Reds on the Red Planet! [OOC, signups, MT/PMT Dip]

[Caracasus]

OOC:

So this is a beginning to a RP revolving around space, specifically a mission to establish an outpost on Mars. Tech level is MT to early PMT. Events will unfold as the story progresses, but safe to say it might not be as simple a mission as it first appears to be...


At this stage, I'd like people to suggest what kind of role they would like. Ideas as follows:

1) A nation broadly supporting and working with Caracasus's space program.
2) An individual character or characters. Perhaps a cosmonaut on one of the ships. This can be from your nation, not Caracasus – obviously.
3) A nation or group in direct conflict with Caracasus's aims and objectives.
4) Your nation playing a much freer and fluid response to events as they unfold.

These are by no means the only roles you can play. Please give a rough idea about what you'd like to add in your introductory post. Being a RP I'm involved with, I am certain that there will be gratuitous amounts of double-dealing, power plays, backstabbing and such. Keep this to the IC, not the OOC thread.

Rules as follows.

Rules
1) This is diplomatic. There may be some warfare, but frankly I'm expecting (if it comes up) military might to be more of a big stick you threaten with rather than anything else. 
2) I am OP for this.
3) Longer, fewer and more developed posts are preferred over lists of troop numbers or one-sentence replies.
4) No nukes (unless it’s a really important plot device). Feel free to throw the threat of nukes about if you like.
5) Work things out in OOC if there’s an issue, or TG.
6) Please discuss first before taking definate military action such as invasion on the OOC thread. I'll give it the go-ahead if it fits. Frankly with this RP, that seems unlikely but you never know.
7) The maximum size for armed groups (unless I and others decide otherwise) is twelve.
8 ) Once you're in, you're in. Retconning will be allowed only in the most extraordinary of circumstances - and only for the last post made. Breaking this rule will result in darkly hilarious consequences for any poor souls you leave behind.
10) Rule of Cool applies. Caracasus is very early PMT, but nations from early MT to early PMT can take part. DO NOT use technological superiority to “win” against other players. It's a plot device to move things forward, nothing more.

IC thread here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=410120

[Raef Tige]

I'm down.

The united people of the Commonwealth are ready to spread the virtues of Dynamic Mutualism to the stars!

[Uan aa Boa]

I'll give it a go, although I must warn you that I have no idea how this works.

If we're playing as nations I'll play as my ingame nation if you think it will fit. Uan aa Boa is a post-colonial communist society with a benign but authoritarian dictator hoping to develop technological capabilities starting from a very low base.

[Raef Tige]

I'll give it a go, although I must warn you that I have no idea how this works.

If we're playing as nations I'll play as my ingame nation if you think it will fit. Uan aa Boa is a post-colonial communist society with a benign but authoritarian dictator hoping to develop technological capabilities starting from a very low base.

So we've got the Zambian space program going on, in a sense?

[Watersville]

Hello again all! I am excited for this to begin, especially with the introduction of a space program in the last RP. As many of you will know, I will be working with Caracasus and any other interested nations to further our understanding of science.

UPDATE: I will also likely have characters that will be taking part in the missions.

[Uan aa Boa]

So we've got the Zambian space program going on, in a sense?

Something like that, perhaps with a dash of North Korea for good measure. I suspect that, at least in the mechanics of NationStates, investing in high tech stuff is among the better ways to boost the economy without resorting to the sort of capitalist practices the government wouldn't touch with a barge pole. The IT industry does seem to get a big boost whenever you do something sciency, but crucially it doesn't seem to cause income inequality. Before reading too much into my current stats remember that I only created this nation 48 hours ago.

[Raef Tige]

So we've got the Zambian space program going on, in a sense?

Something like that, perhaps with a dash of North Korea for good measure. I suspect that, at least in the mechanics of NationStates, investing in high tech stuff is among the better ways to boost the economy without resorting to the sort of capitalist practices the government wouldn't touch with a barge pole. The IT industry does seem to get a big boost whenever you do something sciency, but crucially it doesn't seem to cause income inequality. Before reading too much into my current stats remember that I only created this nation 48 hours ago.

Fair enough. Lol.

[Raef Tige]

Anyways, I guess you could say my program's priority is researching exobotany - that is to say, my crew is attempting to learn how to best produce food given the conditions of the red planet. We aim to secure a stable food supply produced on-planet to reduce the need for resupply landings.

The first team, composed of sixteen individuals from the Commonwealth, have a number of professional backgrounds:
4x Botanists
3x Soil Geologists
1x Meteorologists
3x Engineers
1x Logistics Experts
1x Communications Officer
2x Security Operatives
1x RTDC Party Representative

[Caracasus]

Great to see so much interest early on!

So I was thinking. Given that the nations posting so far are at the very least on speaking terms, It might work well if the mission is a sort of joint venture with no one country obviously in charge.

Uan a boa, I was thinking. You are an anti imperial nation but have low tech industry. It might make a lot of sense for your nation to send its first cosmonauts via the Caracasusian launch. Perhaps some satellites too?

It will be interesting to see how your nation develops. The best rps end with you knowing more about your nation.

Raef, I take it you have your own launches. How closely are you planning to work with Caracasus?

Watersville, yuor tg'd idea sounds great. Does your nation have a launch facility or will you be borrowing others?

[Watersville]

We have a facility that has sent up satellites and sent astronauts to the International Space Station. I presume that this launchpad would be fine for the launching.

[Caracasus]

We have a facility that has sent up satellites and sent astronauts to the International Space Station. I presume that this launchpad would be fine for the launching.

Sounds good yeah!

[Watersville]

So based on TGs with Caracasus and what I have seen thus far. Watersville will be sending a team to Mars comprising of 15 men and women. Watersville's primary short term focus will be on figuring out weather patterns while long term is looking at ways of terraforming the Martian atmosphere.

Here is a list of what I am expecting to send:

5x engineers
-1 Chemical
-2 Mechanical
-1 Electrical
-1 Biomedical
2x medical
4x meteorologists
4x astronauts (for flight purposes and other duties)

[Raef Tige]

Raef, I take it you have your own launches. How closely are you planning to work with Caracasus?

We can certainly do some coordination. What did you have in mind?

[Raef Tige]

So based on TGs with Caracasus and what I have seen thus far. Watersville will be sending a team to Mars comprising of 15 men and women. Watersville's primary short term focus will be on figuring out weather patterns while long term is looking at ways of terraforming the Martian atmosphere.

Here is a list of what I am expecting to send:

5x engineers
-1 Chemical
-2 Mechanical
-1 Electrical
-1 Biomedical
2x medical
4x meteorologists
4x astronauts (for flight purposes and other duties)

Since you're occupied with weather events, I have an idea that might jazz up the RP a bit.

What if you and I, since we have dedicated weather staff, set up some kind of table and roll every week to see what the weather conditions are - for instance, we could be facing an intense sandstorm, electrical anomalies, or...something else, I suppose. That would affect what's going on for the rest of that week or maybe half a week that's posted.

[The Imperium Empires]

tag

[Raef Tige]

Uan a boa, I was thinking. You are an anti imperial nation but have low tech industry. It might make a lot of sense for your nation to send its first cosmonauts via the Caracasusian launch. Perhaps some satellites too?

I'm getting the vibe that they're a lot like Ghana - lots of solid expertise, but not enough resources to support what they want to accomplish. I'm sure there might be a few of their people at Commonwealth Mission Control.

What do you think is your nation's main field of technical expertise, Uan A Boa?

[Caracasus]

Uan a boa, I was thinking. You are an anti imperial nation but have low tech industry. It might make a lot of sense for your nation to send its first cosmonauts via the Caracasusian launch. Perhaps some satellites too?

I'm getting the vibe that they're a lot like Ghana - lots of solid expertise, but not enough resources to support what they want to accomplish. I'm sure there might be a few of their people at Commonwealth Mission Control.

What do you think is your nation's main field of technical expertise, Uan A Boa?

Hmm - interesting! I like the idea of that. I am thinking at present, Uan A Boa, having recently undergone a revolution, will be supported by Caracasus. However, some citizens of Caracasus might take issue with some of the lack of political freedoms there... a potential for internal conflict is always interesting.

[Raef Tige]

I'm getting the vibe that they're a lot like Ghana - lots of solid expertise, but not enough resources to support what they want to accomplish. I'm sure there might be a few of their people at Commonwealth Mission Control.

What do you think is your nation's main field of technical expertise, Uan A Boa?

Hmm - interesting! I like the idea of that. I am thinking at present, Uan A Boa, having recently undergone a revolution, will be supported by Caracasus. However, some citizens of Caracasus might take issue with some of the lack of political freedoms there... a potential for internal conflict is always interesting.

Oh, definitely. This'll be a good way to describe what's going on back home for those chaps - factionalism might come into play a few times here and there if members of the post-revoluntionary diaspora are involved in our respective programs.

[Caracasus]

tag

Cool - what would your focus be?

[Uan aa Boa]

Despite being a country of just 8 million people, Uan aa Boa is already "noteable for its ubiquitous missile silos." This has occasioned sabre rattling and sanctions from the continent's former colonial powers and driven Uan aa Boa further in the direction of attempting a defiant self-sufficiency. I would imagine that Caracasus, as a powerful and rather militaristic state in which capitalism remains outlawed, has seen an opportunity to thumb its nose at those colonial powers by inviting Uan aa Boan participation in the mission. Uan aa Boa will maintain vehemently that it is there on merit, perhaps contributing to ballistics and rocketry, but there's little hiding the tokenism of the gesture and their first cosmonaut is in fact a handsome young air force pilot chosen for his impecable revolutionary background and potential as a poster boy rather than any particular technical prowess.

[Raef Tige]

Despite being a country of just 8 million people, Uan aa Boa is already "noteable for its ubiquitous missile silos." This has occasioned sabre rattling and sanctions from the continent's former colonial powers and driven Uan aa Boa further in the direction of attempting a defiant self-sufficiency. I would imagine that Caracasus, as a powerful and rather militaristic state in which capitalism remains outlawed, has seen an opportunity to thumb its nose at those colonial powers by inviting Uan aa Boan participation in the mission. Uan aa Boa will maintain vehemently that it is there on merit, perhaps contributing to ballistics and rocketry, but there's little hiding the tokenism of the gesture and their first cosmonaut is in fact a handsome young air force pilot chosen for his impecable revolutionary background and potential as a poster boy rather than any particular technical prowess.

In that case, if you'd like to have some Uan aa Boaic expats who fled the revolution for the 'safer waters' of mutualist Raef Tige, it might be interesting to see the dynamic if we have some 'brain drain' of intellectuals and engineers to other states. As we historically overthrew the yoke of a massive landed elite in 1902, we reject colonialism, but we in the Commonwealth consider ourselves a refugee haven as well.

[Caracasus]

Despite being a country of just 8 million people, Uan aa Boa is already "noteable for its ubiquitous missile silos." This has occasioned sabre rattling and sanctions from the continent's former colonial powers and driven Uan aa Boa further in the direction of attempting a defiant self-sufficiency. I would imagine that Caracasus, as a powerful and rather militaristic state in which capitalism remains outlawed, has seen an opportunity to thumb its nose at those colonial powers by inviting Uan aa Boan participation in the mission. Uan aa Boa will maintain vehemently that it is there on merit, perhaps contributing to ballistics and rocketry, but there's little hiding the tokenism of the gesture and their first cosmonaut is in fact a handsome young air force pilot chosen for his impecable revolutionary background and potential as a poster boy rather than any particular technical prowess.

Sounds excellent! Caracasus isn't overly militarized as such (Caracasus's enemies would claim they're paranoid lunatics armed to the teeth - Caracasus's allies would claim they need to be a bit more aggressive frankly) - but everything else there most certainly creates a possibility for a wide range of conflict (diplomatic), compromise on various sides and dastardly deeds.

EDIT: At this point, Uan, I'd consider making an IC post. I know you're new to this, so if you wanted to run anything past me either by TG or in the OOC feel free!

I think perhaps explaining your nation a bit, perhaps through the eyes of your dashing first cosmonaut... that would be a plan. Just a thought, you could just as easilly take another approach

[Watersville]

So based on TGs with Caracasus and what I have seen thus far. Watersville will be sending a team to Mars comprising of 15 men and women. Watersville's primary short term focus will be on figuring out weather patterns while long term is looking at ways of terraforming the Martian atmosphere.

Here is a list of what I am expecting to send:

5x engineers
-1 Chemical
-2 Mechanical
-1 Electrical
-1 Biomedical
2x medical
4x meteorologists
4x astronauts (for flight purposes and other duties)

Since you're occupied with weather events, I have an idea that might jazz up the RP a bit.

What if you and I, since we have dedicated weather staff, set up some kind of table and roll every week to see what the weather conditions are - for instance, we could be facing an intense sandstorm, electrical anomalies, or...something else, I suppose. That would affect what's going on for the rest of that week or maybe half a week that's posted.

That sounds like a great idea! I was thinking about how we could incorporate this in and I think that works perfectly! Would you like to set up the table with me by TG or we could set it out here in the OOC.

[Raef Tige]

That sounds like a great idea! I was thinking about how we could incorporate this in and I think that works perfectly! Would you like to set up the table with me by TG or we could set it out here in the OOC.

We could probably start it up in TG, but once we're ready to roll that out we can lodge it here in the OOC.

[Watersville]

That sounds like a great idea! I was thinking about how we could incorporate this in and I think that works perfectly! Would you like to set up the table with me by TG or we could set it out here in the OOC.

We could probably start it up in TG, but once we're ready to roll that out we can lodge it here in the OOC.

That works for me!