specify a GM to contact, but most will be open RP prompts. Everyone is free to GM them, or get a group together and run them freeform. Completing these objectives will provide significant bonuses to your faction!