(I'm not sure where I was going with the half-assed philosophy and now regret mentioning it)
Going by the rules of fiction, then I am allowed to bring up the example of Star Trek and Doctor Who. They encounter new species like it was nobody's lunch. Being an NPC race, they do not require constant attention and input like PC races do. Not to say that they don't need attention, but they need less attention because things aren't constantly being added by the input of multiple players.
And yes, it is actually the GMs fault for not using them. It's not like the FMs can just say, "Okay, I'm going to throw a few squads of X race at you, kthxbai." Nobody has the power to use these creatures in a setting but the GMs. With the move to a peacetime setting and exploratory nature, the contact with such species (plural) are made much more likely in these coming months.
Sigma said:
Solar-based technology isn't exactly high science-fiction. Solar technology is fairly basic in comparison to micro-fusion generators and handheld aether weaponry. I would imagine that middle school Neps and Yamataians learn about solar energy much like today's kids. "Yeah, we can use the power from that star. But its not as efficient as the amount energy we can produce from this fusion plant." Since SARP follows the high science-fiction themes, introducing basic technology like it's something we've never seen before is a bit... underwhelming.
Just because something is basic doesn't mean that it's invalid. The Baroka have developed the technology for the solar power to produce substantially more than our current day arrays. Not anywhere close to fusion or whatever, but that's what having a set of capacitors and batteries is for. Not all species in a given galaxy will have quantum computing and androids. Science fiction doesn't mean every race you encounter is exactly technologically compatible and/or equal. I am not introducing "basic" technology like it's something we've never seen before. I am introducing technology like it's something that isn't used by all these "hoighty toighty bigshots" because they've got a superior power source and resources compared to the paltry resources on the Barokan world. I will answer more in a in a bit. But before I forget. . .
Raz: I don't want art until I can pay for it myself. Hence the Spore video. Also, Pre-spaceflight is so I don't unbalance things. I answer the eternal question of "Why haven't they made contact yet?" by putting the Baroka at a technologically "lesser" point. They don't have radio communications because they only use landlines, and only the ruling caste use landlines because the communes have no reason to contact eachother. A species that makes no noise isn't heard, you know.
Now then, I will start citing the wiki here.
The guide to background factions
Now, this will be a little off because I haven't finished the faction page yet, so I will be working off of a wip draft I have lying around.
These can be: Alien factions to add flavor and variety to the universe
Check.
It is important that each faction have a purpose and a use: if you're building a faction as a static personal display piece or one that no one is using, you're doing it wrong. Connect to other factions in the setting.
Purpose: To demonstrate the ascension or lack therof of a species to spaceflight in the realtime setting. To demonstrate the applications of "antiquated" technology on a faction-wide scale as they advance to the "modern" age. Is that sufficient?
Connection to other factions: If Jimmy is still down with it, then a First Contact with the Chelti is how they start making a name for themselves in the SARPVerse. I haven't planned any past said encounter.
Requirements:
They should generally not unbalance the setting or overshadow the played factions.
Check. Low technology level comparatively, and the most advanced their tools are are mining lasers.
They should appear or have a solid plan to appear in a roleplay plot at some point.
Check. If Jimmy is still down with the Chelti crashing the party, that is.
Information on:
Culture
Technology level and any interesting technologies of note.
Species physiology
Only one of these things is up for submission so far, as you already know. The rest will come later.
Star Army doesn't have a pressing need for more played factions. There are a number of minor played factions short on players. At the same time, there's a need of more diverse (more alien) background ones because existing factions are fairly similar. For these reasons, we recommend that, if you wish to create a new faction, you start out by making them a background faction. You can always upgrade them later to a played faction if there's enough player support.
Just pointing that out.
Low level technology, getting crossed to spaceflight? A species that doesn't exist in our classifications of reptilian, avian, etc? Solar power? A form of government which SARP hasn't seen played ICly, from what I can tell?
As more and more species/factions are created, they tend to bleed together and there's a greater need to have your creation stand out. But if your species is too foreign, players will have difficulty relating to and identifying with them.
The lower caste is rather antisocial to new people, but I wouldn't say xenophobic. The ruling caste has curiosity like a child. I mean, really, the evidence is in the article. I can't exactly re-explain the entire species better than I've already got in the wiki page.
The tech level should be at basic spaceflight or lower.
Starting at a lower technology level is okay. If you start as an advanced species it may make it harder to explain the lack of encounters with your race so far in the IC timeline, as well as make the staff wary of potential power gaming.
A civilization should start with average resources.
I wanted to go plenty under the limit, and save myself both the trouble of explaining their lack of contact with the universe at large and start with something simple for my first real contribution to the SARPVerse.
We frown on so many species starting with heavily industrialized nations on very resource rich homeworlds, or those that have some miraculous new wonder fuel/substance totally unique to them that exponentially increases their power.
When I get the Barokan homeworld up, it will be apparent that half of the lack of advancement is due to the fact that Baroka is lacking in many resources and abundant in only a few others.
Avoid physiologically unbalanced species.
Baroka are large, but slow. They have extended lifespans if they lead calm lives, and MUCH shorter lives if they don't. They have the lowest level telepathy available, being simple projection of thought and nothing more. Their sense of smell is the strongest, while all other senses lack the delicateness. I would say the Baroka are fairly balanced.
Avoid the "we're perfect" cliche.
Their society is pretty much a collection of monk communes, so each commune is very rigidly structured. Those that break the rules don't fit in anyways, so they end up drifting rather than being exiled. But it's not much better, considering that they are pretty much ostracized in the communes if they don't leave. Plus, the lower caste is also very. . . susceptible to direction from the mutated caste, due to the Maro's almost godlike status among the people.
Avoid the "monopoly material" cliche.
I mean, they've got francium deposits on their planet, among other things, but nothing substantially overpowering. Also, they lack many resources on their world. To be explained in the planet article.
Is this sufficient?
