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OOC Terraforming Ake

Lamb

Lamb

Ovine Member
Inactive Member
About a year ago, I discussed the idea of terraforming Ake with @Kai and @CadetNewb. Back then, it seemed like a well-received idea, but my time was limited. My time is still limited, but I've figured out a posting system that works pretty well for SP plots and maximizes my free time for RP.

So, if I've still got Origin's blessings, now I'd like to pick that idea up again. The plot is meant to be a short romp, with only four chapters at its longest. It would use the Origin Industries subform, something I think might be nice to have some more activity. I think it'd also be a great way for me to stretch my GM muscles before I tackle the big project I've been working on and off with for the last year or so.

Themes include: Exploration, Survival, Creeping Vocationalism, Freedom, and Lengthy Descriptions of Food.

The whole thing is somewhat of a Western. The surface team faces the perils of an unbreathable atmosphere, the mysterious disappearance of the last surface team, the trials of animal husbandry in an inhospitable climate, prospecting and mining valuable minerals, and defending themselves when (while Dawn Station's orbit places it on the other side of the planet from them) space bandits swoop in looking for loot. Sixguns, cattle, gold, whiskey, dynamite, and all that jazz (Or more appropriately, folk). If you hate big boots and having to wear a breathing mask every time you walk outside, it's not for you. If you can't stand it when the GM links you to bluegrass hee-haw honkey-tonk bullcrap music to listen to whilst you read his posts, it's not for you. If you don't like raw, rude people just trying to get by in a harsh environment, it's not for you.

On the other hand, if you can't wait to write about your character struggling to slow a herd of stampeding bulls before the pirates can land their freighter and scoop a few of 'em up for resale on the (very overpriced) Yamataian steak market all to the sound of Jerusalem Ridge played at three times the tempo... Well, let's just say that this is what you've been looking for.
 
You definitely have my go-ahead for this.

I lost it at 'Lengthy Descriptions of Food.'
 
I could totally imagine my Neko in this plot. I'm eternally interested in whatever plot ideas you come up with. This one makes me think of this.
Have you thought of having Miria make an appearance in it?
 
This would be an excellent plot for Aikiko to be in. But alas... she's already inna plot already.

Questions:

1) Would a bio be needed like the other factions require?

2) Does the air have to be toxic?

3) How do the animals surive?
Unless the animals are native to the planet or geneticaly modified?
 
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Yes. However, as this is a series of one-shots and not a larger plot, the standard NPC Template is acceptable for my purposes. Your character would essentially be, after all, one of the masses of Origin NPCs. Origin Industries is a well-developed company with a well-populated list of employees who make appearances in and out of Origin plots.

Because this plot is short, if your character isn't transient, once the plot is over they will become an Origin NPC which you might use as flavor if your primary characters ever get out to Dawn Station. And there's no need to have a full character sheet for an NPC. If you play in the plot, like your character, and want to move them to other plots-- you will have to upgrade to a proper full character sheet at that time, of course. So, it may be prudent to have a full character sheet. Either way, if you're interested but can't be bothered to make a character sheet, just let me know and if you've got a microphone you can tell me about your character over Skype or TeamSpeak-- and I'll make your character sheet for you if it's so much trouble.
 
Well, I was gonna save this for the plot, but okay. From my notes:

The base camp is made up of three Mule ultra-light freighters in a triangular formation. They all face outwards from the central point. Basically, they're the town, and that central point is the town square. Most towns have a rad fountain or a statue of some guy on a horse in the center, but this town has a specialized machine purpose-built for this mission instead. It's a combination air-scrubber/oxygen pump. Using the power plants of the freighters, a volumetric field is erected in a dome around the landing site. Once this powerful and massive machine is set up, the air is purified within seconds in the encampment. The animals can be let out of the cargo bay of their Mule. Now, whilst they stretch their stupid cow legs and eat from charming and folksy troughs full of alfalfa and mixed greens; this machine is still running. It's cleaning and compressing massive amounts of air, as in millions of cubic tons worth of it. Every ten hours, unless the emergency shut-down is triggered, it initiates what is called an 'ozone-dump'. The pressurized air stored within is released with a burst of super-heated ozone powerful enough to penetrate the volumetric bubble around the camp. This takes about six minutes, and any one outside at the time will be brutally and painfully incinerated. So, naturally everyone has to go inside and that includes the moo-moos. However; on the plus side, the air will be a few parts-per-million more breathable outside once it's done.

In time, that machine will slowly make the entire planet's atmosphere into something which is probably slightly safer than Funky City air; which is quite breathable if a little cancerous. Once you've achieved that breathability, the terraforming process is as simple and boring as planting more trees than people until your planet is populated. Of course, deep valleys of frozen ammonia will still litter northern parts of the planet-- and traveling beyond the equatorial regions will be quite dangerous. Despite this, eventually the air will be breathable, the ground will yield crops, and the mines will beget riches... If everyone does their job during this critical first moment of colonization.

EDIT: A comment about the air being toxic. Ake is listed in the wiki as having toxic air, and has been that way for a long time. On top of that, as you can see from my extensive prepared material, the toxic atmosphere is going to be a plot point around which some of the story-telling elements will revolve.
 
ooh, this is a smart idea. Also of note, though I may have forgotten to put this down anywhere, scattered around Ake's equator are thousands of small, crater-shaped lakes, where we've gone and towed Comets and smashed them into the planet to give it water.

I'm also assuming that there is more than just this one encampment, aye? otherwise that would take way too long.
 
The idea is that this is the second one, the first one having gone missing under mysterious circumstances (damn osmium dust screwing with our sensors); but the goal is to have several set up around the equator. The comets are not mentioned on the wiki, but I'll append them when I get this beast rolling. The coast of a lake would be an ideal spot for a settlement.
 
This honestly sounds like a very good idea, which would flesh out the setting some more. It's horribly tempting to join as well.
 
So far, I have ShotJon, DeathEvn, Amaryllis, and Gunsight down as definitely in. I think one more should be adequate to start the plot. Three more, and I'll be unable to control it~

@Samanthia, Did you have any other questions? Do you feel I have inadequately answered your questions? Would you like to discuss the plot over IRC or something?
 
@Lam - very much in answering the questions I've set forth. Even started on a rough draft for a character for the plot if I am allowed to join in.
 
Yeah, go ahead. I look forward to writing with you.

Scarlett, I will get back to you when I get home from work and go over my notes and take a look at your user page and steep in my reservoirs of self loathing and all that other after work stuff.
 
Lam do you have room for any more? I got an Origin employee that hasn't gotten a chance to do anything.
 
Well, I don't deal very well with large groups. You and BloodyScarlet fight over it. Well, don't fight over it. That's silly. But I really hate to choose, and I'm only going to open up one more slot, or that's what I've decided after I've gone over my notes. Six players is actually 'at volume' for this plot. If I can handle six players after the first chapter and I feel confident, I'll kill off an NPC and we can ship in a seventh.

Until then, @Syaoran and @BloodyScarlett you guys might wanna discuss it between yourselves. If you guys can't come to a decision on your own, I guess I can flip a coin or something.

For everyone else:

@Deathevn, @Gunsight1, @Amaryllis, @ShotJon, @Samanthia, if you guys could PM me an updated character-sheet or a filled-out NPC Template by Monday; I'd be very happy.
 
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