The Glorious Stars Playtest

[PaulB]

If you guys need some more players, I could try a minor house. I'm worried a bit about my dependability but would like to help you guys get 2e playtested and out the door if I can

House Vasilyev

[mwaschak]

If you guys need some more players, I could try a minor house. I'm worried a bit about my dependability but would like to help you guys get 2e playtested and out the door if I can

House Vasilyev

Thanks Paul!

Versatile
Industrialist
Charming

[gstano]

House Craytan

Scientia Est Potentia - "Knowledge Is Power"

House Craytan is one of the younger Houses, although youth is a relative term given humanity’s time in space. This House came into being in the tumultuous years that saw House Raptor come to power and create the New Earth Empire. Through misinformation, willpower, dumb luck, and the Great Houses more interested in squabbling with each other, the Craytan managed to consolidate power in the Steyran system, which shares the same name as the primary planet. House Craytan managed to play the other Houses off one another long enough to establish their defense force, and while the Great Houses were not pleased with the new addition to the House ranks, the Craytan did bring a certain level of stability to their region.

Having come to power more from the “common folk”, Craytan society is a bit more open than the New Earth Empire as a whole and is run by a constitutional monarchy, the Craytan family, although the Craytan wield considerable power within their sphere of influence. While the Craytan often take a hands-on approach to issues concerning the entire House, Craytan society as a whole is fairly dynamic, both culturally and economically.

If anything can be said about the Craytan as a society, it is their emphasis on education and knowledge. At first glance, this appears to be a rather altruistic ideal. However, peel back the layers and a different truth appears. The Craytan knew that their origins of not coming from the true nobility put them at odds with the other Great Houses. As a matter of survival, House Craytan knew it would have to find a way to keep the Great Houses at bay beyond putting the entire economy into the fleet. This evolved into two activities; espionage and an open university system. The espionage is fairly self-explanatory and Craytan personnel are highly educated, well-trained, and have access to sophisticated equipment. Their services can be hired, for a price, and strictly for information gathering. The universities are puzzling, though.

House Craytan sponsors several massive university and research complexes and invites the best of the best from across the Empire. If you rank well in testing, it does not matter your walk of life. Noble or commoner, the Craytan will sponsor your education. The agreement is that the Craytan have access to the research. Obviously, the Houses have complained about this, but no other House has been willing to front the expense that the Craytan have been willing to spend. The Craytan have managed to alleviate some House concerns as they do not share this knowledge with other Houses, usually.

Peeling back the layers even further, it is clear that the Craytan play a high wire game with the Great Houses. Between their penchant for espionage and with valuable personnel within their space at their universities, House Craytan uses the implied threat to keep the other Houses at arm’s length. The Craytan’s convert activities have earned the House’s deceitful reputation, amongst other things. Still, the Houses tend to tolerate the Craytan as while their methods may not be highly regarded, the Craytan usually only threaten by implication and rarely release specific information.

The general populace enjoys the freedoms that House Craytan allows and recognizes that blatantly insulting the other Great Houses is not a healthy hobby. The Craytan’s education system and background knowledge of the other Houses allows for motivated citizens to be well equipped to conduct business throughout much of the Empire.

----------------------------------------

I don't know if I covered the deceitful part all too well, so we'll see what the group thinks.

[Stad]

So I put House Scooter into the mix, part of the Scootist Principalities

[PaulB]

If you guys need some more players, I could try a minor house. I'm worried a bit about my dependability but would like to help you guys get 2e playtested and out the door if I can

House Vasilyev

Thanks Paul!

Versatile
Industrialist
Charming

Not sure what I'm doing here as I didn't notice any official instructions, but as everyone seems to be laying out some ideas about their roles, well, Monkey see, monkey do:

House Vasilyev

The nobles of House Vasilyev claim that they trace their lineage down through the ages to businessmen and aristocrats of old Earth's Eastern Europe. Whether this boast is true or fabricated, current history maintains that they are one of the older houses in the wake of the Hegemony's collapse. Their fortunes have waxed and waned throughout the centuries, and while they have weathered these storms of political and economic change, time has left them at best a minor element on the landscape of power. But their history has engendered upon them a certain willingness to change and adapt in order to survive, and this willingness or versatility, has served them well on many occasion which may have crippled a more obstinate people.

A product of this versatility is a focus on industry. While House Vasilyev of the past often relied heavily upon its neighbours for products and materials, events have prompted them to move towards self-sufficiency wherever possible. Many goods are manufactured within the house itself, and an excess industrial base allows them to export more than they import with a focus on practical products which remain in demand even in failing economies. These measures have allowed their economy to remain relatively stable in recent time although with perhaps constrained growth.

Though largely self-sufficient, the power House Vasilyev commands is relatively meagre which leaves them vulnerable in the face of larger, more powerful Houses. In reaction to this, the nobles of Vasilyev have become more central to House politics than their fringe status would suggest. Well-versed in both dining and diplomacy, the social acumen of House Vasilyev affords them many contacts and friends on the political and economic landscape. This helps to ensure they remain both a relevant, and more importantly, a necessary voice in the circles of power.

[StevetheERB]

House Boudicca, major house

Decadent
Vain
Ambitious

Backstory
House Boudicca traces its lineage back to ancient nobility of old earth. Whether this claim is true or not is something best not questioned to their faces but regardless of its veracity House Boudicca built their fortune the same way ancient nobles did: land. Boudicca holdings, both in terms of physical real-estate and investments, are vast. In fact, in a decidedly feudal manner, all actual land within the Boudicca sphere is personal property of the Boudicca family and from there leased to various tenants ranging from single individuals to corporations. With this base income the family then moved to a more modern business: fulfilling the vices of humanity. From high class restaurants to sleazy dive bars; resort casinos to smokey gambling dens; brothels of all shapes and sizes; races on land, sea, air, and space; theaters and holovids; gladiatorial pits....if it has anything to do with sex, drugs, or entertainment you will find the well manicured hand of Boudicca in the pot.

The House itself is a hereditary feudal nobility with strictly matriarchal inheritance and absolute power resting in the current head of house, Erina Boudicca, Baroness of Gienah, High Lady of Silvermarch, Chief Executrix, etc, etc. From there her sister, daughters, granddaughters, cousins, and nieces hold a hodge-podge of noble titles that combine both land holdings and business positions and have little bearing on how they may have actually been used in antiquity. For example, her eldest daughter Heulfryn holds the title of Duchess of Sulafat among her many titles, although historically a duchess would rank above a baroness.

The end result of this is a House with a genteel facade of elegant trappings that conceal modern conveniences which both serve to (almost) hide a core of debauchery. This is exemplified in Caerphilly, their sprawling baroque family estate, which functions are nerve center for their business empire, and was also sealed from the public for a week on the recent occasion of the Baroness' 60th birthday (although she maintains the body of a 20 year old actress) for a party that would make a veteran of the ancient Roman orgies blush.

Given the fact that the Boudicca very rarely flex their absolute authority over their subjects and offer them spectacle and boons (the entire population got the same week off for the Baroness' birthday) the people are fairly happy and loyal although they are not particularly motivated or educated. There's a popular story of a amateur botanist who cultivated a new breed of rose and named it after the Baroness' granddaughter and the Baroness gave the man a huge some of money, a new house, and put him in charge of growing the new flower for use throughout Boudicca lands. Business is accomplished through bribes and favors, although the style of the bribe and its presentation often matter more than the value of it and its always conducted informally (the Boudiccas are famous for mixing business with pleasure).

Historically the House has been content to party and let the rest of the galaxy trudge on but the Baroness and her heir have had their eye on House Raptor lately, noticing how the power slips from their fingers little by little with each passing year and wondering what's to stop them from picking it up....

[mwaschak]

You got the right idea Paul. The random adjectives are not strict, but are a general impression other houses would have of your house.

I will get the map put together here soon. We are going to have a few great houses, and a handful of smaller ones. Once the map is set I am going to start on some house interactions and histories. Then we can start talking about what the houses's fleets are going to be like.

-Jay

[murtalianconfederacy]

Shows what happens if you stop popping in every day...

I'd love to join up, but I'm not sure of how much involvement I'm capable of, and I haven't seen any updates on playtest material for ages...

[Emiricol]

House Dorgoth, a minor house with old roots in the Hegemony intelligence and military particularly on the frontier.

[mwaschak]

I'd love to join up, but I'm not sure of how much involvement I'm capable of, and I haven't seen any updates on playtest material for ages...

It is no problem. The house system lets me easily swap in alternates if players suddenly disappear. I am going to close this out today and publish a map.

There is definitely constant work on 2e. It is usually tested extensively within the VBAM team before we do anything public with it. After the last set of games we had a lot of updating to do.

-Jay

[mwaschak]

House Dorgoth, a minor house with old roots in the Hegemony intelligence and military particularly on the frontier.

Done!

Fair
Egalitarian
Futuristic

[OneMadOgre]

Named after the small North American Hawk, House Kestrel has it's roots in the great Chinese Migration of 2259. Like it's ancestors of long ago, they have left their homelands and taken to a new land, this time migrating out into the far reaches.

Members of House Kestrel form large family groups. These bounds are intense and reinforced at birth through culture and tradition. As a result, people who marry into the house find them absorbed and claimed as one of the many House Kestrel kin, even if the blood ties are weak and the distances are great.

This same cultural indoctrination breeds an infectious optimism and enthusiasm for whatever a Kestrel puts their mind to. The single-mindedness of the enthusiasm also helps members of this large extended community connect to and recognize each other, as well as be recognized outside of their communities.

Close familial bounds also have encouraged a culture of minimalism in the Kestrel communities. They can make do with less than most, and as a result have dense settlements where they live in what seems like incredibly close quarters. While one might be forgiven for expecting these cramp quarters to lead to filth and crime, Kestrel communities are instead a model of efficiency and the everyday requirements of settlement life are instead handled with aplomb.

Done! Build a history please.


House Kestrel

Numerous
Efficient
Enthusiastic

Even more than most of the rest of you I'm going to be a rookie. So small house is absolutely fine.

House Kestrel

[mwaschak]

GS_0.png (1.44 MiB) Viewed 15137 times

Hello everyone,

Here is a rough map of the game so far. Please note it is not done yet and I still have to polish the system stats. I randomized most of these connections except for making some logical places the houses and imperial seat would develop. There will be a chance to explore, mostly in the outer systems, but I haven't had time to draw those in yet. You can see where the houses do reside.
I am going to kick things off in the forums (unless there are serious objections) so I have a good paper trail for diplomacy stuff. The NEE is going to open with some laws currently in place that the Assembly approved. Now that I know where the houses are I can get to work on some of the friction or friendship that may exist.

-Jay

[OneMadOgre]

Expect to see this on the web play aid much much later this evening.

[Tyrel Lohr]

Since Jay talked me into this, here's the background for the faction that I'm going to be playing in the playtest game:

House Alhazred
Head of State: Grand Prince Kadin Mahir Alhazred
DEVIOUS

The Grand Princes of Alhazred have long been known for their “cloak-and-dagger” diplomacy, and their great house owes its existence to the Machiavellian power brokering of its earliest members. It’s common knowledge that the headers of House Alhazred are never to be fully trusted because their ambitions have historically outweighed their integrity. It’s believed that part of the reason for the schism between Houses Alhazred and Raptor stems from just such a betrayal during the early days of the empire.

OSTENTATIOUS

Any visitor that walks within the great halls of the Alhazredeen palaces on Carcosa will be struck by the sheer beauty and opulence that House Alhazred puts on display for its guests. There is definitely a sense of faded glory, however, as its obvious that the finest of these great works were created during the early days of the house and stand now as a testimony to a golden age that has come and gone. However, for a time, it’s easy for you to cast off these lingering doubts and revel in the overwrought architecture and flamboyant décor as you watch the light of the red sun dance across Lake Hali.

SECRETIVE

Every great house has its secrets, but House Alhazred seems to be more secretive than most. The official history of the dynasty is extremely complete and meticulously collected, which makes the gaps in their records even more apparent to those that study their archives. What’s more troubling is that there seems to be numerous excellently forged documents interspersed throughout the official records that seem to be covering up incredibly innocuous details. There are also disturbing rumors of goings on at court, but no one speaks openly about what they’ve seen. Furtive gazes and knowing looks are passed between dignitaries when the subject is broached, but conversation is quickly steered in other directions.