Advice Thread OOC Future Tech Only

[Feazanthia]

There is very little RP advice we can give when dealing with foreign rulesets. Essentially, only general RP advice can be administered - and even then it can be troublesome, as I've seen more than one group rules that even alter generally accepted roleplaying standards. We've been over this. When we give advice, it's going to by and large be from the viewpoint of FT-Prime, since that is what the vast majority of the community utilizes.

[The Alwon]

I was thinking of having Stasis "tools" to slow down aggressors so I can escape when push comes to shove.

Be careful with "stasis". It's quite liable to have unwanted side-effects. While I'm sure it can be RPed well, I've seen it used in an inconsistent and arbitrary fashion, stopping x but doing nothing to y as the person RPing it decides will "help them win".

We don't intend to help anyone in war, just defend ourselves and only our selves.

Besides defense, is there anything else you can do with stasis?

[The Legion of War]

Questions seeking advice for groups like FAR or NEAR should probably be kept within those groups. It makes more sense.

If your group isn't active enough to even muster up a single reply, perhaps you should find a new group?

My Argument Thread has worked wonders but it also has become a central point for advice which often has sidetracked the reason for the Thread.

As an experiment, I am starting a Thread to act as the central point for advice. New players can come here and ask questions and hopefully older or more experienced players can help them.

I do not want arguments here, take it to the Argument Thread.

Now, let us all play nice. Listen to the advice people give you and choose what you wish to keep.

This was the OP. Nowhere (other than its position in the II forum) does it say that advice herein given must be related to RP. They can relate to a nation's lore or canon as well; indeed, RPing is one aspect of NS, but nation-building is another, albeit being related. There is a general reservation/hesitation towards galactic or intergalactic nations, but that is on RP grounds only. There can perfectly legitimate nation building activity centred around an intergalactic power, and there can be amazing tales from such a tradition. Such a nation I own, and I operate on two sets of statistics -- one for nation-building and story writing, and one for RPing. I don't think there's an objection against that.

The OP was made long before the name FT-Prime even existed.

But while we're on the topic of the OP... Reread that last little bit guys.

Listen to the advice people give you and choose what you wish to keep

Basically if you're here to seek advice, LISTEN. By no means do you HAVE to take the advice. Just listen respectfully, and if you mentally say "fuck that" there's no need to write an essay about how that advice could never apply to you.

Listen to advice, and if you don't like it don't make a big show out of it. The OP itself is telling you to LISTEN, not to cover your ears and rant about how that advice can never apply to you.

The people that are generally being told that to leave if they don't like the RPing advice being given from here have been repeatedly told this.

[Reliquary]

Be careful with "stasis". It's quite liable to have unwanted side-effects. While I'm sure it can be RPed well, I've seen it used in an inconsistent and arbitrary fashion, stopping x but doing nothing to y as the person RPing it decides will "help them win".

We don't intend to help anyone in war, just defend ourselves and only our selves.

Besides defense, is there anything else you can do with stasis?

Preserve things, like food or other things that decay. (Or criminals) Could be used as a sort of super refrigerator.

[Feazanthia]

Be careful with "stasis". It's quite liable to have unwanted side-effects. While I'm sure it can be RPed well, I've seen it used in an inconsistent and arbitrary fashion, stopping x but doing nothing to y as the person RPing it decides will "help them win".

We don't intend to help anyone in war, just defend ourselves and only our selves.

Besides defense, is there anything else you can do with stasis?

More from a meta standpoint, you do have to be careful with it. As a rule of thumb, I tend to avoid anything that "stops" or limits my roleplaying partner's actions (other than the obvious, plot-centric actions such as trying to damage or kill him). Stasis weaponry requires coordination and compromise with your partner. Remember this. Don't just fire them off and expect them to work as you have written down in your factbook.

[Feazanthia]

We don't intend to help anyone in war, just defend ourselves and only our selves.

Besides defense, is there anything else you can do with stasis?

Preserve things, like food or other things that decay. (Or criminals) Could be used as a sort of super refrigerator.

I never understood stasis-prison. Prison's primary function is rehabilitation. If, for the prisoner, no time has passed, what reason do we have to think they would change behavioral patterns upon release?

I guess "stealing" years of life from a prisoner could be in itself a punishment, but removing social support as such a system would do just seems counterproductive.

[The Legion of War]

Preserve things, like food or other things that decay. (Or criminals) Could be used as a sort of super refrigerator.

I never understood stasis-prison. Prison's primary function is rehabilitation. If, for the prisoner, no time has passed, what reason do we have to think they would change behavioral patterns upon release?

I guess "stealing" years of life from a prisoner could be in itself a punishment, but removing social support as such a system would do just seems counterproductive.

Speaking of prisons... Would prisoners make good conscripts at all?

They're tough, but they're also undisciplined... so I'm not too sure about that. Maybe used as cannon fodder in times of war?

Of course, this is assuming that this is a specific group of prisoners that simply aren't reacting well to rehabilitation.

[SquareDisc City]

Be careful with "stasis". It's quite liable to have unwanted side-effects. While I'm sure it can be RPed well, I've seen it used in an inconsistent and arbitrary fashion, stopping x but doing nothing to y as the person RPing it decides will "help them win".

We don't intend to help anyone in war, just defend ourselves and only our selves.

Besides defense, is there anything else you can do with stasis?

Depending on the details, all sorts. Kill someone by stopping the blood flowing in their body. Destroy a town by holding rainwater above it in a stasis field, then dropping it all at once. Wreck a planet by chucking a stasis field generator past it at speed, assuming "stationary" is considered relative to the generator.

Prison's primary function is rehabilitation.

Very debatable. The real-world function of prisons is a topic for NSG. As for here, if someone says prison's primary function is punishment in their nation then it is.

[Reliquary]

Preserve things, like food or other things that decay. (Or criminals) Could be used as a sort of super refrigerator.

I never understood stasis-prison. Prison's primary function is rehabilitation. If, for the prisoner, no time has passed, what reason do we have to think they would change behavioral patterns upon release?

I guess "stealing" years of life from a prisoner could be in itself a punishment, but removing social support as such a system would do just seems counterproductive.

I figure it would work as a non-violent alternative to the death sentence that can be canceled if evidence proves the person in stasis to be innocent. Or alternately, simply to store suspects while things are investigated so they can't escape. As for lesser criminals that are in for a period and will be let out later, then yeah it's a pretty useless idea.

I never understood stasis-prison. Prison's primary function is rehabilitation. If, for the prisoner, no time has passed, what reason do we have to think they would change behavioral patterns upon release?

I guess "stealing" years of life from a prisoner could be in itself a punishment, but removing social support as such a system would do just seems counterproductive.

Speaking of prisons... Would prisoners make good conscripts at all?

They're tough, but they're also undisciplined... so I'm not too sure about that. Maybe used as cannon fodder in times of war?

Of course, this is assuming that this is a specific group of prisoners that simply aren't reacting well to rehabilitation.

If you can somehow keep them from just shooting their overseers and deserting, they might make a sort of useful horde of cannon fodder. Or they might get annihilated by artillery because they're tactically inept. Exploding collars might keep them in line, for example.

[-The Unified Earth Governments-]

Wait, wait lets all stop here guys......why the hell are we getting heated up again?

Screw it, lets get back to advice people.

[Feazanthia]

If you're looking to have mass-defections, then sure. Having military service be an avenue to freedom and reentry into society is a far more viable option. Forcing a man into something is far less effective than giving him, or at least giving him the illusion, of choice.

[The Legion of War]

If you're looking to have mass-defections, then sure. Having military service be an avenue to freedom and reentry into society is a far more viable option. Forcing a man into something is far less effective than giving him, or at least giving him the illusion, of choice.

So, basically we're offering him a contract job?

"Fight for us for x amount of time, earn a paycheque, get a second chance, or rot in prison"?

[Non-Aligned Worlds]

If you're looking to have mass-defections, then sure. Having military service be an avenue to freedom and reentry into society is a far more viable option. Forcing a man into something is far less effective than giving him, or at least giving him the illusion, of choice.

So, basically we're offering him a contract job?

"Fight for us for x amount of time, earn a paycheque, get a second chance, or rot in prison"?

That could work. Kinda like the romans offering auxiliary soldiers citizenship after x amount of years.

[Themiclesia]

So, basically we're offering him a contract job?

"Fight for us for x amount of time, earn a paycheque, get a second chance, or rot in prison"?

That could work. Kinda like the romans offering auxiliary soldiers citizenship after x amount of years.

I personally find such a system problematic. Who is to determine what sort of position and duration whereof will these prisoners serve? Will prisoners form a unit by their like, or will they be dispersed amongst other servicepersons? There are certainly some units that sustain a much higher risk than others, and such a system could be open for abuse.

[Mini Miehm]

That could work. Kinda like the romans offering auxiliary soldiers citizenship after x amount of years.

I personally find such a system problematic. Who is to determine what sort of position and duration whereof will these prisoners serve? Will prisoners form a unit by their like, or will they be dispersed amongst other servicepersons? There are certainly some units that sustain a much higher risk than others, and such a system could be open for abuse.

Traditionally, at least in the US, prisoners could be given the choice to enlist in lieu of punishment. Generally, they were treated like any other enlisted man, and sent to basic, and then to a unit as the needs of the service dictated.

Generally they were largely not hardened criminals or murderers, but rather repeat petty offenders. Repeated assaults or other similar crimes could get you a four year enlistment.

Now, a sufficiently advanced or brutal training regimen could make even hardened offenders into viable soldiers, such as the protocols used by the Terran COnfederacyt and Dominion in the Starcraft series. So, your mileage may vary on the viability of penal battalions or penal units.

[Milagro]

They could and do, yes. Of course, getting said massive lakes can be difficult-ish - you need mountain ranges or snowy snow snow winters that trap precipitation and force it into a fitting basin. Works for the great lakes and the caspian sea, but there's not that many such locations. And where they are, the area is usually a little less dry than what you're imagining because, well... Shitton of water right next door, and the rivers that supply the lake are around there somewhere, too. Central Asia with the Caspian sea, the Aral sea and the Baikal lake is pretty close, though - yay steppe.

One solution he/she could go for is to have the interior dry scrubland marked with a chain of big, old, eroded impact craters, like those commonly found on the surface of Mars - large, deep basins like that should allow for large enough lakes to provide local 'bubbles' of lake-effect temperature modulation whilst allowing for a comparative lack of large mountain chains to form them, since those sorts of basins would probably divert rivers away from reaching the sea and direct them instead to fill the basin.

Which, incidentally, might provide you an avenue to get the desert-like conditions you're looking for, albeit indirectly. A large impact in the relatively recent past, if you have a supercontinent located in the temperate zone, (ie in and around the equator) would drastically reduce the diversity and population sizes of most of the terrestrial organisms on the planet and probably contribute to continent-wide desertification in the following die-off due to the volcanic/meteoritic winter. Not to mention that 'weedy' super-generalist plants like those that live in scrublands are usually the first to rebound after disasters of that magnitude, most of the landscape in the interior of the continent would look like a desert, even if it wasn't climactically-suited to be a desert forever.

I think I'll go that route. Maybe one of them could be an oasis of sorts, around which the capital city is built. Not sure if that's possible, to have a crater like that become an oasis?

Anyways I think I might prefer lower species diversity. I don't feel like quite going into overly massive detail over the ecosystems of the planet.

[Themiclesia]

I personally find such a system problematic. Who is to determine what sort of position and duration whereof will these prisoners serve? Will prisoners form a unit by their like, or will they be dispersed amongst other servicepersons? There are certainly some units that sustain a much higher risk than others, and such a system could be open for abuse.

Traditionally, at least in the US, prisoners could be given the choice to enlist in lieu of punishment. Generally, they were treated like any other enlisted man, and sent to basic, and then to a unit as the needs of the service dictated.

Generally they were largely not hardened criminals or murderers, but rather repeat petty offenders. Repeated assaults or other similar crimes could get you a four year enlistment.

Now, a sufficiently advanced or brutal training regimen could make even hardened offenders into viable soldiers, such as the protocols used by the Terran COnfederacyt and Dominion in the Starcraft series. So, your mileage may vary on the viability of penal battalions or penal units.

From an IC perspective, we think serving the nation should be a voluntary action, not a coerced one. Of course, we are devotees to the 'noble warrior' image.

OoC, having such a unit might be damaging, as soldiers might be undisciplined, uncouth, or untrained.

[The Legion of War]

Traditionally, at least in the US, prisoners could be given the choice to enlist in lieu of punishment. Generally, they were treated like any other enlisted man, and sent to basic, and then to a unit as the needs of the service dictated.

Generally they were largely not hardened criminals or murderers, but rather repeat petty offenders. Repeated assaults or other similar crimes could get you a four year enlistment.

Now, a sufficiently advanced or brutal training regimen could make even hardened offenders into viable soldiers, such as the protocols used by the Terran COnfederacyt and Dominion in the Starcraft series. So, your mileage may vary on the viability of penal battalions or penal units.

From an IC perspective, we think serving the nation should be a voluntary action, not a coerced one. Of course, we are devotees to the 'noble warrior' image.

OoC, having such a unit might be damaging, as soldiers might be undisciplined, uncouth, or untrained.

In the Legion, I think the offer will always stand that way but it's a choice on the prisoners' part. If they don't to rot in prison, they'll obey the military's rules.

Or face severe punishment for treason.

[Mini Miehm]

One solution he/she could go for is to have the interior dry scrubland marked with a chain of big, old, eroded impact craters, like those commonly found on the surface of Mars - large, deep basins like that should allow for large enough lakes to provide local 'bubbles' of lake-effect temperature modulation whilst allowing for a comparative lack of large mountain chains to form them, since those sorts of basins would probably divert rivers away from reaching the sea and direct them instead to fill the basin.

Which, incidentally, might provide you an avenue to get the desert-like conditions you're looking for, albeit indirectly. A large impact in the relatively recent past, if you have a supercontinent located in the temperate zone, (ie in and around the equator) would drastically reduce the diversity and population sizes of most of the terrestrial organisms on the planet and probably contribute to continent-wide desertification in the following die-off due to the volcanic/meteoritic winter. Not to mention that 'weedy' super-generalist plants like those that live in scrublands are usually the first to rebound after disasters of that magnitude, most of the landscape in the interior of the continent would look like a desert, even if it wasn't climactically-suited to be a desert forever.

I think I'll go that route. Maybe one of them could be an oasis of sorts, around which the capital city is built. Not sure if that's possible, to have a crater like that become an oasis?

Anyways I think I might prefer lower species diversity. I don't feel like quite going into overly massive detail over the ecosystems of the planet.

It's a pain in the dick to worry overmuch about species diversity too. Unless you're going to be like Feaz, and invent your own language, you can generally gloss over most things, or just focus on the most interesting/iconic species from your planet.

Also, as to a crater becoming an oasis, I'm sure it could happen, by various means and methods. I don't see any reason NOT to do it that way anyway, if that's what you want.

[Mini Miehm]

Traditionally, at least in the US, prisoners could be given the choice to enlist in lieu of punishment. Generally, they were treated like any other enlisted man, and sent to basic, and then to a unit as the needs of the service dictated.

Generally they were largely not hardened criminals or murderers, but rather repeat petty offenders. Repeated assaults or other similar crimes could get you a four year enlistment.

Now, a sufficiently advanced or brutal training regimen could make even hardened offenders into viable soldiers, such as the protocols used by the Terran COnfederacyt and Dominion in the Starcraft series. So, your mileage may vary on the viability of penal battalions or penal units.

From an IC perspective, we think serving the nation should be a voluntary action, not a coerced one. Of course, we are devotees to the 'noble warrior' image.

OoC, having such a unit might be damaging, as soldiers might be undisciplined, uncouth, or untrained.

Well, in the case of American soldiers serving in lieu of prison, such was not the case. Your mileage may vary. If you go the Dominion route, your soldiers are so hopped up on drugs and mind altering electronics that they won't be arguing with anybody. Of course, they're also violently literal and liable to take certain sarcastic modes of speech poorly. The concerns as to training and discipline can be addressed in various ways, depending on your setting and technology.

[Themiclesia]

From an IC perspective, we think serving the nation should be a voluntary action, not a coerced one. Of course, we are devotees to the 'noble warrior' image.

OoC, having such a unit might be damaging, as soldiers might be undisciplined, uncouth, or untrained.

Well, in the case of American soldiers serving in lieu of prison, such was not the case. Your mileage may vary. If you go the Dominion route, your soldiers are so hopped up on drugs and mind altering electronics that they won't be arguing with anybody. Of course, they're also violently literal and liable to take certain sarcastic modes of speech poorly. The concerns as to training and discipline can be addressed in various ways, depending on your setting and technology.

We tend to keep a disproportionately small military during peacetime, in our observance of ancient tradition. Rather we'd rely on militias, raised from the corners of our Commonwealth, to do most of the fighting.

[Vernii]

Penal battalions have been used throughout modern RL history. Some notable examples:

SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger was a brigade (and later upgraded to division strength) formed out of murderers, rapists, arsonists and other violent felons. It was used almost entirely for 'anti-partisan' duty, which meant that it was unleashed in zones of occupation to rape, torture, and pillage to its hearts content, to the point that even within the SS it had a grisly and unpopular reputation for brutality. When the Eastern Front started collapsing it got hurled against the Soviets and utterly butchered, with one regimental commander being lynched by his own men in order to escape from battle.

The NKVD also operated penal battalions throughout the Second World War, formed primarily of Gulag conscripts and volunteers, ideologically suspect soldiers, and those who were suspected of cowardice or retreated without authorization. They got the worst assignments; cannon-fodder for heavy assaults, mine clearing duty, sacrificial rearguards during withdraws, etc. Theoretically a soldier in one could prove himself in battle and be assigned to a regular Army unit, but it rarely happened due to casualty rates and reassignment to mine clearing if it looked like they'd be rehabilitated.

The French Foreign Legion has a history of allowing men who are wanted to enlist, and even recruited former SS and Wehrmacht soldiers after WWII, whereupon most of them were sent to fight in Indochina.

[Themiclesia]

Penal battalions have been used throughout modern RL history. Some notable examples:

SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger was a brigade (and later upgraded to division strength) formed out of murderers, rapists, arsonists and other violent felons. It was used almost entirely for 'anti-partisan' duty, which meant that it was unleashed in zones of occupation to rape, torture, and pillage to its hearts content, to the point that even within the SS it had a grisly and unpopular reputation for brutality. When the Eastern Front started collapsing it got hurled against the Soviets and utterly butchered, with one regimental commander being lynched by his own men in order to escape from battle.

The NKVD also operated penal battalions throughout the Second World War, formed primarily of Gulag conscripts and volunteers, ideologically suspect soldiers, and those who were suspected of cowardice or retreated without authorization. They got the worst assignments; cannon-fodder for heavy assaults, mine clearing duty, sacrificial rearguards during withdraws, etc. Theoretically a soldier in one could prove himself in battle and be assigned to a regular Army unit, but it rarely happened due to casualty rates and reassignment to mine clearing if it looked like they'd be rehabilitated.

The French Foreign Legion has a history of allowing men who are wanted to enlist, and even recruited former SS and Wehrmacht soldiers after WWII, whereupon most of them were sent to fight in Indochina.

The issue with the SS (if you're indeed speaking of the German SS) is that it is no official army -- the Reichswehr is. The Reichswehr appeared diminutive to German standards, so the Nazis dreamed and implemented of all manner of ways to inflate the effective force. These contingencies (such as the Wehrmachte) are then unconfined to the standards of the Reichswehr, especially in the case of the SS, since it isn't even part of the military. You can't have people who are not bound by regulation fighting as your official army, because they're mercenaries.

Edit: I'm sure my spelling of the German language is surely sorely amiss.

[Vernii]

The issue with the SS (if you're indeed speaking of the German SS) is that it is no official army -- the Reichswehr is. The Reichswehr appeared diminutive to German standards, so the Nazis dreamed and implemented of all manner of ways to inflate the effective force. These contingencies (such as the Wehrmachte) are then unconfined to the stands of the Reichswehr, especially in the case of the SS, since it isn't even part of the military.

I have no idea what the point that you're trying to make is.

[Themiclesia]

The issue with the SS (if you're indeed speaking of the German SS) is that it is no official army -- the Reichswehr is. The Reichswehr appeared diminutive to German standards, so the Nazis dreamed and implemented of all manner of ways to inflate the effective force. These contingencies (such as the Wehrmachte) are then unconfined to the stands of the Reichswehr, especially in the case of the SS, since it isn't even part of the military.

I have no idea what the point that you're trying to make is.

The point is that they're not bound to follow rules, such as the Reichswehr is.