Legend of the Galactic Heroes: A New Chapter
Premise
This is an RP based on one of my favourite Anime, the classic Legend of the Galactic Heroes. This scenario will take place nearly a century after the original series, so one doesn’t need to know much if anything about the series to play or enjoy. In it, you take the role of a commander in one of the two opposing militaries who battle for galactic supremacy.
For In every time, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same...
History of the Galaxy
In AD 2801 humanity, who spread throughout the Milky Way and terraformed countless worlds over the past eight centuries, settled their conflicts and formed the Galactic Federation. The Golden Age of Humanity began and this event known as Year 1 of the Galactic Age. Three centuries later, a former admiral and aspiring politician named Rudolf von Goldenbaum became President of the Federation and soon declared himself Emperor Rudolf I of the Galactic Empire. He began a policy of intense persecution of dissidents and soon transformed the state into an absolute monarchy based on the ideals of the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire.
In Galactic Age 473/ AD 3273 a group of peasants and dissidents escaped the Goldenbaum Empire and reached the Sagittarius Arm. They found a habitable planet they named Heinessen after their leader Ahle Heinessen and in GA 527 formed the democratic Free Planets Alliance. In GA 640 the Alliance and the Empire made their first contact; the Empire quickly declared the Alliance a rebel faction and the Alliance-Imperial War began. The conflict soon became the bloodiest in human history and was characterised by countless skirmishes: neither side could gain an advantage and the was became a brutal stalemate.
GA 796, after 150 years of war, Emperor Friedrich IV promoted Reinhard von Lohengramm to Imperial Admiral. He was barely 20 years old and is quickly recognised for his genius. Later that year, he effectively took full control over the Empire when the emperor died and left his five-year-old grandson Erwin Josef II as Emperor. Imperial hardliner rebel but are defeated by Lohengramm and his allies.
Lohengramm restructured the Empire and in GA 799 launched an invasion into the Free Planets Alliance. He successfully defeated and occupied the Alliance, who were suffering the effects of a failed coup earlier that year. The Free Planets become a mere puppet state, ending centuries of democratic rule. Lohengramm's soldiers soon declare him Emperor and with the support of the people and his Admirals, he formed the New Galactic Empire. Emperor Reinhard continued his liberalisation of the Galaxy.
In December of the same year, the planet El Facil declared its independence from the Free Planets Alliance. The Free Planets briefly rebelled but the Second Alliance-Imperial War ended with the complete destruction of the Alliance. The Fortress of Iserlohn declares independence as the Republic of Iserlohn.
In GA 801 the Republic of Iserlohn and the New Galactic Empire sign an agreement: in return for the Fortress of Iserlohn, Heissensen is made an autonomous zone within the Empire. Soon afterwards, Emperor Reinhard died of a rare congenital disease and left his wife Hildegard as regent for their infant son Alexander Siegfried.
Here is where we leave the realm of history and enter the RP...
Hildegard continued liberalising the Empire and formed a constitutional government with a Diet. GA 818, Alexander Siegfried took full power and continued ruling justly. All seemed well in the galaxy as a new Golden Age flourished. However, an uprising by Admiral Felix Mittermeyer von Reuenthal in 864 shattered the unity of the Empire. The brutal conflict left billions dead and Reuenthal seized the former Free Planets territory for himself. Initially, he promised a return to democracy but soon established a military dictatorship. Billions perish under his purges and he used the strong iron arm of the military to maintain power. In 870 the Empire signed the Treaty of Phezzan and recognised the newly (re)created Free Planets Alliance.
GA 896, President Reuenthal died but soon replaced by one of his subordinates. The Empire, now under the leadership of Emperor Reinhard II, sees an opportunity to seize their lost territory and launch an invasion, violating the Treaty of Phezzan. The galaxy is once again at war and in need of new heroes...
The State of the Galaxy
Galactic Map
The major factions are the New Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. The Domain of Phezzan, once independent, became the seat of the Empire when Emperor Reinhard I moved there in 801. As one of the only corridors between the two states, it is heavily guarded. The Iserlohn Corridor, meanwhile, once again under Alliance hands remains the only other corridor and the formidable Iserlohn Fortress stands in the way of any possible invasions.
The Empire boasts a strong military tradition and thanks to the reforms of its previous two leaders a robust economy and loyal citizenry.
The Free Planets, on the other hand, boasts a far larger population. As a dictatorship, it is also highly militarised, far more than its predecessor was, and anti-Imperial sentiments remain strong. The stage is set for a war with the potential to be far deadlier than any other.
Technology
Despite being a Space Opera, LOGH takes a “hard science fiction” approach. Real physics apply and with the exception of FTL technology is little different than that of today (or the 1980s when it was written).
Warp is the only FTL method known to humans and using high energy reactors, vessels can jump a finite distance crossing dozens or even hundreds of light-years in mere moments. Ships, however, can only warp between navigation corridors (see the map) safely. Vessels can only warp while a certain distance away from intense gravitational wells; this means a fleet cannot warp-out directly on top of a planet or other large body and requires individual ships in a fleet be spaced a certain distance away from each other while executing warp. As such warping within the same star system is near impossible. Space travel therefore still takes time, and it could take many months to traverse the entire inhabited galaxy.
Communication jamming and hacking are commonplace, meaning that written orders are as common as they are now. Often small craft are used to pass orders along.
A Note on Fleets and Ranks
The Navies used by the two opposing factions are vast organisations filled with millions of soldiers and thousands of ships; each force has around 150,000 warships. Below is a list of command ranks:
Captain: In command of an individual warship.
Commodore: The smallest separate command, commodores could command a small squadron of 500 ships as part of a larger Vice Admiral's fleet. They could also serve in staff positions.
Rear Admiral: Rear Admirals command a fleet of 2,000 vessels, or also serve on the Staffs of higher ranked officers. Rear Admirals are the backbone of both the Imperial and Free Planet navies.
Vice Admiral: Command a fleet of 10,000 vessels. In the Empire, fleets commanded by Vice Admirals are identified by the admiral's last name, while in the Free Planets Alliance fleets commanded by Vice Admirals are designated with numbers. Vice Admirals also might serve as Staff Officers.
High Admiral (Empire)/Admiral (Alliance): The highest independent commands, (High) Admirals command fleets of around 30,000 vessels. In the Empire High Admirals command fleets designed by their last names, while in the Alliance they command several numbered fleets. In both cases, they are expected to be the overall theatre or front commanders. They might also act as department heads or as a Chief of Staff.
Fleet Admiral: Largely a ceremonial or bureaucratic role, Fleet Admirals are the highest attainable rank in both navies, usually as the supreme commander of an entire campaign or as a department head.
Rules
- The OP's word is law. That isn't to say that my mind can't be changed, of course. I'm human and am fallible on occasion
- Co-OPs are my eyes and ears when I am unavailable. Respect them as you would me.
- Absolutely no one-liners. One-liners are the death of RPs, and if you can't write AT LEAST three lines, wait until you can do so.
- No godmodding, metagaming, et cetera. These battles are massive and complicated; millions of men will die in a single battle. No one is omniscient or omnipotent, so expect to take losses. If you can’t decide who wins, I’ll make a call.
- Have fun!
Application
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